Noah McVicker was an absolute genius, I don’t even think he realised the impact he would have on the world. Way back in the 1930’s he created a substance to originally clean soot and dirt off wallpaper! Gradually it was manufactured as a child’s toy and forΒ more than 60 years this humble piece of dough has changed the lives of parents and children forever. Opening up a world filled with imaginative play, colour and craft-able creations.
The 16th September marks Word Play-Doh Day, like we even need an excuse to whip out our Dough. Its a weekly feature in our house and its used for everything from educational themes to imagination play and even bathtime fun (we tried our hand at making bathtime playdoh.)
Play-Doh is hugely popular in the classroom providing ideal opportunities to practice and nurture
kids critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration and creativity skills.
Engaging toddlers and young children (ages 2-5 years) with sensory, open-ended play activities can
help them prepare for the big, elaborate world. We love creating “invitations to play” or themed “small world” trays for the boys to explore .Β Play-Doh activities also provide a fun way to explore all kinds of topics and skills including language, math, science, social studies, and the arts. They make the perfect planets when learning about solar systems.
This World Play-Doh Day open a can of imagination and combine the fun with essential
development and learning benefits:
1. Play-Doh encourages creativity and imagination by providing your child with unlimited moulding
possibilities and the freedom to explore β for inspiration visit the Play-Doh How To store for
ideas on how to create your own Play-Doh astronaut, My Little Pony Rainbow Dash, butterfly
and much more.
2. Creating different shapes or mixing different Play-Doh colours together to uncover a new colour,
can assist children in growing their curiosity, develop cognitive exploration and enhance their
mathematical thinking.
3. All the squishing, rolling, flattening and shaping Play-Doh characters helps to enhance fine
motor skill by developing and strengthening hand muscles, which encourages pre-writing and
other motor skills such as cutting with scissors, using tweezers, holding a pencil etc. The tactile,
hands-on nature of Play-Doh compound can also help encourage development of hand-eye
coordination.
4. Play-Doh offers kids a multi-sensory experience allowing them to learn about their world
through touch, sight and smell. Sitting and squishing Play-Doh is a very calming and soothing
activity, which eases tension, releases extra energy as well as improves focus and concentration.
5. Playing with Play-Doh in a small group and/or with adults presents opportunities for children to
develop social skills such as collaborative problem solving, planning and playing as well as
learning to effectively communicate ideas or discuss what they are making. As well as improving
social skills, children can also learn to effectively engage in individual play sharpening their focus,
patience and concentration skills.
This World Play-Doh day why not join in the challenge and create a Hedgehog?
You will need: Stick matches or spaghetti or toothpicks and a can or two of a favourite Play-
DohΒ colour.
Method:
Shape the Play-Doh into a hedgehog body (shape of a lightbulb ending in a tip).
Insert the matches, spaghetti or toothpicks into the body.
Use a different colour to form small balls for the eyes and nose.
This is fantastic for developing fine motor skills. Get your little ones to insert the spaghetti or match sticks and add another layer of concentration by getting them to thread cheerios or fruit loops onto the spaghetti towers.
Tip: To test fine motor skill, let your child remove the sticks and challenge them to re-insert in the
same holes.
Play-Doh is available from Toys R Us, ToyZone, Toy Kingdom, Hamleys and other major retailers as
well as Takealot.com.
Visit Play-Doh South Africa at www.hasbro.com/en-za/brands/playdoh;
Facebook: @PlayDohSouthAfrica
GIVEAWAY:
To stand a chance to win a fantastic hamper from Play-Doh filled with Play-Doh Rollers & Cutters, drawstring bag and a fridge magnet, simply comment below on some of the ways you use Play-Doh with your children.
This competition will run across Instagram and my Blog, one winner will be drawn, so for an extra chance to win enter on both social media pages.
Competition ends on Wednesday 19th September at 12 noon and the winner will be announced the same day
Open to residents of South Africa only.