Playdough has so many advantages for toddlers and preschoolers from helping develop fine motor skills, to providing lots of open-ended opportunities for children to experience independent and cooperative play. Best of all, playdough is easy to make and cost-effective!
Here are a few fun playdough crafts to make today with your child.
Before you get started…
Create a play dough station before you begin so that your child has everything he needs at his fingertips. Use a well-cooked, non-sticky homemade playdough. You can find many different recipes on the Internet.
You will need:
- Tray or container
- Small plastic tubs with lids
- Small rolling pin
- Plastic knife
- Coloured ice-cream sticks
- Pipe cleaners
- Decorations like buttons, beads, and sequins
- Playdough
Pounding and squashing
You will need:
- Playdough
- Golf tees
- Toy hammer
Method:
- Shape the playdough into a thick rectangle.
- Allow your little one to place the tees in the playdough and then let him hammer them in with the toy hammer.
Fine motor skills development
You will need:
- Small doll
- Pink play dough
- Sequins
- Beads
- Sparkly gems
Method:
- Shape the playdough into a mermaid tail and cover the body and legs of the doll.
- Decorate the body and tail with the decorations.
Coordination skills development
You will need:
- Templates: You can download them for free here.
- Scissors
- Laminating sheets
- Laminator (or take them to your local printer to have them laminated)
- Red play dough
Method:
- Print and cut out the cards.
- Laminate each sheet.
- Help your little one roll the number of apples and make the shape of the number.
A great sensory experience
You will need:
- Whole spices (cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, and bay leaves)
- Rolling pin
- Clean muffin tray
- Playdough
- Cling wrap
Method:
- Place the play dough and spices in the holder.
- Roll out the play dough.
- Let your child feel and smell the spices.
- Let her press them into the playdough and see what shapes the spices make.
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