The Playdough project

As part of our ongoing development of the pre-starters group we are constantly reviewing the activities we have on offer to the children and developing new resources to support learning. We are appealing for items children could use in the playdough and discovery areas. We have been making faces, spiders, pumpkins etc using playdough and Autumn materials such as acorns to help us with our counting. Our job in the number area was to match the correct number of acorns to the leaf with the corresponding number on it.

What is the benefit of playdogh?

The most important benefit of playdough is the word “play”. When teachers introduce playdough, they usually do not have an ultimate agenda or ending outcome – the children are simply given opportunity to play.

Playdough increases fine motor strength and skills

An important aspect of exploring playdough is the use of those fine muscles in the child’s hands.

Playdough offers opportunities to increase vocabulary as well

Time at a table with playdough is a terrific opportunity to naturally emphasize words like soft, squishy, roll, flatten, cut, squeeze, as well as just having simple conversation about what the children are doing with their hands.

Playdough naturally leads into scientific discovery

Take time to observe the learning taking place at the playdough table

Preschoolers love to show you what they are creating. Some preschoolers will naturally work and socialize with one another while playing with the dough.