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(Unit 2) Topic 2: Playdough

2 Clock Hours of Early Childhood Education

Infants Can Play with Playdough

​Topic 2 Page 4

Yes, you read that correctly: infants can play with playdough!

This little guy's first playdough experience was at 15 months old. He was a bit reluctant.

​​The best thing to do is to know the children in your care and their habits and tendencies. For example, some infants may rarely put objects in their mouths while others may continue to well into the toddler years.

There are some accommodations and considerations to be made, of course, but playdough is a very viable play material for infants. The first rule of any play material consideration for any age group is safety. For infants this is especially important because of their tendency to put things in their mouth and their lack of motor control.​

The second time that he was offered playdough, we added tools!

Accommodations

Infants can play with playdough with some simple accommodations. Young infants may enjoy exploring playdough under close supervision and with help from an adult. The best playdough for young infants to explore is one with a thicker consistency that isn’t easily crumbled or too slimy. An adult should be carefully watching the infant explore this material in a safe environment. Choose different colored doughs for the infant to press, squish and pinch.

For slimy, goopy or crumbly textured doughs there are many ways to adapt the play for infants:

• Make a sensory bag by putting playdough in a large ziplock bag and securing all sides
• Put a sheet of secured plastic wrap over the dough
• Cover the dough with fabric
• Sit child in a high chair with close supervision

Note:  Please provide appropriate supervision to the children in your care when completing all activities. You will need to decide what types of activities are safe for the children in your care.  Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when providing art and sensory experiences for children.

Infants require special caution, only use non-toxic materials, and do not allow infants to put things in their mouths that are a choking hazard. ​

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