introducing preschoolers to play dough

The Seven Playdough Activities That Develop Learning Are: 

1. A playdough treasure hunt helps little ones identify surface differences and is a sensory activity developing coordination that encourages inspection and observation.
2. Practice cutting playdough with scissors in order to develop small motor skills and eye-hand coordination.
3. Building with playdough, the most obvious of learning activities, teaches spacial relationships and self-confidence.
4. Cutting shapes and recognizing colors prepares them for reading.
5. Calling out shapes, numbers and words for your child to sculpt, helps them practice what they have learned.
6. Making playdough helps children to learn measurements, take direction, and cooperate in a group.
7. Guessing scents helps them make sensory connections.

      All of the activities above not only support the development of art skills but also promote those skills connected to reading, math, and physical education. So much of what preschoolers and kindergarteners learn in art is directly connected to those learning skills needed to excel in different fields of study.
      This is true for older students as well, but, much more difficult for a few administrators and many politicians to accept. Art is the subject most frequently cut from public school curriculum when budgets are tight. It is seldom included in state examinations for this reason. Public schools want the ability to cut art out of their schools should the money become sparse. So, they refuse to include art in the student's testing. No tests, no need to keep art teachers employed . . . capeash?

• Click here for more edible playdough recipes.
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