Sensory Time; Let’s Make Clay

 

Are you thinking of letting your child enjoy some sensory activities and wondering what could excite them aside from the usual Sensories ? I have an idea, how about you make clay? Yes, I mean clay, 

Making clay is simple required ingredients might be right in your kitchen

Clay is another Sensory fun activity that children can enjoy

make it more fun by allowing the little chefs to help you in the process

Related; Easy way to make kinetic moon sand

Benefit of clay to children development

• • • Help to improve hand eye coordination as they squeeze and squash,pat and pound the clay with shapes and objects

• • • Help improve fine motor skill- small hand muscles in their fingers and hands  as they squeeze and prod the clay

• • • Improves children creativity as they get to create things from their imaginations

• • • Manipulating clay helps children improve their numeric and literacy skills as they use the clay to create number,shapes and letters

• • • Playing with clay can improve children understanding about a subject matter as you help them build on what they already know.i.e when playing with clay if the child make a car you can ask the child questions and help build on what he already know by talking about different parts of the cars and so on

• • • Help improve children communication skill, social skills, build team work if they are playing with other children 

           

   

Let’s Make Clay

Equipment 

• • • Bowl
    • Mixing spatula | spoon

Materials

• • • Baking soda
    • Cornstarch
    • Vegetable oil | Baby oil
    • Food colouring

Instructions

• • • Pour 2 cups of baking soda into the bowl.
    • Add 1 cup of cornstarch and mix,
    • Pour 1¼ cup of water into the mixture,
    • Put two tablespoons of oil and mix 
    • Transfer the mixture into the pot
    • Cook over medium heat and keep stirring until it looks like mashed potatoes
    • Take it out of the pot and place it on a clean surface, 
    • allow it to cool a little, 
    • Add food colour ( child desired colour) If you want different colours, separate the clay into portions, mix the parts separately with your desired colours
    •  knead until smooth

 

 

Related; Easy way to make kinetic moon sand

Finally, clay is ready children can have fun squeezing and squashing,

Give children cutters, rollers, wiggle eyes, glitters, feathers, and other supplies and let them have fun creating, don’t forget to join in the fun. It will help relieve some stress.

 

Storage

After each play, put the clay in a zip lock bag or a Tupperware container
If you are using a zip lock bag, ensure to squeeze out the air every time and keep it in the fridge