As I’m constantly looking for ways to entertain my son during the day, I realized he is now at the age where he can explore playdough. There are so many benefits to playing with playdough. I’ve listed my Top 5 reasons below.
- Playdough is a great tool for developing fine motor skills. With all that squishing, rolling and flattening, your little one is sure to strengthen the muscles in those tiny hands. This will give them an advantage when it’s time for writing, using scissors, and holding a pencil.
- Enables them to use their imagination through the use of cookie cutters or pretend kitchen appliances. Danny loves to make “meatballs” with me as we roll the playdough in our hands. He then puts the small playdough balls in his pretend sauté pan.
- As a result of using other toys with the playdough, it helps Develop hand-eye-coordination.
- Relaxing; Similar to a stress ball.
- Entertaining whether it’s independent play or with friends, they are sure to have fun! Instead of turning on the tv when I need my son to stay entertained while I’m preparing dinner, I let him play with playdough in his highchair.
Now…If you have 5 minutes to spare & you’re nervous about the ingredients in store-bought playdough like I was, you should give this recipe a try! My Mother-in-law gave it to me and it’s awesome. Easy peasy… just my style!
In a saucepan add 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of water, ¼ cup of salt, 2tsp vegetable oil and 1 tsp cream of tartar. Once all the ingredients are in, turn your burner on low/medium. Stir the pot as the ingredients start to mix. It may be a little lumpy at first, but that’s ok. If you want to color the playdough you can now add in some food coloring gel. Once the dough starts sticking together in a large ball, you can take it off the heat. Let it cool then roll in some extra flour to take away any unnecessary sticking. That’s it!
The homemade playdough should be stored in a Ziploc bag or a sealed container. This will prevent it from hardening quickly. It should last apx.1-2 months if stored properly.
