Hello! Here is one of my favorite tasks for preschoolers. Play dough match! This is a great task to address fine motor, following directions, imitation, sensory integration, language and social engagement. If your child is already engaging with play dough then that’s great.
Read this if you are wondering why engaging with play dough and other sensory mediums are so important.
To make your own matching project you will need:
co
okie cutters
copy paper, or other paper
pencil and sharpie
laminator and laminating sheets
play dough and accessories
I found these great Wilson cookie cutters at Walmart. They have a more comfortable top to push down on.
They are called Grippy Cutters.
I used copy paper, or as I embarrassingly sometimes call it typing paper. You could also use construction paper or some other type of paper. I cut my pages to 5.5″x 8.5″ so that I can fit two pages in one laminating sheet.
Tip: When tracing the shapes, you may want to do a trial run–tracing one on the inside and one on the outside of the cutter. With most shapes it won’t make a difference, but with some tracing on the outside will result in a distorted shape.
When you are happy with your shapes, go ahead and trace over the pencil shapes with sharpie. I prefer to do it this way so that I don’t get sharpie on my cutters.
Also, use some scratch paper underneath just in case the sharpie bleeds through.
I love my laminator that I purchased from Target several years ago. It was around $20 and well worth it for the many projects that I have used it for.
These thicker pouches are great for this project, but using the thinner ones would be fine.
Honestly, the hardest part of this project is waiting for the green light to go on!
Follow the instructions for your laminator and cut down the center, making sure
that you have space (plastic only) on either side of the cut.
So there you have it! Roll out the dough, make some shapes and match them to the cards.
I also run an empty laminating sheet through the laminator for a heavy
plastic sheet just in case I need it for a play surface.
I also make a card with small circles on it. This proves especially helpful for when children are first introduced to play dough. First we roll the dough between our hands to make a ball, place them on the circles, flatten them like pancakes and then touch each one as we count them.
It’s amazing how kids that typically don’t want to touch play dough will pick up a ball to place it in a circle.
Go here for a play dough recipe!
Enjoy playing with your new therapy tool. The great thing is that your child
will be working on several of her therapy goals while having fun.
I keep my laminated sheets in a folder and my play dough in a transparent plastic box.
I hope you have a great time engaging with your child. I’d love to hear from you!
Email me here.