"Clay provides so many opportunities for Messy play, especially by adding water"
(Recipes for Messy Play)
Clay is a natural resource that has no right or wrong way to be used. It can be rolled, pinched, cut, squished and moulded into different shapes and the texture can be changed simply by adding water. The great thing about clay is it can be reused and recycled. Like playdough, Clay provides children with so many opportunities to be creative and expressive. It can be used to create long-lasting shapes (do you remember making clay bowls or animals when you were younger?).
Clay can be bought from just about any art shop
or potters’ suppliers – or if
there is a school nearby, you could ask for
offcuts or unused clay.
In some areas clay will be available from the
natural environment. An expedition to dig clay
can be a lot of fun.
Clay needs to be soft for children to work with, you can do this by keeping it damp during play.
The great thing about clay is that little more than a damp sponge to keep the clay moist is necessary. Children’s exploration, handling, poking, shaping and forming the clay can be quite ample on its own.
Other tools you may like to provide:
- something to cut the clay
- collage materials for decoration
- pieces of card for children to take their work home on.
Clay is good for children's hand and eye coordination (including squeezing, patting) and developing finger and hand muscles (poking, pinching). They are also learning to manipulate through cutting, rolling and moulding the clay to make shapes.
It's amazing at what you can create with clay - My 10 year old nephew decided to give Play with Clay a go - and this is what he created.
Have you tried CLAY with your toddler? Do you remember working with clay when you were little?
Charlene
Linking up with #ToddlerFunFriday
I've never thought of using clay to play with. It will make a nice change from play dough. Thanks for sharing on #ToddlerFunFriday
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