PS: Still, getting messy is fun in theory, but not always in practice. What advice do you have to make parents less anxious about getting out the glue and glitter?
MS: I’ve been a proponent of messy art my entire life, and yet every time my 3-year-old asks to finger-paint, I tense up and almost blurt out, "Not today." But then I remember how her face beams as she squishes the cool paint through her fingers and how she rubs the paint up and down her arms saying, "Look, I'm putting on sunscreen!" I remember how this soothes her and calms her down after a busy day. So I say, "Sure, let's get out the finger paint." When it's all done and everything is clean, I realize that it actually wasn't as stressful as I had feared.
Once you find a good system to contain the mess, it really isn't as bad as it seems. When it comes to messy art like paint or glue, I always give my kids a large plastic tray to work on that will contain most of the mess and makes for easy cleanup. I just throw all of the brushes and tools onto the tray when it's over and carry everything on the tray to the sink (I made a video of this process here). I also make sure to have a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on hand for the accidental handprints on the wall.
If all else fails, limit your messy art to the warmer months when you can do it outside.
