Playdough likely wasn’t treasure for pirates, but it is for kids because they can use it for all kinds of fun, learning, and kindergarten readiness. To seem more like real ‘dough’, money that is, you can use yellow or gold color playdough. Other colors can be used to make different sorts of jewels.
Playdough can be used over and over, for different stages of development. Once kidlets have learned that playdough doesn’t go in their mouth, it can be used for simple exploration and sensory stimulation. Older kids can imagine and create with playdough. What might a pirate make? Well, probably some gold coins. Pirates like to count and they can count the number of coins. It’s easy to make lots. Pirates might make some diamond shapes. Big Sister Pirate made some sea creatures sailing on the blue ocean. Friend Pirate used two different colors and made a jewel on a flower. Pirates might like to bury some little treasures in the playdough for others to find.
As kids play with playdough they are also improving fine motor dexterity. The small muscles in the hands, fingers, and wrists are still developing. The brain also gets lots of exercise for problem-solving and planning and other thinking skills. Since it’s so easy to work with, kids can create, smoosh it back together, and create some more. This also helps develop concentration and focusing skills and encourages stretching attention span too. As kids talk and explain, they are practicing ways of using language.
There are tons of recipes for playdough and it can be made quite cheaply. But don’t let the inexpensiveness fool you; like other treasure, playdough is valuable for kids’ learning fun. (Sometimes, it can be a lifesaver, especially if grownups need kids to do an activity that is somewhat quiet.) Do you have a treasured recipe for playdough?