As my daughter approached her 3rd birthday she began to join me in preparing our activities. What a great opportunity to get her involved in the whole process, from start to finish!
For this activity we made the play dough from scratch and even decided together what to include in the tray. Seasonal play dough trays are the perfect opportunity to talk about all the different aspects of that season in a fun, sensory-rich and relaxing way. It’s a great way to develop language skills and learn some fun facts about the theme to be explored!
We used some DIY stampers I had made previously, some polar animals and acorns. She even helped me to set it all up in the serving tray.
She loved using the stampers and making footprints with the animals but the real hit was the acorns. We had been reading “Squirrel’s Family Tree“, a beautiful book by Beth Ferry, so A was fascinated by how squirrels bury their acorns for winter but often forget where they hide them and they become great oak trees. She kept hiding/ burying the acorns in the play dough snow and asking me to find them. Only to not let me dig them out because she had to do it herself!
Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.
To make homemade playdough, we use a very popular recipe.
You will need:
Instructions:
In a bowl combine the flour, salt and cream of tartar. Mix well and add the oil. If you’re using food coloring, mix a few drops into the boiling water and add to the bowl. Mix well until it is no longer sticky.
To store, let the play dough cool completely then wrap it tightly in plastic and store in an airtight container.
If your little ones are going to participate in making this recipe, be sure to keep them away from the boiling water to avoid burning.
Playing with playdough is a great pre-writing activity. Squishing, rolling, pressing, molding and all other play dough movements help strengthen hand and finger muscles and improve fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. It also allows the child to use their imagination and creativity, while fostering language development as the child is exposed to the different elements on the tray.
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