Day 4: Sensory Lifestyle Challenge

DAY 4 CHALLENGE: PLAY DOUGH FUN

Today is THE DAY to finally make some PLAY DOUGH. I am a big advocate of play dough. I think there is something MAGICAL about it. As soon as you give it to a child they can’t help but to start to manipulate it. They can poke, squeeze, pull, chop, shred, cut, roll or squash it. It is a never ending tactile experience that aids in many aspects of their development. And as soon as you add other elements such as straws, rocks, sticks, dry pasta, small toys … the list of benefits and creative play possibilities continues to grow!
Another reason why I love it is because it is an open ended activity that provides an endless opportunity of play. The great thing is that you can’t play wrong with it.

Want to know why this is one of the mostly used activity by any Occupational Therapist? Check out my Blog Post that explains all the wonderful benefits your child can get from playing with play dough and how you can get the same benefits.

 

Targeted Senses	Skills Developed
Tactile and proprioceptive sense	Fine motor skills, bilateral coordination, hand strengthening, eye hand coordination, tactile perception, crossing midline

So here we go:

Step 1. Make the play dough. I will encourage you to get your child to assist. Just keep them away from the hot water.

Play Dough Recipe Ingredients 2 cups plain flour ½ cup salt 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil 1 ½ cups of boiling water Food coloring What to do Mix flour, salt, cream of tartar and oil in a large mixing bowl In another bowl add water and mix it with food coloring Add both mixtures together Stir until combined (it still might be sticky) Allow it to rest Take it out of the bowl and knead it until the stickiness is gone If after a few minutes of kneading it’s still sticky then keep adding small amounts of flour. Keep adding until you have reached perfect play dough consistency.

Step 2. Play

Hopefully you have all the objects from yesterday’s outdoor adventure stored away. This is the time to take it out. You may have leaves, small sticks, acorns, flowers, bark etc.

Take it all out on the table and let your child incorporate it into they play dough fun.

They can:

• Stick it into play dough and create a sculpture
• Make imprints from each of the objects
• Play hide and seek with the items. This can be completed by first hiding some items in the play dough. Then finding them as they continue to pull and poke the play dough

That’s it… Enjoy!

If you want to learn more about the wide range of benefits that you can get from playing with playdough check out my post ‘Turbo charge your kids fine motor development through play dough’. This post also includes ideas for further play. Make sure you check it out. Don’t want that play dough to go to waste now!

Look for me in your inbox tomorrow!

~Urszula

Until then…happy playing!

 

Disclaimer: The activities in this email series are intended for sensory play. They are not a replacement for treatment of children with Sensory Processing Disorder, are not medical advice and should not be used in place of the care of a medical doctor or other qualified healthcare professional. These activities should be facilitated and supervised by an adult. All activities are to be performed at your own risk and in no event shall Sensory Lifestyle be liable for any damages.