November Toy of the Month: PlayDough!

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Playdough is an endless opportunity for targeting a variety of developmental goals, such as receptive and expressive language or fine motor skills.  Your child can use their imagination to mold it into different objects/shapes, or generally play for sensory input and language expansion.

Practice colors by naming them and then having your child identify each one, or have your child label them themselves for further expressive practice. Encourage your child to request, such as signing/saying “more” or “please,” requesting their desired color, etc. Practice acting out/modeling relevant verbs (e.g. roll, cut, squeeze, rip, smash, push, etc.) with the playdough. Encourage imitation of sounds, words/phrases, and actions.

You can make animals/objects with the playdough or find small toys to put in playdough for extended sensory play and to target other vocabulary. Modify targets as your child progresses, this is a toy that can absolutely grow with your child’s skills!