Sensory play is one of my top strategies for dealing with “difficult” days. Putting play dough (we love this play dough recipe) and rocks together was my inspired solution for a day that started with a nightmare-induced meltdown from one of the kids at 4am. Tired mom plus tired kids = we need something fun that gets us thinking in creative ways to make it through the day!
The play dough reminded me of the mud you sometimes see stuffed into old stone walls, so we built our own version with play dough instead of mud. I love that this got even six-year-old Emma using her critical thinking skills to build a stable structure – and I think it could challenge an older child as well!
Homes finished, we turned to furniture. Stones and play dough formed tables, chairs, and beds. I’m thinking next time we’ll try adding cars!
What are your favorite ways to play with play dough? Besides rocks, my kids enjoy combining play dough with googley eyes, marbles, and pattern blocks!
[…] play that has an artistic component. We use contact paper to make sensory wall mosaic art, we build structures out of play dough and rocks, and my six-year-old daughter especially enjoys using our sensory rice trays to create pictures, […]