Dough Gym
We have recently introduced daily dough disco sessions. This is exercise for the fingers to improve fine motor control and gross motor skills.
It helps to develop our gross motor skills as we are using the dough as a weight, so lots of lifting with straight arms, and round and round with extended arms.
Fine motor control is developed through pinching, poking, rolling and squeezing.
* roll it into a ball
* roll it into a sausage
* squeeze it
* poke it
* flatten it
* pinch it
If you would like to have a go at home, there is a recipe for homemade playdoh below.
Playdoh
1 cup of plain flour
Half a cup of salt
2 teaspoons of Cream of Tartar
1 tablespoon of oil
1 cup of water
Food colouring
Mix all of the ingredients together in a saucepan.
Stir the mixture over a low heat until it comes away from the sides of the pan.
Tip the dough out and leave it to cool slightly.
Let your children play with the dough while it is still warm!
Store the playdough in an air-tight container or plastic bag and let your children use it every day (it should keep for about a week).