For a play-of-the-day, kids can have some colorful fun with play dough. Play dough is sensory and imaginative and appeals to little hands. It can be pre-made and purchased at many stores, or it’s easy and inexpensive to make at home.
Just today, I read a Washington Post article by Valerie Strauss on the decline of play and how this is affecting young children: The decline of play in preschoolers — and the rise in sensory issues. Repeating what many researchers are now discovering, “… young children learn best through meaningful play experiences,” parents, caregivers, and teachers all know there is still a great deal of pressure to substitute academic activities. As children play with play dough, they reveal and shape with their hands and words what is meaningful to them.
Play dough seems to be a magnet that attracts fingers and hands. Sometimes, kids will play with just one color and sometimes it can be fun to mix them all up and see what happens. Depending on the kind used, the result can be a swirling mass of color or just a muddy, grey lump. Gee, that sort of sounds like life with kids. Who knew play dough could have such profound zen?
Whatever is available at your house, set out some play dough for your child or children to explore. A few simple items like cookie cutters, molds, a wooden rolling pin, and a plastic knife are useful. To extend the play, kids may have their own suggestions, such as small dinosaurs, toy dishes, or other favorites. Buttons and plastic gems can be buried for treasures. Sea shells and rocks will turn the play dough into an ocean and beach.
The article also mentioned, “In fact, it is before the age of 7 years — ages traditionally known as “pre-academic” — when children desperately need to have a multitude of whole-body sensory experiences on a daily basis in order to develop strong bodies and minds.” Play-dough is not whole-body sensory, but it is certainly sensory. You can add a drop or two of lavender or peppermint, or a spice like cinnamon. Kids need both play and hands-on and this meets that need. No matter, the color, can your child have some sensory and colorful play with play-dough?
For an invitation to play, I simply put some playdough, small plastic dinosaurs and a few accessories, like small pieces of wood, a few rocks, some pale but clear bits of glass to be water, and a few small plastic eggs that open and close. Both Big Sister (6) and Little Sister (3) loved the dinosaurs. They played in different ways, Big Sister made stories and scenes, while Little Sister pushed the dinosaurs into the playdough in different positions. She especially liked standing them on their tails. But they each directed their own play and interacted part of the time. Later on, Big Sister made tracks with the dinosaurs and then matched them up with the corresponding feet.
Playdough is not just fun, it’s also great for learning. As kids play with playdough, they are also improving their 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. Playdough is ideal for little hands and for sensory stimulation. Fingers love to feel how it squishes, rolls, stretches, and flattens. The different items of the dinosaurs, playdough, sticks, and glass bits gave the fingers more textures to explore.
