Fine motor development
Toddlers use their hands to flatten and manipulate a ball of play dough.
Be Prepared: Make one play dough ball for each toddler, slightly larger than a toddler’s fist. Place the balls on a low tabletop.
[Invite several toddlers to join you.]
We have nice soft dough today. There is one ball of play dough for each of us. Our play dough is round. Let’s find out how we can change the shape of the balls.
[Demonstrate and describe how to flatten the ball of dough with two hands, with one on top of the other. Emphasize the words push and flat.
Encourage toddlers to flatten their dough using one hand on top of the other hand. Describe toddlers’ actions. Example: “You changed the shape by pushing down on the dough with two hands. Kyle, your dough ball is flat now.”
Respond to each toddler’s reactions to manipulating the play dough. Example: If a toddler says “Look mine,” you might respond by saying “I see you changed the shape of your dough ball. How did you do that?”
If time and child interest permit, reroll the dough into balls so toddlers can practice flattening the dough or manipulating the dough in ways they wish.]
We played with soft play dough today. We started with a round shape. Our play dough looked like a ball. We pushed down on our dough with both hands to make our dough balls flat. We used our hands to change the shape.
Some toddlers will be excited to see their handprint in the dough. Flattening a ball of dough may lead some toddlers to explore other ways to manipulate their dough. Toddlers will be most successful with soft dough balls slightly larger than their own fist. The table must be low enough for toddlers to stand and press the dough with their hands. For a possible second round of practice, the activity plan recommends you reroll the dough because most toddlers will not have the ability to re-form the dough into a new ball shape.
Look for opportunities to promote social interactions. The play dough table is an excellent setting to foster social interaction among toddlers. Describe positive social interactions. Example: “You are having fun watching Sam.” Some toddlers may need extra time to observe the activity before working with his/her own ball. Give friendly reassurance to a toddler who wants to observe the activity before participating.
If toddlers are unfamiliar with play dough material, they may taste it. Remind toddlers that the dough stays on the table and is used only with their hands. Discard any dough that touched a toddler’s mouth.
Extra support
Enrichment
Fine motor development
Toddlers make a print of their hand in play dough.
Air dry dough (see Be Prepared)
Be Prepared: Make for each toddler a ball of dough that is slightly larger than a toddler’s closed hand (about three inches around). Use salt and flour dough if you wish to save toddlers’ handprints. See the internet for recipes; the no-cook dough can be easily mixed up in your room.
Sit at a low table with toddlers and give each toddler a ball of play dough. Explain that today we can make a print of our hand in our play dough.
Encourage toddlers to push down with both hands to make the play dough flat like a pancake. Next, encourage toddlers to open their fingers and press their open hand into their flattened dough. Demonstrate and describe the actions as you work alongside toddlers.
Talk with toddlers about the imprint of their hands in the dough. Some toddlers may enjoy placing their hand back into the print. If time and child interest permit, reroll the dough into balls for toddlers to practice making another handprint.
Take a photo of each child working with his/her play dough to share with family members. Another option is for toddlers to take their work home and/or display the handprints in your room.
Notice instances of toddlers’ looking closely at the image of their hand in the dough. Making a handprint can draw toddlers’ attention to parts of their hand, especially their fingers. Encourage a toddler to describe what his/her handprint looks like or offer a description of what you see in a child’s print.
You may also notice that, for some toddlers, working with play dough is a calming experience. Providing sustained time for a toddler(s) to work with the dough is a useful way to respond. This is one of the reasons play dough is a standard material in toddler rooms. Soft, malleable play dough also provides an excellent way for toddlers to develop hand strength and dexterity.
For many young children, the process of manipulating the dough holds more interest than a product to take home. This is the reason we suggest taking a photo of each child’s work with the dough for family members to see.
The open-ended activity gives toddlers opportunities to change the shape of the dough by pinching, pressing, squeezing, and rolling. Toddlers will discover the dough can be divided into many small pieces and put back into a big ball.
Extra support
If making a handprint is too challenging, toddlers may wish to make simple finger holes. Another option is to encourage a toddler to push his/her thumb (not the end of the thumb only) into the dough to see how a print is made.
Enrichment
Fine motor development
Toddlers use small toys to make prints in flat play dough and engage in open-ended manipulation of play dough.
Be Prepared: Prepare one ball of soft play dough for each toddler. Select small toys that will create a pattern when pressed into dough. Examples: chunky vehicles, fit-together blocks, star builders. Consider offering some household items, such as a large comb, that create appealing patterns when pressed into dough.
Invite toddlers to join you at a low table to work with play dough. Provide each toddler with a ball of dough and encourage toddlers to push down on the ball with both hands (one hand on top of the other) so the ball becomes flat. Demonstrate and describe, as appropriate. Emphasize how we used our hands to make a round piece of dough into a flat piece of dough.
Explain that we can use different toys to make a print in our flat play dough. Provide some toys for toddlers to work with. Demonstrate and describe making a print in your flat play dough by using a chunky toy car or truck to make tire marks. Encourage toddlers to use a toy(s) to find out what happens when they push it into flat play dough.
Explain that we can also play with the dough without a toy. Encourage toddlers to find out what happens when they squeeze or pinch the play dough. They may wish to break up their flat piece of play dough to make small pieces, and then put the pieces into a ball again.
Stay at the table with toddlers to describe their actions and talk about what happened to their play dough when they did certain things. Provide time for toddlers to explore the dough and repeat their actions, or try new actions, with the dough. Reroll the play dough into a smooth ball for each child as needed.
Pay attention to toddlers’ looking at the cause and effect of their actions when they make an imprint of an object or manipulate dough in particular ways. Emphasize the cause and effect by asking the toddler what happened, or by offering your own brief comments on what happened.
Some toddlers may wish to repeat an action or activity with the dough. The experience of manipulating the dough provides immediate and satisfying results for toddlers. The texture of the dough is responsive to light and heavier pressure. Toddlers can feel and see differences in imprints when light or firm pressure is applied. Some toddlers may benefit from squeezing or pounding a ball of dough. Provide suggestions or demonstrations as appropriate without directing their actions.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: gel bag, tape, and bristle blocks
Select materials to encourage toddlers to use their hands to push down, such as plastic bags with gel inside. Tape the gel bag to a table to prevent toddlers from carrying it. Toddlers can observe items moving inside the bag when they apply a downward push with their hands. Connecting bristle blocks gives toddlers additional experience using a push down motion. Arrange the blocks so toddlers can clearly see the variety of shapes. Sit on the floor to interact with toddlers about their play. Describing toddlers’ actions strengthens emerging communication and language.
Another day gather the following materials: 1 sheet of heavy paper for each toddler and staff, 1 large paper plate for each toddler, 2 cups liquid tempera paint (2 colors), 2 containers (size of a cereal bowl), 2 teaspoons, 1 art smock for each toddler
Invite several toddlers to explore the action of pushing down with two hands using a different material. Demonstrate the activity before toddlers begin. Place a teaspoon of each color of paint in the center of the heavy paper. Put the bottom of the paper plate over the paint. Push downward on the paper plate and then lift it up. The paints will be mixed together in a new way.
Print each toddler’s name on his/her paper. Pass the dish of paints to each child. Each toddler may spoon some of each color onto his/her paper and center the paper plate. Encourage toddlers to stand as they push downward on the plate with two hands. Toddlers will enjoy repeating the process.
Materials Needed: water mat, play dough, cookie cutter
Infants will enjoy the sensation of pushing down on a water mat and seeing items move in the water. Help preschool-age children learn to roll their play dough into ball shapes. Toddlers and older children will also enjoy using play dough of different colors and observing changes as they manipulate the dough. Using play dough without implements is a great way to foster creativity and cognition. If an older child asks for a cookie cutter, encourage him/her to explore ways to create shapes using his/her hands only.
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