Social interaction skills
Toddlers watch and imitate actions of staff and peers with play dough.
Physical / Health
Be Prepared: Roll soft play dough into one ball for each toddler. Use approximately one toddler-size fist of play dough for each ball.
Note there is an important shift in the middle of the activity. The first segment encourages toddlers to imitate your actions with play dough. The second segment encourages toddlers to imitate what a peer(s) is doing with play dough.
[Invite several (no more than 4–5) toddlers to gather at a low table to work with play dough. Welcome toddlers by recognizing each toddler who is present. Example: “James and Anthony are ready to play. I am helping Jada and Micha get art smocks. Everyone will have play dough.”
Pass out the balls of play dough, again saying each toddler’s name.]
How does this play dough feel?
[Encourage each toddler to comment. Repeat and extend each response. Example: “Micha says the play dough feels squishy.”]
Our play dough is round like a ball.
I am going to make my play dough flat. Watch me push down on my play dough.
Please do the same thing with your play dough. Let’s all make our play dough become flat.
[Push down on your ball of dough to flatten it. Use the side of your fist to lightly pound your play dough. Explain that your fist is “like a little hammer.” Encourage toddlers to watch and imitate your actions.]
First our play dough balls were round. Now our round balls are flat! You watched me push down on my play dough. Then you did the same thing with your play dough.
I pretended my fist was like a little hammer. You did the same thing with your fist. We pounded our play dough flat by pretending our fist was like a hammer.
Let’s change the shape of our play dough again. What would you like to make?
[Pause for toddlers to offer a suggestion. If necessary, offer some ideas (such as rolling the play dough into a pretend snake or long hot dog) but do not act on them with your own play dough.
Recognize and expand upon the first several ideas offered by toddlers. Encourage toddlers to do what one of their peers is doing. Example: “Anthony wants to push his fingers into the play dough to make holes. We can all make holes, too. Let’s do what Anthony does!”]
[Encourage the toddler (whose suggestion is to be imitated) to follow through on his/her actions with the play dough as a model for other toddlers. Imitate toddler’s actions with your own play dough.
Draw attention to your imitation. Example: “I am using Anthony’s idea with my play dough. I am making holes in my play dough like Anthony is doing.”
Avoid leading the play at this point. Offer verbal support and guidance for toddlers to do what another toddler is doing.
There may be several toddlers’ actions with play dough that other toddlers could imitate. Example: “Some of us can make holes like Anthony is doing. Some of us can make our play dough back into a ball like Shawnee is doing.”
Describe toddlers’ actions with the dough. Continue to encourage toddlers to imitate another toddler’s work with play dough. Example: “Ana says she is making a baby mouse home. James, are you wondering how to make a mouse home? Watch Ana use her finger to make a hole.”]
Today we worked with play dough together. You did what I did with my play dough to make it flat. Then we did what some of our friends did with their play dough. We are learning how to watch and do what others are doing.
This option supports toddlers noticing what another person is doing by imitating the person’s actions. Some toddlers will promptly watch and imitate others. Other toddlers may not imitate actions of another person until they have had adequate time to make their own discoveries with play dough. Accept all forms of participation. What is important is the opportunity for toddlers to become aware of what someone else is doing with play dough. The imitation element of this option is a way to encourage watching. One of your important jobs in this option is to help toddlers shift from watching and imitating your actions to watching and imitating the actions of another peer(s) with play dough.
Extra support
Enrichment
Social interaction skills
Toddlers watch and imitate actions of peers as part of food-related play with play dough.
Physical / Health
Be Prepared: Divide the play dough into one ball for each toddler. Use a low table for the activity. Put the play food items in the center of the table.
Invite several toddlers to join you at a low table to play together with play dough. Talk with toddlers about the play food items on the table. Hold and pass around each item you discuss. You may wish to ask toddlers about the shape of the food and if they have ever tried the food item. Example: “Olivia says she has eaten an avocado. Did you like the avocado, Olivia?”
Give each toddler one ball of play dough. Introduce the food-related toys and invite toddlers to make some type of pretend food with their play dough. Example: “We can create different things with our play dough. Here are some kitchen items we can use with our play dough. I am going to make some blueberries with my play dough and put them in a bowl.”
There will be many opportunities to encourage watching and imitating as toddlers manipulate and create with the play dough. Describe each toddler’s actions and encourage others to watch and do the same if they would like. Example: “Avery told us he is making a long hot dog. He is rolling his play dough. Watch how he uses his hands to make a hot dog. Who wants to roll their play dough to make a hot dog like Avery?” Use the play dough activity to promote and model friendly interactions.
The play food items and kitchen-related toys provide prompts and ideas for toddlers to further explore their play dough while watching and imitating others. This option is not about the act of creating food with play dough. Some toddlers may be interested in creating food items and using the kitchen related toys. Others may create unrelated objects or simply enjoy the sensory experience of manipulating the dough. Acknowledge each toddler’s actions and continue to encourage watching and imitating others. Example: “Jayden is making a snake with his play dough! Jayden and Avery are both rolling their play dough to look like a snake and a hot dog.”
Extra support
Encourage toddlers who appear initially hesitant to manipulate their play dough to watch you and their peers create with the dough. You may wish to invite a toddler to help you with your creation. Example: “Would you like to help me make blueberries for my bowl, Jamal? I am rolling my play dough into small balls, just like the blueberries in our book.”
Enrichment
Social interaction skills
Toddlers engage in pretend grocery store play.
At the Supermarket by Anne Rockwell
Be Prepared: Arrange a portion of the dramatic play area to resemble a grocery store by placing food items and containers on shelves. These items will be in addition to the familiar play materials toddlers use daily, such as dolls, dishes, and animals.
Introduce the new items in the dramatic play area and encourage toddlers to play together. Example: “We have new things here that we can play grocery store with! Who would like to go shopping?”
Provide enough new and different play materials to support toddlers’ creation of a play theme, such as taking a child (doll) to the grocery store to buy food for the child’s pet (toy animal) at home.
Describe toddlers’ play interactions with one another. Example: “Zoe smiled at you and asked you for potatoes.” Serve as a coach to toddlers in suggesting ways to ask another toddler to play. Example: “May I play?” “Do you want to play?” In some situations, you may wish to more directly help a toddler become part of play interactions. Example: “Jennifer wants to play, too. Let’s find a bag for her groceries.”
Acknowledge positive interactions. Example: “Zoe and Cole went shopping at the grocery store. Now they are cooking together!”
Some toddlers will enjoy engaging in pretend play with the new materials, whereas others may prefer to play in the dramatic play area in ways they are used to. Support toddlers in pursuing their own dramatic play themes while continuing to support positive interactions. Encourage toddlers to extend their play by providing new ideas. Examples: “In our book, the little boy and his mother bought ingredients to make a birthday cake. What are you and Zoe going to make with the food you are putting in your shopping bag?” “Trevor is playing with a baby doll. Trevor, would you like Zoe and Cole to buy some food for your baby at the store?”
Some toddlers may have limited interest in pretend play with peers and may prefer to engage in other activities in your room. Continue to offer interesting and new materials in the dramatic play area to encourage toddlers to join. (See Extra Support tip below.)
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: toy food items, small boxes and containers (may be from actual food items, such as an empty cereal box), several paper or cloth grocery bags, toy shopping cart and toy cash register (optional)
Place the items listed in Materials Needed in the dramatic play area. Encourage toddlers to join in pretend play in small groups. Remind toddlers how they can ask another toddler to play, such as “May I play?” and “Do you want to play?” Acknowledge positive interactions.
Materials Needed: play dough, plastic place mats, flour, warm water
Invite preschool-age children to join toddlers at a table to use play dough. Provide a plastic place mat for each child to define their space and to simplify cleanup. Sprinkle 1–2 teaspoons of flour on each place mat along with the play dough. Children will enjoy the sensory experience of smoothing the flour with their hands. Encourage children to imitate your motion of smoothing the flour on the place mat. You may wish to demonstrate again how to flatten the play dough balls. Describe children’s key actions (push, pull, roll). Infants who can sit in a high chair will enjoy playing with a small puddle of water and watching the other children. Put a plastic bib on the infant and roll up his/ her sleeves. Put 1–2 tablespoons of warm water on the high chair tray.
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