Using play-dough in the classroom has so many benefits including their physical development as they strengthen small muscles they will use to hold a pencil and write! It helps with social, emotional, and language development as they discuss with friends and teachers what they are making and how they are making it. It can also help those with strong feelings by being able to pound, roll, and squeeze the playdough as they play.
Children use their imagination as they make cookies for the bake sale, ice cream for their friend to eat, or even a highway if we add props like cards and signs.
By making a batch of playdough together as a group we are now bringing in literacy, math, and science as we read and follow the directions, find the right measurements for the recipe, and observe, think, and discuss the materials used and how they changed through the process.