7th March 2020

Play dough

Here at Bambeenies we love a new play dough recipe! Play Dough is such a fun and versatile substance which can be used in so many play scenarios. Not only is it lots and lots of fun it also has numerous benefits too!

Wether it’s a rain day activity, a summer garden experiment, a few precious moments of peace for a parent or a parent and child play time together the options are endless.

Little hands can help make our easy recipe too which means another learning experience, following the recipe, measuring the ingredients, mixing up the bowl. Obviously care needs to be taken when the hot water is added but it’s really a simple and fun task just making it, never mind getting into the serious play element of it. Little hands can play with the results straightaway too,  so there’s immediate gratification.

Benefits of play dough

Enhances fine motor skill

Playing with the dough, squashing, squeezing, creating shapes, cutting it up, and all the other  weird and wonderful ways we move it in our hands  strengthens the hand muscles and in turn helps improve fine motor skills of your child

Creativity and imagination

Play dough provides us with the opportunity to get creative and let the imaginative juices flow. From creating food for your cafe, animals to be your pets, flowers for a present for granny, using play dough mats and adding eyes to animals, stars to the sky or whatever exciting and wonderful things your little persons mind can flow to.

For calm and relaxation

We have often added oils like lavender or lavender dried herbs to our dough for use in our relaxation or yoga classes. This allows the oils to work their magic as the child plays with the dough. A restless or anxious child may find using the dough particularly helpful. Sitting in a calm space and playing with the play dough, squashing and squeezing it can have a very calming and soothing effect on them. It can also provide them with a safe space  to express their emotions

Develops hand – eye coordination

In class we provide a variety of rolling pins, cutters, and shapes of all kinds to use with the play dough. This can be done at home too, if you don’t have specific play dough items you can use kitchen items like children’s forks and knives, maybe a baking rolling pin or cookie cutters. Use of these items allows the development of the hand muscle and hand eye coordination.

Development of pre writing skills

When we play with the dough, the pincer grip (the squeezing of pointer finger and thumb to grasp an object) improves. A strong pincer group will help as they go on to develop their writing skills.

 And all the rest 

When they mix different colour doughs together and discover a new colour,  when they mould it into different shapes and sizes – these acts encourage their curiosity. Creating discussion on what we are creating, asking questions and allowing them to ask questions all increase their knowledge, social skills and speech/language skills.

Head over to the Bambeenies Academy to download the BEST play dough recipe EVER along with tons more play ideas and downloadable play dough mats.

Why not head to our Facebook or instagram page and show us how you get on.

Jenny

xxx