Is it bad to play with mud?

Baby playing with mud

Most kids love it play and dip in the mud. However, it's not so much fun for adults to get up to their eyebrows in dirt and have to run extra washers. In addition, we usually associate mud with something dirty and loaded with pathogenic microorganisms that can make our children sick. But is playing with mud really bad?

Playing with mud is not only not bad, but brings multiple benefits both physically and emotionally. Clay is an ideal material for children to play, learn, develop their imagination and stimulate the senses.

Helps connect with nature

We have had to live in a time when contact with nature is usually scarce. Children spend many hours at school, where outdoor play is limited to half an hour a day (and hopefully it doesn't rain). In addition, schoolyards are usually made of concrete, with hardly any trees and plants. On the other hand, the lack of time of parents, makes us resort more than necessary to television or screen games. Playing with mud is a simple way to connect with nature. It does not require large movements since we can find it in any park, flowerpot or even make our own corner of the clay at home with a little earth and water.

Makes children happier

Jumping in the mud

You only have to observe a child covering himself in the mud to know that he is very close to absolute happiness. But why precisely playing with mud and not something more "hygienic"? The answer seems to be in Mycobacterium vaccae, a bacteria present in the mud. On studies With mice it has been seen that those exposed to the microorganism had higher levels of serotonin, the "Hormone of happiness" responsible for mood and to reduce anxiety levels, causing a sensation of pleasure and well-being.

Improves cognitive skills and learning

Serotonin not only improves mood but also facilitates concentration and learning. En tests With mice fed Mycobacterium vaccae, they were found to be able to traverse mazes faster than mice that had not ingested the bacteria. Furthermore, these effects lasted for several weeks.

These studies suggest that there is a relationship between exposure to microorganisms and brain function. Therefore, spending time in nature and handling the soil that Mycobacterium vaccae is found in is beneficial for emotional health and learning.

Improves the immune system and health

Baby in the mud

One of the things that worry us most when our children get dirty is that they contract some disease. It is clear that improvements in hygiene have reduced the number of infectious diseases and mortality, but it is not necessary to live in a sterile environment. In fact, Getting dirty is beneficial for the immune system. When children crawl, put their hands in their mouths, or play with dirt, their bodies are colonized by friendly microorganisms that protect them and help their immune systems fight pathogens. Excess cleaning decreases the microbial diversity in our body and prevents the immune system from being "trained." This could be related to the increase, in recent decades, of diseases such as allergies, asthma, dermatitis and even diabetes.

With a study published in the journal Science, it was seen how children who grew up on farms, in contact with animals and the land, had between a 30 and 50% less likely to have respiratory diseases such as asthma or allergic rhinitis. The scientists established a correlation between the diversity of microorganisms present in the soil, animals and house dust from farms, with decreasing levels of asthma and rhinitis.

Stimulates imagination and creativity

Mud is an amorphous mass that allows free play. With it you can do countless things: mold, knead, make figures, paint it, play cooking…. It also allows you to experiment repeatedly since it is an unlimited free material.


The mud allows children to work both fine and gross motor skills, stimulates imagination and artistic expression, helps to differentiate textures and degrees of humidity. In addition, if we provide them with different toys or kitchen utensils, we will be encouraging them to learn to handle them and integrate them into their creations. Regarding social skills, mud allows both individual play and group play, favoring cooperation and communication.

Girl playing with mud

Seeing, all the benefits that mud has, it is not strange that the little ones love to play with it, right? But beyond any benefit it may have, what is really important is what they enjoy. So now you know, the next time your children are covered in mud, relax and enjoy with them.


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  1.   Macarena said

    What a great pleasure for a girl or a boy! Have the freedom to splash around and touch the mud… who could! My children have been able to do it (or so I think, because the perception that children have about how we are mothers is different from ours), and the face of happiness was priceless.

    Thank you.