Let the Children Play: Homemade Play Dough and Birthday Cakes

One of the things I am always on the lookout for is simple play ideas for the kids which help to keep them occupied, while at the same time give them lots of practice with their fine motor skills and help increase their attention span.

I've had a few attempts making homemade play dough before this but they somehow didn't come out right, texture and consistency-wise. That was until I found the 4 Minute Play Dough Recipe at The Imagination Tree! We tried it last week when we were doing our Theory of Loose Parts with the boys (the subject of another post) and I really loved the way it came out! Okay, I think it took me about 15 minutes rather than 4, but I loved the fact that it was a no-cook recipe which only involved using hot boiled water instead of having to stir in the dough over the saucepan! Plus point: I did it at 1 a.m. and could still follow the instructions in my bleary-eyed state :)

All you need for this activity is a muffin pan, some play dough, coloured toothpicks and buttons, or whatever else you fancy would look nice on a cupcake.

Take a ball of dough, place it in one of the muffin pan holes, and show your toddler how to use his finger to make holes in the dough, knead and squash it, and then use the toothpicks and buttons to decorate the "cake". We did this with different colours, which was great for introducing colour names. When he had finished decorating the cakes, we blew out the candles. He had fun removing everything and then starting all over again. This kept him occupied for about 40 minutes!

Homemade Play Dough and Birthday Cakes

Ease of Set-Up: 5 out of 5 stars

Entertainment Level: 5 out of 5 stars (at least 40 minutes of uninterrupted play)

Will Repeat? Yes!

Children Play & Learn: Colours, Fine Motor Skills, Vocabulary

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