How to Use playdough to Increase Language Skills

There are SO many opportunities to increase language skills with playdough. This activity is motivating especially due to its sensory stimulation. When using playdough with your child you are able to target vocabulary, expanding utterances, and following directions all with one activity.

Tips for Increasing Language Skills With Playdough

As the parent, stay in control of the playdough and cutters to keep the activity structured. Present your child with a few color options of dough.  Have your child label the colors and ask him which one he wants. Your child can then request for the dough (i.e. “red dough” or “I want the red”).  If your child needs help opening the container, have him request for that as well (i.e. “help me” or “open please”).

Expand your child’s action vocabulary, by talking about what you can do with the dough, such as squeeze the dough, push the dough, and roll the dough.  If you have cutters to use, offer your child a few options and have him request for the one they want to use.  Talk to your child about what he is doing with the dough, such as “I see you are making a star” or “I see you are rolling the dough”.

You can also ask your child to make different objects with the dough to practice following directions.  Keep it simple at first.  Ask your child to make a ball or to roll the dough into a snake.  You can practice 2-step directions also, such as “make a ball and then a square”.

Explore making different objects with the dough.  Remember this activity should be FUN!

To purchase a playdough bucket set click on any picture below:

To learn about other toys that help increase language skills click here.