Young children learn best through hands-on, up-close-and-personal, full-contact interactions with the world. The problem many caregivers have with such learning is that kids who fully engage the world often make a mess of things–a million blocks dumped on the floor, green paint on the floor, and muddy footprints on the carpet. Based on ideas from our book, Let Them Play, this session looks at why this type of play is integral to early learning, ideas for managing the mess, and tips to help caregivers support hands-on play.