The Puddle Play Guide
By Laura Holtby
“Every path has a puddle, and there is no path without absolutely no issues, problems, or puddles.”
One of my children’s favorite things to do was to play in puddles. Any dirty, muddy, body of water became magic, and they were fixated on sloshing around it, jumping into it, or running through it, no matter the cost. There were times when I tried to get them not to, there were times I just gave up and let them go, and there were times I could assuredly say “go for it!” And why not?
As they jump through the puddle, they are discovering the world around them, and fostering interest of the natural environment. Puddle jumping helps children practice large motor coordination skills, and when they have friends and family to do it with, it helps increase their emotional connection and make memories for everyone. And why not? It’s safe AND FUN!
What I realized when they were a little older, was how important puddle play was to their little developing minds and how they would later approach the world with curiosity and wonder. Did we know what was at the bottom of the puddle? Did you ever wonder how deep it was, or perhaps why it was there when it had not rained and there were no other puddles around?
It never mattered to my kids where the puddle was, how dirty it looked, where we were going, or what we were doing. They wanted to be IN it; exploring how it felt, learning what the water and the mud could do, and the best part was that it brought them joy. And they learned, there were times when we could not go around it, we had to go through it. And there were times when the puddle was so fun, I had to be a child and jump around with them too.
Puddles taught them the lessons that obstacles and challenges are going to be a part of life no matter where we are in the world. We can’t always avoid the puddle, but we should acknowledge why it’s there in our life. If we have all the tools we need, why not jump in with both feet?
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