9 Creative Ways to Play with Playdough

Playdough is more than just a fun sensory material—it's a versatile tool that can support children's development in countless ways. From strengthening fine motor skills to encouraging creative expression, this simple substance offers endless possibilities for play and learning. Let's explore some creative ways to use playdough with your little ones, featuring our Australian-made Play Sense brand products.

The Developmental Benefits of Playdough Play

Before diving into specific activities, lets discuss why playdough is such a valuable play material:

• Fine Motor Development: Squeezing, rolling, and manipulating playdough strengthens the small muscles in children's hands, preparing them for skills like writing and drawing.
• Sensory Exploration: The texture, scent, and malleability of playdough provides children with a rich sensory experience.
• Creativity and Imagination: With no 'right way' to play, children can freely express their ideas and create whatever they can imagine.
• Language Development: Describing creations, following instructions, and engaging in pretend play all support vocabulary growth.
• Emotional Regulation: The rhythmic, repetitive actions of kneading and rolling can have a calming effect, making playdough an excellent tool for emotional self-regulation.

9 Engaging Ways to Use Playdough

1. Create a Sensory Experience:

Play Sense Tri-Colour Dough offers a multi-sensory experience with its vibrant colors, delightful scents, and sprinkle of glitter! Encourage children to explore the different textures and scents, describing what they feel and smell. This Australian-handcrafted dough is non-toxic and made with kid-friendly ingredients, making it perfect for sensory exploration.

2. Stamp and Create Patterns:

The Eco Playdough Stamp Range transforms ordinary playdough into a canvas for pattern-making and storytelling. Made from sustainable PLA plastic derived from cornstarch and sugarcane, all dough stamps in the Play Sense range are both eco-friendly and engaging.

3. Explore Colour Mixing:

With our vibrant range of Play Sense Scented play doughs, children can learn about colour theory through hands-on experimentation. The natural scents added to each colour offer another dimension to the sensory experience.

Activity Idea: Provide small amounts of different colored playdough and encourage children to mix them together to discover new colors. Ask them to predict what will happen before they mix.

4. Practice Letter and Number Formation:

Playdough provides a tactile way for children to learn academic concepts like letter and number recognition.

Activity Idea: Roll out some playdough into 'snakes' and shape them into letters or numbers. The sensory experience helps reinforce letter and number recognition in a fun, memorable way.

5. Create Imaginative Worlds:

Playdough is the perfect medium for creating miniature worlds, encouraging pretend play and storytelling.

Activity Idea: Use play dough to create a fantasy landscape with mountains, rivers, and trees. Add small toys like animals, dinosaurs or fairies to encourage storytelling.

6. Practice Cutting Skills:

Play Sense eco-friendly playdough stamps, cutters and silicone rollers are perfect for developing precision and hand strength.

Activity Idea: Roll out playdough and use a pair of kid friendly scissors to cut strips and shapes. This activity will help build hand strength and coordination.

7. Create Playdough Biscuits:

Pretend baking with playdough encourages imaginative play while developing fine motor skills.

Activity Idea: Use our Eco Playdough Stamps to create biscuits decorating them with additional playdough details. Then 'bake' them in a play oven.

8. Build 3D Structures:

While many playdough activities focus on flat creations, building upward adds a new dimension to play.

Activity Idea: Challenge children to create the tallest tower they can using dough. This encourages problem-solving as they figure out how to make their play dough structure stable.

9. Practice Emotional Expression:

Playdough can be a wonderful tool for helping children express and process emotions.

Activity Idea: Invite children to create faces showing different emotions using the Play Sense colourful dough range. This can open up conversations about feelings and emotions in a non-threatening way.

Caring for Your Play Sense Dough:

To keep your Play Sense playdough in optimal condition:

• Store in airtight containers (their eco-friendly PET jars are perfect)
• If the dough begins to dry out, add a few drops of water and knead well
• Keep away from carpets and fabrics
• Wash hands before play to help keep the dough clean

Play Sense dough is designed to be long-lasting and rehydratable, making it an eco-friendly choice for creative play.

Why Choose Play Sense?

Our Australian hand-crafted playdough and accessories by Play Sense is a cut-above the rest for several reasons:

• Eco-Friendly Materials: From their biodegradable PLA plastic stamps to their sustainable packaging, Play Sense are committed to reducing environmental impact.
• Non-Toxic Ingredients: All Play Sense products are made with kid-friendly, non-toxic materials for worry-free play.
• Sensory-Rich Experience: Natural scents and vibrant colors engage multiple senses for enhanced play value.
• Developmental Benefits: Play Sense products are designed to support fine motor skills, creativity, and sensory exploration, offering endless possibilities for creative, developmental play.

Visit the Send A Toy website to explore our range of Play Sense playdough and accessories and discover the joy of sensory play with your little ones!