Playdough is a great summer-time boredom buster that your kid will certainly have much fun playing with. They will easily spend hours using the dough, and you will never have to worry about how to keep them busy.
We shall share some of the most amazing wooden play dough tools/toys for your kids. But before that, let us get to learn what makes play-dough such an amazing choice, and learn why is that parents all over the world love it.
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Why is Play-Dough Good for Kids? What Are The Benefits of Playdough?
Playdough is a great educational tool! Parents love it because it is a lot of fun and has many benefits to their kids about which we shall learn more right away.
Develops Fine Motor Skills
When your kid molds play dough into various shapes, they are actually strengthening their little hands, small fingers, and wrists.
The pressing, flattening, rolling (and more), involved in the process, help with small muscle development and prepare them for fine motor movements like using scissors or holding a pencil.
Relaxes and Helps Relieve Stress
It’s calming and helps children relieve stress through their hands. Just like a squishy stress ball that you may have used, squeezing play dough can calm down your kid.
When they play with the dough, it eases tension, improves focus, releases excess energy, and helps express emotions.
Encourages Creativity
Playdough ensures great creative play for little learners. It builds children’s imagination as they play with it, creating as they wish.
As they use the dough to make objects from scratch, they use their imagination and learn how to think differently.
Enhances Hand-Eye Coordination
Along with playing dough, it is likely that you also brought various tools and materials like cookie cutters and rolling pins.
You get these tools in different sizes, and they can develop your child’s hand-eye coordination by using materials in a way that suits their ideas.
Motivates to Explore The Sensory Aspect of The Play
Playdough is one of the best sensory toys! It prolongs the duration of the child’s sensory play without any effort.
Everything about playdough at the basic level is about the usage of the tactile sensory system. From consistencies to textures, to toys and the different items used, playdough helps young children explore and enjoy the sensory aspect of the play.
When they share their tools, colors, and other materials and spend a lot of time collaborating, they will get to develop great social skills.
Developing Self-Esteem
There is no wrong or right way to use playdough, so play dough is a wonderful tool to help kids develop self-confidence and self-esteem.
Household Items You Can Use As Play Dough Toys
Now that you are aware of some of the benefits of this unstructured way of keeping kids busy, or at least now that you know the benefits of playing with play dough, let us discover a few household items that can easily be used as play dough toys.
Garlic Press
If your kids are creating some creature using their play dough and need something to make their hair then a garlic press can prove to be helpful.
Popsicle Sticks
Popsicle sticks and play dough can be combined to make beautiful buildings and houses.
Stamps
Your kids can use any stamps that you have, in their play dough game. If you want, you may even experiment with both stamps and ink.
Cookie Cutters
Cookie cutters are one of those tools that all of us have at home. And, it is also one of the best play doh tools for learning shapes and developing hand-eye coordination.
Milk Lids
If you do not have cookie cutters then you may even use milk lids and enjoy a somewhat similar result.
Buttons
Buttons can add texture to the playdough, and they can be used in different ways. You will certainly enjoy watching the interesting ideas that your kid comes up with while using them.
Wooden Skewers
Wooden skewers are much better compared to toothpicks. They are longer, so you will not have to worry about a choking hazard.
Safety Scissors
To cut play dough, your kid can use a pair of safety scissors. Cutting play dough requires other skills than cutting paper or cardboard.
In this way, we increase the child’s range of experiences and allow them to explore and develop their abilities while playing.
Markers
Usually, people do not think about writing on their playdough, but, it can be so much fun. When making your playdough do not add food coloring to it and rather let your kid draw on it with a marker.
Straws
Straws can prove to be amazing tools and can be used to make hairs on playdough monsters. Also, they can serve as fun stamps.
Wooden Blocks
The wooden blocks that kids play with have great texture and grooves and these can add extra dimensions to their dough play.
Silicone Cupcake Liners
Silicon cupcake liners can serve as an amazing tool to help your kid make playdough cupcakes. Also, they can be used to hold googly eyes or beads.
Beads
Beads can be used in many, many ways. They can be pressed into the dough to make small details like eyes, or they can even serve as sprinkles on playdough cupcakes.
Best Wooden Play Dough Tools
Now, without any further wait, let us get to learn about some of the best wooden play dough tools that you can get for your kids.
This is a perfect play doh set that can help your kid create different types of designs with their play-dough. The Alex wooden tools have bright colored handles and will help you shape, cut, sculpt and even roll patterns in clay and dough.
This adorable personalized rolling pin can be used to make special playdough creations. Using it, not only will your kid be able to create different interesting things, but also give their creations their own personal touch.
Unfortunately, there is no wooden animal cookie cutter set. But, fret not, Wilton offers you a choice. Its animal cookie cutter set is made of plastic but is of great quality and absolutely safe to be used by kids.
The average cookie cuter size is 3-inches, and the shapes that you get include fish, dog, reptile, butterfly, and more. So, if your kid wants to make some animals using their play dough, this cookie cutter set definitely will prove to be of great use.
Wooden skewers make a safer option than toothpicks and are easier to be held by little hands, and also there are no choking risks.
The Grasum skewers can be used by your kids, along with their playdough, to make many interesting objects. These skewers are eco-friendly and safe, and thus you will have nothing to worry about.
This 8 piece set includes square mixed-pattern wooden stamps. You get different textures: a squirrel pattern, flower pattern, ginkgo leaf pattern, star pattern, cross pattern, clover pattern, labyrinth pattern, and a deer pattern.
The stamps are extremely easy to use and perfect for families who love doing crafts together. The best part is that these wooden play dough stamps are crafted of high-quality wood and will in fact give you the feeling of natural solid wood.
Though these are made for soft clay, they can also be used for modeling dough, clay, painting, and a lot more.
Yes, they are not made of wood, but certainly are the most sustainable ones. Your kids perhaps want to try their hands in baking but they are too young to do so.
Never mind, even if they cannot use the real batter to make cupcakes, they certainly can use their playdough and Amazon Basics silicone molds to fulfill their desire.
This is a great mold set, colorful, and made of food-grade BPA-free silicone. Your kids will certainly enjoy fulfilling their baking desire using them.
This amazing set includes 50 one-inch traditionally-styled wooden alphabet blocks that have a collection of numbers, letters, and pictures.
As these blocks have textures and grooves, your kids can use them to add dimensions to their play-dough. And, easy cleaning is also what makes this tool attractive.
Once your kid has used them, you can easily scrape away any stuck dough from the surface of the wooden blocks and it shall be completely clean and ready to be used again.
Play dough certainly ensures hours of a fun time. When you gift these wooden toys and expose them to a lot of play dough tools you enrich their playtime, accelerate their development, and make sure they will enjoy their playdough time all the more.
Together with enjoying their playtime, they will also enjoy the many benefits that we shared above.
And, as you watch your kid play with the dough, not only will you be happy that they are learning new skills, and having a fun time, but you will also be left amazed discovering their wonderful creative side.