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The 6 Amazing Benefits of Playing
16 Nov 2021

4 Reasons Why Playdough is Important for Child Growth and Development

What are some reasons why playdough is important for child growth and development?

1. Improves fine motor skils
2. Encourages creativity and imagination

3. Promotes social and emotional development

4. Teaches language and literacy


Playdough is a favorite when it comes to kids’ toys in the Philippines not only because of its ability to keep children occupied but also for its benefits. There’s a reason why playdough is always present in daycares and preschools. It has a huge impact on a child’s growth and development. Here, we’ve listed down some specific reasons why playdough is important to children.


The educational merits of modeling with clay have been recognized for more than a thousand years now, even going as far as being part of the foundations of early childhood education.


If you keep reading, you’ll learn how much playdough can help your child grow and develop. Read on!

Improves fine motor skills


Your child’s fine motor skills refer to their ability to control the small muscles in their fingers, hands, and wrists. As you know, children don’t start with the same fine motor skills as adults. They drop things easily, they don’t have a strong grip, and they can’t move their fingers the same as we do.


When they play with playdough, they manipulate it with their hands. They perform different actions like squishing, squeezing, poking, and rolling. They might even use tools and other molds to shape the playdough. All of these actions use the muscles needed for fine motor skills. It improves their physical abilities and their muscles grow in strength and dexterity at the same time.


These are important qualities that will also be used in writing, drawing, coloring, handling objects, and many other purposes. 


Encourages creativity and imagination

Playdough is one of the toys that engage a child’s creativity and imagination the most. Their ability to create and imitate objects by transforming something is a testament to their creativity. Their creative thinking is hard at work when they’re shaping playdough as they imagine the object in their mind and shape its likeness in their hands. How should they manipulate the dough to change shape the way they want?


It also improves their symbolic thinking when they use their imagination to pretend that it’s something else. A lump of clay that may look like nothing but a circular figure might be a pig in the child’s eyes if they decide it is.


This leads to more imaginary play when they start role-playing. When kids make food from a food dough playset, they pretend to eat it. When they make animals, they pretend to be on a farm. This type of play will boost your child’s imagination and creativity for sure!


Promotes social and emotional development


Playing with playdough is a chance to explore how they interact with their own emotions and with other people. The toy can be used independently and cooperatively. A child can create and roleplay with other playmates or adults. They could learn how to cooperate, collaborate, control themselves around others, and make friends.


It helps them control their emotions too. As we know very well, our kids need to learn how to handle their emotions. When they successfully create something, they will happy and proud of themselves. They’ll learn how being competent at something feels. 


Playdough can also be a safe and healthy way for your children to exert their extra energy. Actions such as squishing, pounding, and flattening playdough are also safe and healthy ways for them to deal with strong emotions.


Teaches language and literacy

The socialization that comes with pretend play teaches your kids about language and communicating. Playing with adults would widen their vocabulary even better. With all the sensory experiences that they’re gaining, they’d need some way to describe it. That’s where you come in!


An adult can help them associate feelings, emotions, objects, and actions to words. For example, if you’re playing with a snack bar playset, your kid could learn what a “knife” is without risking any injury. They would also learn that the feeling of dough is “soft” and pressing their hands on it is “squeezing”.


With the roleplay, children learn to make stories as well. They start to understand how sentences are constructed. Active play such as this helps your child communicate their thoughts and emotions.


The possibilities are endless, and they’re only limited by your imagination.


Key Takeaway

Our child’s years of youth is the time for them to learn and grow. Playdough’s many benefits help push your children forward. Of the many reasons why playdough is important, these four are the most important. The combination of physical, emotional, and mental lessons that your child could learn from the toy makes it the best thing to play with. It may be a pain to clean up, but it’s definitely worth it for our kids!


Here at Funtastic Stuff, our toys were made for your child’s happiness and development. Aside from our customers, we also help other children in need through our advocacies. If you’re looking for safe to use and colorful dough playsets, check out our shop here