The Benefits of Playing with Play Dough

Engagement. Creativity. Exploration. Fine Motor Skills.

Play dough is gooey, colourful and fun. Do not underestimate the use of what play dough can offer your child.

Play dough is ideal for individual or joint play. For two or more children, create a city together and have each child create their own building using play dough. For solo play, let your child show you how creative they can be.

Six ways to learn with Play Dough

1. Watch your child learn about colours, counting, shapes, and creativity with play dough. Strike up a conversation with your child about what they are making to help your child’s vocabulary and social skills.

2. Imagination is the full source of fun. Show your child or let them show you, all the creative animals, shapes, food etc. that they can make with their play dough. Play dough creations are limitless.

3. Children also learn how to make decisions through which colours to choose, to what items to add as decorations and to showcase the end result or moosh it and start again.

4. Play dough offers the chance for your child to boost their hand-eye coordination and motor skills play. By using their hands to mould, shape, cut and build, it helps hand and arm movements and improves coordination.

5. Play dough in a group setting can be a great way to introduce sharing with others and letting each child choose which colours they want to play with. Giving them each the feeling of self-worth in a team bonding and social setting.

6. Making play dough with your child can be great fun too. Let them feel the different textures added to the mix and pour the contents in (a no bake, non-toxic option is ideal). Then let them have fun playing with what they made.

Wonders of Play Dough

Give your child play dough for quiet play. And let them take out their anger, stress or anxiety on the play dough. Great stress-reliever for adults too.

Play dough is very versatile. You can take it outdoors and put the explorer’s hat on your child to find items outdoors, to create and add to the play dough creation. Or take the play dough indoors and use findings in the cupboards, such as hard pasta, spices, buttons etc. that will make a great addition to their creations. These extra items added to the creation of the play dough, offers a new set of challenges and skill sets.

Play dough is about creativity, so be creative, think out of the box and create.

Make your own play dough with only 2 ingredients by using our Easy No Cook Play Dough Recipe

And for a full range of education toys shop Finlee and Me Educational Toys