Life is Poppin'

I believe in sharing my life so I can save you time, money and a few headaches! Always learning from my screw-ups.

  • Drives With Girls
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • DIY
  • Kid Stuff
  • Reviews
    • Giveaways

Tactile Learning: Get Messy with Dough!

Sep 30 by 5 Comments

tactile-learning

Technology; tablets, video games, smartphones and dvd players…. Touch screens are totally taking over and for some reason I feel like this is exactly why kids are missing out on crucial phases of their childhoods. Now don’t get me wrong; like most homes, we have all of those same devices.

I would be lying if I said I don’t let my kids play games or watch their favorite movie on a mobile device, and I’m also totally guilty of handing my phone to my 3 year old to keep her quiet on long car rides or when trying to get the work done. And even though one can make a great case for developmental/learning apps, it’s still just not the same as a good ole’ toy.

I recently had a huge reality check when my husband bought our 11 year old a yo-yo as a surprise, only to have her feel dumbfounded that anyone might actually think that’s fun! Eek! My husband and I, even my mother in law reminisced with her about playing with yo-yos and all of the tricks we used to do as kids. She eventually opened it, gave it 3 lame flicks of the wrist and put it down. Couple of days later when we questioned her on the whereabouts of her super cool new yo-yo and she claimed she put it away because “it was too hard”. Are you kidding me?! Too hard? Passing a level on the game Flappy Bird is hard, but not a yo-yo. It just takes practice and work to develop a skill. Something that’s think too many kids miss out on now days.

With that inspiration in mind it made me freak out about my 3 year old. If we derailed our 11 year old so bad she doesn’t have interest in a yo-yo, I was hoping there was still time for the little one. Time to get back to basics. Long before there was so much technology and before learning was so complicated there were toys and imagination. So we made our own play dough using grape Koolaid and other ingredients found around the kitchen.

kool aid

It’s for so much more than just sculpting shapes. It’s the touching and the texture. The way it smells and the memories it’ll bring later on. This is the perfect combination to get their little minds stimulated. These are some of the things we can’t get from a learning app. Not yet anyway.. And even though mental development can be accelerated by using learning apps, hands-on learning is still the way to go. We are learn with our senses. Why not teach tactile play while their brains are still little sponges?

Play dough is also great way to develop hand muscles and to let you kids’ creative side shine! I gave Josephine (our 3 year old) different shaped cookie cutters and a ball of the dough we made and let her go to town. She loved it! What kid doesn’t like being messy? Getting messy while learning is the best thing ever! It means that they’re involved and submerged in the activity. And the best part; I was able to get the dishes done without giving her my smartphone to keep her busy. Win!

kool aid 3

Now if your kids are anything like mine, after the second or third time they will be like “dough again Mom?”. So shake things up! Add rice or beans to give it a little bit of texture. What about toy cars they can plow into the dough? Or toy bull dozers that boys would love to play “construction” with. That’s cool! As parents we have to be creative and use our imaginations as well. Keep it fun and keep your kids learning. Remember, creative solutions for complex issues…think outside the box!

Tactile play is so important for kids and I think it’s becoming less talked about. There is a world of toys out there that can grasp your kids imagination. Kids aren’t playing outside as much, or climbing tress. Kids hardly do any activities that stimulate all of their senses, including my own. As parents we need to get back to the basics. Tactile play is so much more than dough, but its a place to start. A sand and water table is another great way to stimulate the senses. Plus, remember with tactile play come responsibilities. I make sure my kids learn not only to play but also clean up afterwards. A little fun and a little discipline can go a long way.

I know how busy life can be. But lesson learned, we can’t forget to teach the basics. Don’t wait until you get a yo-yo wake up call like I did!

Tactile Learning: Get Messy with Dough! http://t.co/KcO5d0CR8Bd @FatBrainToys

— Missi (@LifeisPoppin) October 1, 2014

Related Posts

  • How to Protect Kids OnlineHow to Protect Kids Online
  • We love to play, but would rather not pay…We love to play, but would rather not pay…
  • 10 Ways to Use Your Old Smartphones
  • Learn Better With LeapFrogLearn Better With LeapFrog
  • Asurion – #PremierSupport To The RescueAsurion – #PremierSupport To The Rescue
  • Simplify Life with Sittercity.com
  • Spring Break Boredom BustersSpring Break Boredom Busters
  • Top 5 Road Trip Tips & Tricks with KidsTop 5 Road Trip Tips & Tricks with Kids

Don’t Miss the Latest

Celebrating the New Year in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

We drive the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 to the Great White North, where we say goodbye to a rather tumultuous 2020. 2020 has been a year for most of us, huh? So happy to get rid of it and here’s to hoping 2021 is better in every way! Of course, we say this with the […]

Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Family Road Trip In the 2021 Chevy Tahoe

A large and rugged country requires a large and rugged vehicle. With COVID-19 shutting down most things around us or at least applying rigorous restrictions to help slow the spread of the virus, a lot of activities we would normally do with our family are off the table. Luckily, we’ve always loved family road trips, […]

Explore Chicago: The Four Seasons With Kids

We head to the Windy City in the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime Once upon a time, we could get away as a couple whenever we wanted wherever we wanted. Early mornings, late nights, breakfast in bed, shows, clubs, parties—you name it, we enjoyed it. But for a while now, we’ve had to play by a […]

2020 Hyundai Sonata: A Tech-Packed, Versatile Sedan

Yes, it can drive forward and backward without a driver, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg of this stylish sedan. Sedans are dying a slow death. No, it’s not just me being negative, but a factual representation of the automotive industry, which in turn, is a direct reflection of customer’s buying habits. People […]

Filed Under: Kid Stuff, Lifestyle

Comments

  1. Melissa @ A Virtuous Woman says

    October 10, 2014 at 10:02 am

    My kids loved play dough when they were young. So much fun! My one rule was they had to keep the play dough in the kitchen where the floor was tiled – no dough on the carpet – which can be a pain to clean up. 🙂

  2. Emma @ P is for Preschooler says

    October 10, 2014 at 10:24 am

    Don’t feel to badly – my daughter wanted to know where the “on” button for a Slinky was! But I agree – kids love tactile learning and it certainly is fun (especially when you the messier ones outside, lol!)

  3. Jodie @ Growing Book by Book says

    October 10, 2014 at 10:29 am

    We love to use all sorts of different kinds of playdough. It’s great for strengthening hands for future writing skills down the road.

  4. Cheree says

    October 10, 2014 at 1:57 pm

    Kids love dough so much, I have several recipes we use. Thank you for this

  5. Jill says

    October 11, 2014 at 6:57 pm

    Play-dough is the best! My kids have gone through phases of playing with it all the time and then never wanting to play with it. There are so many fantastic different activities and play ideas that the options are really endless.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

follow-me-on-pinterest

Get to know Drives with Girls!

Drives with girls, lifeispoppin.com

Gifts for Dads

Fox 59 Segment

drives-with-girls

Popular posts you will love:

Fairy in a Jar Night Lights

Fairy in a Jar Night-Lights

4C Spider

Alfa Romeo 4C Spider

gala

Womens Daily contributor transTODAY.com Parenting Team FC Contributor

TODAY.com Parenting Team Parenting Contributor

Everywhere

This post may contain affiliate links

Copyright ©2023, Life is Poppin'. All Rights Reserved. Custom design by Pixel Me Designs