Playing with dough has always been a favourite activity with our children, so we decided to make use of this interest by creating a range of mats to develop their knowledge and skills across the curriculum. Some mats were pictorial to encourage imaginative ideas, while others invited children to try to copy the shapes upon them.
These are some of the learning experiences children can enjoy when working with dough and play mats: Personal, social and emotional development
* Working in pairs sharing a 'what's missing?' mat, creating eyes for a teddy or buttons for a doll's coat.
* Creating salt dough festival decorations, such as Christmas pendants, using a 'festival mat' to inspire ideas.
Communication, language and literacy
* Using 'letter' or 'name' mats to help to create dough letters.
* Making up a story using dough to create characters and props, inspired by the pictures on a 'story mat'.
Mathematical development
* Creating snakes of different lengths and thicknesses and adding patterns of their choice, after looking at pictures on 'snake mats' to stimulate ideas.
* Recognising numerals by creating dough shapes to cover those on the mat, counting them and then tracing over the numeral with a finger.
* Learning the names of different shapes as they try to recreate them on the mats.
Knowledge and understanding of the world
* Discovering differences between rigid and malleable materials.
* Creating dough leaves of varying shapes and sizes after exploring 'leaf mats' and discussing similarities and differences.
Physical development
* Developing small hand and finger movements by manipulating the dough.
* Becoming aware of healthy practices associated with hygiene when playing with dough, such as wearing aprons and washing hands.
Creative development
* Using their own ideas for designs for the mats, for example by laminating colourful pictures of dinosaurs, butterflies or shells.
* Creating batches of dough using different perfumes and then using them to make flowers, inspired by a 'floral mat'. Talking about smells they like best.
