Play dough in many ways can greatly benefit our school age children. They can create animals and objects, in any which way they choose. This giving them the freedom to explore their artistic abilities and express themselves in a unique way.
School age 1 educators set up a playdough station for their children to play with immediately upon their arrival. Many open ended materials were set on the table that would help enhance their experiences. Such as, a roller, different kinds of cookie cutters and tools, gems and other loose parts. Chole, Layla and Mila were observed at the play dough station. After examining the materials, the girls resolved to create a bakery shop. Chole prepared cupcakes by molding the play dough into spheres and placing them inside the cupcake liners. On the other hand, Layla settled to create a cupcake by utilizing a stick as a candle. As for Mila, she baked a large cake by shaping her playdough into form of a cake. Once she was satisfied with the cake’s shape, she also chose to incorporate sticks as candles. Through their play, the girls have demonstrated dramatic play, as well as strengthened their imagination and fine motor skills by rolling and squishing the playdough in various ways. Additionally, play dough helps improve their imaginative skills and helps foster symbolic play.
In conclusion, incorporating this activity into our school age children activities can have numerous benefits. It allows them to express their artistic creativity, improve their imaginative skills, interact with others and develop their fine motor abilities.
