Little girl smiling

Sometimes it can be discouraging shopping for your children. You want them to have nice clothes but you know that they will put some serious mileage on any apparel you buy them. Jeans will end up with grass stain, shirts will end up with food stains, and shoes will get worn down and shredded with all the running around your children do.

It is time for you to steer into the storm. Embrace the mess. There are so many ways for you to find cheap and stylish clothes for your children. Don't worry about how fast they will ruin new clothing. Find ways for them to have fun and don't worry about how messy things get. As a matter of fact, here are a list of messy activities that your children will enjoy.

1. Multi-colored Spaghetti

This activity doesn't require much. All you need is some spaghetti, food coloring, water, and a couple pots. Make a couple batches of different colored spaghetti and then what you do next is up to you and your child. Throw it, roll it, mash it, eat it, make something out of it. There are so many ways to keep your child happy with this activity.

2. Cloud Dough

To make cloud dough all you need is 8 cups of plain flour to 1 cup of oil. Baby oil has a better scent but only use it if you can keep an eye on your children the entire time because you do not want them to eat any of it. If you don't want to worry about your children eating the dough use canola or vegetable oil. Once the dough is made there are a variety of things you can do with it. Using your hands to play with it is fun but you can also use toys or even add food coloring to the mix to make things interesting.

3. Sidewalk Chalk Paint

Using regular chalk that you buy at the store is fun but the process of making art on the sidewalk becomes more messy and fun when you make your own sidewalk chalk paint. The supplies you need to make sidewalk chalk paint are water, cornstarch, and food coloring. No need to measure anything. Just keep adding water or cornstarch until you get a consistency you like.

4. Salt Painting

Be sure to lay down a bunch of towels before starting this activity so that you don't make too much of a mess. To get things started use glue to draw a design on paper. Before the glue can dry pour salt on top of it. Get rid of the excess salt and then drip colored water onto the design. Your kids will love watching how the salt absorbs the water and makes the color spread throughout the design.

5. Ice Cube Building

You'll want an ice tray that makes perfect cubes of ice for this activity. Add a few drops of food coloring to the tray when you make the ice so that when your kids play with the blocks they have a couple different colors to build with. If they get bored with the blocks you can let them melt the blocks in the sun or a bucket or warm water.

Dillard's chevron_right

GAP chevron_right

JCPenney chevron_right

Kohl's chevron_right

Macy's chevron_right

Old Navy chevron_right

Dillard's

GAP

JCPenney

Kohl's

Macy's

Old Navy