New Ways to Have Fun with Play Doh or Modeling Clay

In my house we have containers of Play Doh that don't get used that often anymore. I decided to come up with new ways and ideas for my daughter to play with it. I am going to share my five best ideas!

One of the ways you can make modeling clay more fun is to bring out kitchen objects to enhance creative play. Can you bring out a metal muffin tin, a rolling pin, or even paper cupcake liners? I had some tiny and dull pate knives that I brought out and allowed my daughter to cut Play Doh with. She loved the idea and was cutting apart her creations. I also let her use paper cupcake liners and birthday candles. With these simple props she pretended to run a bakery. She was counting out the number of candles and it was a great learning experience for her! You can use cookie cutters as well to help your child create shapes.

Another good idea is to incorporate small toys into your dough play. If you are like us, you probably have a ton of little figurines and odds and end type toys. A lot of our small toys have come from McDonalds happy meals and they are perfect for playing in the dough. Using a small doll figurine, my daughter and I created a bed for her. We made blankets, molded clothes on her and even made tiny food. Or you could build a play area for the small toys with the Play Doh. You could lay down some green Play Doh grass or build a mountain for the toy to climb. Sometimes bringing in small toys can encourage new play ideas. You can also make a game by hiding the small toys in dough balls and asking your child to find them.

Do you own a Mr. Potato head toy? If you do, give it some new life! We took the pieces that go into Mr. Potato head and we used them on Play Doh. The pegged eyes, nose, and accessories fit nicely into a soft ball of play dough. The pieces are also durable, so you can easily get them clean.

Another idea is to let your child use small child scissors to cut apart the play dough. It is a great way for them to practice cutting skills. Cutting through dough is much easier, than learning to cut through paper. It is really good for their hand coordination and they think it is so much fun. My daughter will roll out dough snakes and cut them into pieces. You can also play a counting game by asking your child to cut them number of pieces you tell them to.

I hope you have found some new ways to enjoy Play Doh or modeling clay with your child. As parents, we often have to come up with those simple ideas that encourage our children to find new ways to play.