Rolling In The Dough!

Observe your kids closely as they play. Do they touch and try to manipulate their toys, as if to see how they would look like if they are bent this way and that? Do they love listening to the sounds that objects make when they are hit against each other? Does your child repeatedly bang these objects together to recreate the sound? Do your children make a habit of putting things into their mouth? If you answered yes to all these, congratulations! Your kids are making mental connections while exploring the world with their five senses. At this age, children already learn so much by simply seeing, smelling, touching, tasting or listening. 

You can expose your child to even more of these sensory activities at home. Play dough would make an excellent play companion, not just because it’s fun to mold, but also because it lets your child use his or her sense of touch and sight very well.

Let your kids warm up to the texture of their play dough first. Let them squish the material as much as they please. This way, their sense of touch gets accustomed to the feel of the play dough. You may then introduce basic shapes your kids can form using their clay pieces. The snake is a popular and easy choice, and as long as you guide them every step of the way, your kids are bound to have an easy and fun time molding the play dough into even more shapes.

As your kids enjoy the activity even more, allow them to take the lead and form shapes they please. Add a bit of encouragement and direction to keep their interest piqued—how about some pancakes? Perhaps some beaded necklaces? How about some fences for their toy animals, or a house for their small toys? The possibilities with clay and play dough are endless, and as long as you keep your child interested, they’re bound to push their imagination like you’ve never seen before!