Sensory2–4 yrsAt home

Make the dough together

The making is half the activity.

Prep

10 min

Mess

High

How to play

Let him pour and stir — badly is fine. Knead until it stops sticking. Then it's dough for the rest of the week: snakes, balls, pancakes, hidden treasure.

  1. a bowl of flour, a cup of water and a spoon
    1

    Flour, salt, water and a spoonful of oil.

  2. a spoon standing in the bowl, an arrow showing the stir
    2

    Let them pour and stir. Badly is fine.

  3. a hand pressing a ball of dough, a rolled snake beside it
    3

    Knead it until it stops sticking. Then it's dough all week.

What you need

2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 1 cup water, a spoon of oil. Food colouring optional.

What it secretly builds

Sensory

Kneading is deep pressure through the hands, which most kids find genuinely regulating. And he watched separate things become one thing — early cause and effect.

Safety first
It's very salty, so it tastes bad on purpose — but keep an eye out if he mouths things.
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