What you need:
- Playdough
- Art supplies (pipe cleaners, googly eyes, yarn, popsicle sticks, etc)
Directions:
- Mold your playdough to create the body shape of the monster or character you would like to build.
- Add different materials to create the features on the body.
- You could add eyes, arms, hair, or more!
- Once you complete your monster, show it off, take it apart, and make a different one! There are so many possibilities.
Ways to Expand the Activity:
- Create a story using multiple playdough monsters.
- Instead of monsters, you could create models of your relatives and show a playdough family portrait.
- You could also combine this activity with stop motion animation to create your own movie!
What Kids Learn:
- Children gain social and emotional skills through dramatic play. When they pretend, they are experimenting in social roles, practicing language, and solving problems.
- Spatial or visual thinking. Being able to imagine the positions of objects and how they interact is an important skill for learning math.
- Fine motor skills. Kids practice using the small muscles in their hands later used for writing.
- Sensory play! Sensory play that lets children touch, squeeze, smell and feel helps build connections in the brain.
- Creativity! There are so many ways to create using playdough. Creating something using their imagination enhances those creativity abilities.
- Calming effect. When you sit down to squish and mold playdough, there is a moment of calm where you can express your feelings through the way you interact with the playdough.