Knead with salt dough
Working with salt dough is very popular with children and can cover an afternoon of rain. But not only fun and play are in the foreground, also important brain activities are built up by the activity with different kneading agents.
Age: 2-6 years (but older children often still have a lot of fun with it)
Inexpensive and in contrast to bought plasticine in larger quantities
easy to manufacture with the children.
Preparation:
Cover the table with a plastic blanket (if possible in one color) or a wooden plate;
You can also work on the worktop in the kitchen.
Children’s clothing with an old T-shirt, shirt, paint coat or similar. protect
Ingredients and preparation (containing alum!):
50g alum (2 tablespoons – available in the pharmacy)
45 ml cooking oil (3 tablespoons)
Food coloring (cheaper in powder form than in tubes)
Boil the water in the kettle and add the oil and a packet of food coloring (the more color, the more intense the color) to a mixing bowl.
Mix the flour, salt and alum and add. Mix everything with a large spoon (e.g. wood), remove the mass from the bowl, let cool slightly and then knead until it is smooth and no longer contains any lumps of flour.
! Make sure that the dough is not too hot for children’s hands !
Ingredients and preparation (alum free!):
3 tbsp of oil
Boil the water and add the oil. Then add flour and salt.
Add the food coloring for coloring just before processing.
! Make sure that the dough is not too hot for children’s hands !
Ideas for experimenting with plasticine and salt dough:
At the beginning, the children should only work on the modeling clay with their hands as a “tool”. Later, especially older children from around 3 years of age can use small dough rolls, cutters, cutlery, toys, plates, pots, etc..
The children should first develop / discover opportunities / ideas alone to experiment with the modeling clay – the adult can give various suggestions during the activity – often the children then develop new ideas from them.
From about 2 years (sometimes also possible earlier):
Press, knead, squeeze, pull apart / tear, prick holes in the clay with single fingers, roll small kneading pieces between two fingers for the holes as "worms" for example. A good practice is to roll rollers on the surface or between your hands (e.g. "snake, worm" …)
From approx. 3 years to 6 years and older:
Rolls, balls – different sizes / long / thick, hierarchical (according to size), possibly naming (largest / smallest, longest / shortest etc.), determining quantities (counting) … Rolling screws, forming pretzels,
Read out a small story (age appropriate) and then knead it afterwards. Talk about the story, the content and the characters of the story shortly before, especially with younger children.
Mix colors – make orange, green, purple (this requires intensive kneading), use marbled clay.
Role-playing games (cooking, baking, selling, etc.) making "doll’s dishes".
Working with dough rollers, cutters, cutlery, plates, cups, etc.
Knead letters / numbers (e.g. from rolls), put your own name.
Which areas of development are addressed and promoted by kneading?
For the younger children, the "joy of doing" is still in the foreground. They work exploratory and the material and its properties want to be experienced. The activity is not yet project-oriented or targeted.
For the older children, in addition to exploratory play, the focus is on the creative game and also project-oriented and goal-oriented play. Creativity and imagination can be stimulated through role and figure play.
Kneading together trains communication and interaction
Depending on their age and activity, kneading is used to address ego, material and social skills. But also tacti-kinaesthetic perception, the practice of force dosage as well as dexterity and dexterity are practiced.
Important skills such as hand-hand and eye-hand coordination are specially trained when working with modeling clay on a regular basis.
Remember
Tips & Hints
The children can only knead when the dough has cooled down a bit
The warm mass is particularly easy to work with
Small amounts, which may be quickly put in the mouth by younger children, are harmless to health
The dough must be stored in a cool place
The dough can also be easily removed from clothing and other textiles – including colored dough
More differentiated, more complex 3-dimensional figures / shapes (more for older children) can be made better with other materials, since these are firmer and easier to model.
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