Playing with Playdough

Some kids with sensory eversions (some parents too) may need to get used to playdough. I usually like to begin with touching the playdough, poking it, squishing it, rolling it, of course using all those words too "touch, poke, squish, roll it". Let them get used to the texture that may be unpleasant for them. Although others love it and it's still good to work on these skills and words.

I may have gotten a little ahead of myself here though. The containers of playdough are great too. They are good for following directions, put on top, stack up, line them up. You can work on colors with the containers and the playdough. They may need to ask for help to open it and close it tight. You can work on words like "pull, push, open, close, help".

When the playdough is all dried out, you can still use the containers and lids for things. The lids make good items to put in the slit of a coffee can or wipes box. Working on hand-eye coordination to put them in. Use words like "put in, take out.", counting, colors. Do turn-taking. The empty containers alone can be used for stacking. Who needs to buy blocks, playdough containers are multifunctional.

You can use playdough, googly eyes, and pipe cleaners to make silly monsters. My friend used it to make a "germ". Let their imaginations go wild with it. You can make monster friends and then use them to tell a story and work their storytelling skills. You can also take turns, adding different things to your silly story.

Even though Playdough is non-toxic, and it wouldn't hurt them if they ate it when working with little ones I personally prefer to make it. They can still get the sensory input, work on the same vocabulary "roll, push, touch, poke, etc" but if they eat it's all things from the pantry and I feel a little better about it.

I've done this recipe with toddlers in daycare. It's so simple and you most likely have all the ingredients in your kitchen right now. This recipe makes 1 cup of playdough so multiply for how much you want.

1 cup of flour

1/2 cup of salt

1 Tablespoon of Vegetable oil (any oil may work fine)

1/2 cup warm water

Few drops of food coloring if you desire.

Mix the flour and salt first. Then add the oil, water, and food coloring. Keep mixing until it's well combined, looking like a dough. Then let it sit for a few minutes, it will be sticky. The salt needs to absorb the extra moisture. After it sits if it's still really sticky you can add another tablespoon of flour at a time until it feels better. Then play with it.

At daycare, we made each kid their own bag and kept in their cubby for the week. Then it went home with them. At home though, you can keep it for weeks in an airtight container in the fridge.

There is this Edible Playdough that looks interesting but might encourage too much eating of the playdough. It's just icing and powdered sugar, it's super edible. It's not one I've done but it just looks cool. I've also seen ones made with conditioner and cornstarch but that wouldn't be safe if eaten. So it's more for older kids.