Kids love playdough, especially when it smells so good. Combining Kool-Aid with a few supplies from your pantry is a party waiting to happen. Not only is playdough fun, it’s the perfect activity to help strengthen your young learner’s fine motor skills. Rolling, cutting, and squeezing are all great ways to strengthen those small hand muscles. Kids also work on improving their hand-eye coordination, creativity, and for some children, it has a great calming effect. So, let’s get cooking!
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup water
¼ cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 packet Kool-Aid (any flavor)
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.
Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until a ball of dough begins to form.
Scoop the dough out onto a flour surface and allow to cool slightly.
When the dough is cool enough to touch, knead the dough several times until it’s smooth.
Allow to cool completely before playing with the playdough.
Playing with playdough just for the sake of playing to grow creativity and strengthen hand muscles is absolutely great, but you can also use playdough as a learning resource to help your young learner grow academically. Click these images to see the fun ways you can create playdough mats for your child to practice their numbers, alphabet skills, and more.
When I taught kindergarten, teaching children how to play with playdough was a part of my first week’s lesson plans. I taught them how to take the playdough out, roll it into a ball, make a snake, etc., and then how to put it away properly. This is something we did daily, and my kids loved it. I have even started playing with it with my son Bennett, who is currently two years old. It takes a little patience and practice, but children are absolutely capable of taking care of their materials if you take the time to model and teach them. So, make some playdough and jump right in! This also makes a great table activity for your littles while you are cooking. It’s a win, win situation!
Leave a Reply