If you’re looking for a fun and friendly baby and toddler group near Dartford in Kent, then Messy Minors Messy Play Group in Hartley, Longfield is the group for you!
Messy Minors is a baby and toddler group in Hartley based around messy play! Expect lots of different tuff trays full of messy, sensory experiences with plenty of invitations to play for child led exploration. Each week has a different theme to really help connect, educate and entertain with your little ones.
The Messy Minors messy play classes are held in Hartley Village Hall, Ash Road, Hartley, Longfield, DA3 8EL. It’s easy to find with plenty of nearby street parking.
Messy Minors costs just £6 per child per session, with additional sibling tickets being priced at £4.
Messy Minors is only available to book in single, drop in sessions – not term bookings like many other baby and toddler groups! Lizzie, the founder of Messy Minors, understands how busy life is as a parent and wanted to give people the flexibility to book into the themes they like on the days they can do.
The Messy Minors classes are currently held on Tuesdays at 1pm. Lizzie is hoping to introduce a morning session soon, so keep an eye out on the Messy Minors Instagram page for updates.
The Messy Minors messy play group is an hour long, which is a little bit longer than most other messy play groups – this gives you plenty of time to relax, get to know other parents and change your messy child into fresh clothes at the end!
Myself, Arthur (my two and a half year old toddler) and Ada (my newborn baby) attended Messy Minors baby and toddler messy play group in Hartley on Tuesday 12th October 2021.
The venue was easy to find – Google maps took us to the exact right place which is on the main road running through Hartley. There is a very tiny car park outside the Village hall, but there is only space for one or two cars, so we parked on the main road itself. Another mum told me that there is better, quieter parking down the adjacent roads such as Round Ash Way, so next time we will park there instead.
Upon entering Hartley Village Hall I was impressed to see 6 tuff tray stations set up on a big tarpaulin mat. There was plenty of space in the hall for buggies, and Lizzie had also set out a soft baby play mat with some toys to entertain any younger children or siblings. I was also impressed that there was a signing in sheet with space to say yes/no/no faces to photos for social media – I’ve not seen this at other messy play classes, and as we choose not to show Arthur’s face online, this was very welcome. There was also a list of ingredients used in the play trays so any parents with concerns of foodstuff used in case of allergies could have peace of mind.
Arthur got stuck in with the messy play straight away and was very excited and engaged. The theme was ‘weather week’ and there was plenty on offer. From rainbow coloured pasta to make your own rain shaker with rainbow sensory rice, yoghurt lighting, cereal sun and cloud dough snow: there was plenty to do! I also thought the quantity of sensory items on each tray was very generous and meant there was plenty available to share even if there were 2 or 3 children playing on the same tray at the same time.
You can tell the founder, Lizzie, had put a lot of effort into each set up and each tray had lots of detail – from spray painted coffee pots for the rain makers to sensory glitter tubes for the rainbow tray, she really had gone above and beyond to create an amazing messy play experience.
One of the best bits of a messy play group is not having to tidy up! Messy Minors sessions are definitely one of the messier ones I’ve been to before, though, so make sure you have a spare change of clothes for you both.
Overall, the Messy Minors messy play group in Hartley was one of the best messy play classes I’ve been to and I would highly recommend to all local parents. By attending Messy Minors you are also supporting a small business run by another mum.
PS – If you visit off the back of my recommendation, please tag me in your photos on Instagram and use the hashtag #JodetopiaInKent
If you like messy play classes, then why not try Bub Club in Rochester too? If you’re not a fan of venturing out to classes, then you might like my top tips for less stress and mess when you’re doing your own messy play at home instead.
