14/07/2026
🌟 The Magic of Playdough! 🌟
What started as a simple playdough and mark-making activity quickly became an incredible learning experience, reminding us that some of the best learning happens when we simply follow the children's interests.
The children were full of curiosity, asking one another questions such as: 💬 "What are you making?" 💬 "How did you make that?"
They proudly shared their creations, explaining what they had made and talking through the process with their friends. It was wonderful to see their communication and language skills flourish naturally through play.
Leanne showed the children how to make a circle by rolling a "playdough worm" and joining the ends together. Before long, the children were confidently using this new skill independently.
One child even made a magic wand, proudly announced her creation, and invited everyone else to make one too. She became the teacher, explaining, "First you have to roll a pancake," before demonstrating each step to her friends. What a fantastic example of confidence, leadership and peer learning!
The language we heard throughout the activity was amazing—rich, descriptive and purposeful. One of the boys even started singing, "Rolling, rolling..." as he rolled out his playdough, and soon his friends joined in, turning the activity into a shared musical experience.
It was also lovely to see the children sharing resources so kindly, with many of them proudly telling the adults just how kind their friends had been.
There were so many wonderful moments that we couldn't possibly remember every conversation—we were simply blown away by the learning unfolding before our eyes!
Thankfully, we captured some of it in photographs to share with you.
This is a perfect example of why we value child-led play so highly. Through one simple activity, the children developed communication and language, social skills, creativity, problem-solving, fine motor skills, confidence and so much more.
✨ Sometimes the simplest activities create the richest learning experiences. ❤️
