Making handicrafts with children easy
Easter, Christmas or the birthday of uncle Jonas: there are many occasions for handicrafts with children. Although: Do you really need an occasion for the creative trip with dough? Actually not, or!
Handicrafts can get a permanent place in life. We mean that quite literally! As with painting, this is possible if there is a corner in the children's room where you can start right away: The table has a durable pad and all the tools for handicrafts are ready. The protective painting apron is also within reach. The creative corner is a place where it doesn't have to be tidy. Because, let's be honest: With whom artist does it look like the cleaning troop has just been swept through? For parents this might be a relaxation exercise. It's great for children, because it makes handicrafts easy!
Which dough for which age?
What's so great about dough? It feels good, it is soft, colourful and you can make a thousand things out of it. At any age! Dough is something for the little ones and for the big ones (for them it means no more "tinkering", but "modelling").
Children who do handicrafts with clay do something for their fine motor skills. That's why dough is so popular with educators. Anyone who does handicrafts with children knows that kneading stimulates the imagination and strengthens the mobility of fingers and hands.
Depending on their age, children make things with supersoft clay, modelling dough or plasticine clay. Bigger children love modelling clay: it becomes firm and can even be painted!
Dough for the little ones
Everything in kindergarten starts with supersoft clay. It is wonderfully soft. Small hands can press on it with delight. Children feel: I have strength! When I press with my finger or fist, something happens! It's also nice: Supersoft clay doesn't dry out and does everything: When your daughter remembers after two days that the little bear would rather be a bread now: No Problem!
Modelling dough is already a little bit tighter than supersoft clay. Nevertheless, it can also be worked wonderfully by small hands. Tinkering with modelling dough is a lot of fun for small children. They get a first feeling for shapes. Modelling dough always stays soft when you put it back in its jar after playing.
Dough for schoolchildren
Who tinkers with plasticine clay, belongs already to the big ones! With this plasticine clay you can do really great things: Small animals, figures, faces, fruit and vegetables. Actually everything!
School children in particular make a lot of things with plasticine dough. Why? Letters can be formed wonderfully with the soft plasticine clay. This strengthens the dexterity! And that's what you need to hold your pencils. Handicrafts with plasticine clay also helps in learning to write. Isn't that crazy!
Plasticine clay objects are stable. Because they do not dry out, they can also be reshaped. If the A looks like an R, it doesn't matter at all. Because you can change that!
Watch our EFA Plast Video
Modelling clay for little artists
Children who have discovered their heart for handicrafts with kneading take the next step: They are modelling! With modelling clay, such as EFA Plast Kids they shape objects like the big ones! The great thing about it is that the modelling clay behaves similar to pottery clay and hardens. The objects become really stable. And that means: modelling clay figures can be painted! Can you be even more creative? Kneading and painting in one: It's great fun!
Tinkering with dough stimulates the imagination! Crazy things can come out! Moms and Dads don't necessarily have to be able to recognize what the piece of dough is supposed to be. But children know exactly what their object means. Ask them and let yourself be carried away into the fantasy world of your darling!
