Free Playdough Play Guide

Benefits of Playdough Play:

- No minimum skill requirement

- No maximum age or skill set

- Easy set up

- no prep

- Easy clean up

- Works on fine motor skills

- Builds play skills

- Sets the stage for requesting

- Encourages imaginative play

- A huge variety of ways to play with it

- Many many more!

Keep reading for the best ways to entice and engage your child to play with you based on their current stage of play development.

Stage of Play Development	Description of Stage	How to set up Playdough Play
Solitary Play	Not showing interest in others; happy to play alone	- Set up a playdough station in child's line of sight - Begin playing with Playdough (e.g., roll, squish, make a ball) - Narrate what you are doing as you do it - Incorporate your child's favourite toys (e.g., push blocks into playdough) - Do not ask your child to play with you but acknowledge any attempts to engage (e.g., looks, approaches) Note: You may do this many many times before you see a result. Don't give up!
Spectator/On-looker	Shows interest by watching others play but does not join or participate	- Set up one playdough station in child's line of sight for you and a second playdough station for your child should they choose to approach - Begin playing with Playdough (e.g., roll, squish, make a ball) - Narrate what you are doing as you do it - Incorporate your child's favourite toys (e.g., push blocks into playdough) - Do not ask your child to play with you but acknowledge any attempts to engage (e.g., looks, approaches) - If your child begins to grab playdough or tools allow them explore - Continue to model different ways to play playdough
Parralel Play	Will play their own activity beside or near others but does not join or participate	- Set up two play stations beside each other with different tools at each station - Ask your child to come and play playdough - Let your child explore the playdough and use the tools however they want to. Do not intervene unless you have safety concerns - Play with playdough at your station while narrating what you are doing (e.g., "Rolling a snake") - Acknowledge all of your child's attempts to interact (e.g., watching you, copying you)
Associative Play	Will play the same or similar activities beside or near others but does not join or participate	- Set up two play stations beside each other with different tools at each station - Keep some of your child's favourite tools at your station - Ask your child to come and play playdough - Let your child explore the playdough and use the tools however they want to. Do not intervene unless you have safety concerns - Play with playdough at your station while narrating what you are doing (e.g., "Rolling a snake") - Occasionally, ask your child to borrow/trade a tool or offer them a tool from your station - Acknowledge all of your child's attempts to interact (e.g., asks for tools or playdough; copies what you made)
Cooperative Play	Will play and participate in activities with others	- Set up one large playdough station - Ask your child to come play playdough - Encourage your child to help you make something with multiple components (e.g., a village, a jungle scene) - Follow their lead and encourage them to come up with ideas of what to build next - Invite other children to join the playdough station. If play is going smoothly fade yourself out and allow the children to continue playing