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• Squeezing, rolling and poking playdough can help relieve stress.
• Handling playdough strengthens the muscles in hands and fingers, which they’ll use in the future for writing, drawing and using tools like scissors and staplers.
• Playing with playdough is an opportunity to strengthen hand–eye co-ordination.
• Playdough presents many pretend-play possibilities.
• It’s also a chance to introduce specific vocabulary to the child — for example, the words ‘roll’, ‘pinch’, ‘pat’ and ‘squeeze’.

• Here’s a recipe for cooked playdough:

Mix together:

• 1 cup of flour
• ½ cup of salt
• 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar
• 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
• food colouring
• 1 cup of water

Heat gently and stir until mixture forms a soft ball.

Cool the dough and then knead until smooth.

Wrap it in cling wrap and store in the fridge, or in a tightly covered container.

• Protect floors and furniture by spreading an old sheet or some newspaper under the area where the playdough will be used.
• Some children will enjoy rolling snakes and balls, or pressing objects into the dough — like blocks, the potato masher, forks and so on.
• If the child is reluctant to use their hands, offer them utensils like sticks, straws or plastic cutlery.
• Decide on the limits of where it’s okay to play with playdough, and stick to them — return the child back to that area if they start to wander around with it.