Dough Creature
What you need
- a lump of play dough each
How to do it
- Sit together at a low table with a lump of play dough each.
- Make a quick creature of your own, a ball with a long tail, and say "Mine's a mouse."
- Let them squash, roll and pull their dough into a creature of their own, and see what they make.
- When it is done, say "Tell me about your creature" and give it a little wave.
Why it matters
Their dough becomes whatever they say it is, so the making and the naming go together.
What they're learning
- Shaping dough
- Squashing, rolling and pulling to get the shape they want.
- Naming their making
- Telling you what it is, in their own words.
- Pretend
- A lump of dough becoming a creature with a name.
What to look for
Notice them giving their creature a name or a voice.
A tip
Play dough is not for eating, and homemade dough is very salty, so stay beside them and put it back in its tub when you finish. Leave out small decorations and let their fingers do the shaping.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: roll a ball and a sausage each and wonder together what they could become
Harder: make a friend for the first creature and let them tell you its name
