The Top 8 Benefits of Playing with Play Dough

Kids and parents who love doing arts and crafts at home, particularly clay modelling, are in for a treat! Today, we’re going to talk about the most popular brand in creative arts and crafts for kids (and kids-at-heart)… Play-Doh!

If you’re a parent and you have kids who’ve been asking you how to make Play-Doh at home, we suggest you start on the ready-made and brightly coloured Play-Doh sets that come with buckets and tools. For those who love to make models of foods for their cooking and baking pretend-play, there’s the Play-Doh Kitchen Creations range that showcases tons of kitchen modellling possibilities .

Curious about how and why Play-Doh was invented in the first place? Check out our post about Some Play-Doh Fun Facts!

For many generations, Play-Doh has influenced a lot of childhood memories. We wouldn't be surprised if you yourself have some wonderful experiences on how Play-Doh made your childhood exciting and full of creative fun. Now, your kids would like to have the same fun experience as well.

Benefits of Play Dough

Aside from being fun, playing with Plah-Doh has a lot of benefits for toddlers and even older children (including grownups). According to experts and based on our own research as well, here are 8 things you can gain when playing with Play-Doh:

1. Engaging with Play Dough helps improve fine motor skills.
2. Play Dough can help regulate the emotions of your toddler.
3. Kids who play with Play-Doh may develop enhanced imagination and creativity.
4. Play-Doh encourages parents to have quality time with their children.
5. Preschoolers can learn basic literacy skills from Play-Doh.
6. Play-Doh helps kids to learn patience and concentration.
7. Playing with Play-Doh promotes both independence and socialisation.
8. Play-Doh helps develop tactile and visual skills.

Let’s talk abut them in detail…

Engaging with Play Dough Helps Improve Fine Motor Skills

Most toys are designed to help kids develop and improve their fine motor skills. Yet with Play-Doh, children will have to squish, pinch, roll, mould, flatten, and break the dough to create their desired results. They may even have to use the play tools provided – such as scissors, rolling pin, cookie cutters, and pressing machine – allowing them to exercise their hands, fingers, wrists, and even arms as well. Play-Doh activities are perfect for toddlers who are starting to develop their fine motor skills.

Play Dough Can Help Regulate the Emotions of Your Toddler

Stress balls and fidgets can do a good job in relieving stress and calming an anxious child, but Play-Doh is a great sensory toy too! Playing with Play-Doh is perfect for getting rid of that restless energy, beating the boredom, or relieving tension and stress. While the very act of “Play-Doh-ing” is a stress reliever in itself, the goal a child sets in their mind as they create their artwork gives them an avenue to re-focus their thoughts.

Kids Who Play with Play-Doh May Develop Enhanced Imagination and Creativity

Play-Doh is an excellent springboard to get your child into the arts! Imagination and creativity are the artillery of any artist. With Play-Doh, children can get their first taste of what it’s like to be a sculptor, painter, chef, builder, or designer. There’s an infinite number of masterpieces your child can create with Play-Doh; the only limit is their imagination.

Play-Doh Encourages Parents to Have Quality Time with Their Children

While adults too can enjoy making their own crafts with Play-Doh, parents in particular can use Play-Doh activities to bond and spend quality time with their children. Plan a date with the kids at home, but instead of watching the telly or playing video games, thrill their hearts out with a Play-Doh moulding contest! Do this regularly, and your children will not forget these moments when they shared fun and creative excitement with Mum and Dad.

Preschoolers Can Learn Basic Literacy Skills from Play-Doh

What do we see in every Play-Doh mould and toy set? Different colours, shapes, and crafting tools… The colours can be mixed to make “new” colours, like when you combine yellow and blue to become green or blue and red to violet. The moulds can be shaped into letters and numbers. They can also be formed to look like animals, castles, houses, trees, mountains, and more. When toddlers see these things, it’s a chance for them to learn basic academic skills even before they set foot in school. In fact, many teachers use Play-Doh as a teaching tool as well.

Play-Doh Helps Kids to Learn Patience and Concentration

Having a goal provides us with a purpose. To achieve this goal, you need to be patient and be focused with the end in mind. When playing with Play-Doh, kids picture out what they want to create; they would fashion their moulds using their hands and the tools provided to make sure what they imagined would be the result of their work. It’s a fun play activity that trains children to practice patience and concentration.

Playing with Play-Doh Promotes Both Independence and Socialisation

What’s great about Play-Doh is that you can play it solo or with playmates. When playing alone, kids are encouraged to depend on their own imagination, creativity, and resourcefulness and come up with their cherished masterpiece. When playing along with friends or family, they become cooperative, they talk and listen to each other about what they’re doing, and sometimes they engage in healthy competition.

Play-Doh Helps Develop Tactile and Visual Sensory Skills

The different colours that Play-Doh has and the various shapes, figures, and designs that kids come up with are a visual treat to their eyes. For toddlers, this is a perfect opportunity to train their ocular recognition and identification skills. The textures of the dough and play tools can stimulate a child’s sense of touch, and all of these combined allow them to hone their developing hand-to-eye coordination skills.

Top 10 Play-Doh Toys and Sets

If you’re looking to find some new Play-Doh sets that will thrill your child during your Play-Doh bonding activities, scroll down and have a look at the top 10 Play-Doh sets this year. When you're done with your "Play-Doh-ing," make sure you apply these Play-Doh Cleaning Tips!

10. Play-Doh Sparkle Compound Collection

Make your Play-Doh creations bright and sparkly with the Play-Doh Sparkle Compound Collection! You get 6 colours of shiny, twinkly Sparkle Compound, and 2 cutters to make flowers, gems, or other beauties. The only limit to your artistry is your own imagination! Set includes 2 cutters and 6 cans of Play-Doh Sparkle Compound.

9. Play-Doh Kitchen Creations Rising Cake Oven Playset

Make incredible Play-Doh cakes rise before your eyes with the Play-Doh Kitchen Creations Rising Cake Oven Playset! Add Play-Doh modelling compound to the cake pan, pop it in the oven, pull down the handle, and watch it rise. You'll even hear a "ding" sound to let you know when it's done and it's time to decorate! Add swirly pretend-frosting with the decorating tool and lots of colourful Play-Doh toppings with the half-moulds. There's also a mixing bowl to make 3 different Play-Doh sprinkle shapes. For more creative fun, each Play-Doh cake has a secret hollow space inside to reveal colourful surprises when you slice them!

8. Play-Doh Picnic Shapes Starter Set

Rain or shine, the Play-Doh Picnic Shapes Starter Set is a perfect kids’ picnic set for any occasion! It comes with 12 starter tools, 6 Play-Doh colours, and a toy picnic basket that stores the tools. As kids explore basic shapes like squares, circles, and triangles, they can use their imaginations and stack those shapes into Play-Doh sandwiches. Imagine pretend-picnic stories with silly snacks and bugs on the picnic blanket side of the play-mat or flip it around for fun shape sequencing activities for kids!

7. Play-Doh Ice Cream Truck Playset

Your children will come running when this Play-Doh Ice Cream Truck comes to your neighbourhood! Pretend-play gets even sweeter with lots of ways to get creative. The back of the playset has a space to hold each can and accessory, and the front awning folds down to make the playset more compact when it's time to put it away. With 20 tools and 5 colours, kids can make many different combinations of Play-Doh ice cream cones and sandwiches, silly sundaes, and creative toppings. About 13 inches wide by 12 inches tall, kids can share their creations with their "customers" through the window.

6. Play-Doh Frog ‘n Colours Starter Set

Hop into some fun imaginative activities for toddlers and preschoolers with the Play-Doh Frog ‘n Colours Starter Set! Grow a long silly tongue for the toy frog and make Play-Doh bugs with the moulds underneath. Make lily pads and butterflies with the cutters and 4 fun size 1 ounce Play-Doh modelling compound colours. Engage them in fun sorting and matching activities by sorting the bugs by colour on the play-mat.

5. Play-Doh Peppa's Ice Cream Playset

With a toy ice cream truck and Peppa and George figures, Play-Doh Peppa's Ice Cream Playset lets kids get creative with their favourite Peppa Pig moments from the show! The figures can ride in the front of the truck which has moulds to make pretend-goodies and back wheels that make syrup shapes. Kids can also make hand-held Play-Doh ice cream cones, ice pops, and teddy bear treats by snapping one of the 3 large moulds into the back of the truck to fill it up. This set comes with 5 Play-Doh cans in colours like red, teal, pink, yellow, and brown for plenty of Peppa-themed fun!

4. Play-Doh Kitchen Creations Candy Delight Playset

This whimsical Play-Doh Candy Delight Factory comes with a candy machine, pretend peanut butter cup maker, and tools to help kids imagine their own magical sweet shop. The play candy crank machine makes the pretend gummies and bars, while the mould creates cups. Kids can actually fill one Play-Doh colour into another to create pretend nougat-filled bars and candy cups with multiple colours. They can scoop their creative Play-Doh candies into the 3 pretend candy boxes inspired by classic candy counters.

3. Play-Doh Super Colour Pack

This big pack of 20 Play-Doh Super Colour modelling compounds holds an endless array of creative possibilities! Little hands can roll, twist, and shape the colours into any form that strikes their fancies, then mash them up and start all over. Perfect for play dates and parties, the Super Colour Pack is just the ticket for big Play-Doh fun.

2. Play-Doh Care 'n Carry Vet Playset

The Play-Doh Care 'n Carry Vet Playset lets kids get creative and play-pretend veterinarian! It's up to them to groom and care for the adorable toy dog. Make the doggy grow a long Play-Doh tongue and silly Play-Doh hair from its ears and back! Kids can also mould pretend-fleas, pick them off with the tweezers, and style up the pup. Storage and on the go fun all in one? Yes, please! The play pet carrier also features fun moulds to make Play-Doh medicine, bows, and more. Stamp with the toy stethoscope, fill in the thermometer, make 5 different bandage styles, give the pup a haircut with the play scissors, and more!

1. Play-Doh Kitchen Creations Pizza Oven Playset

Imagine the creative ideas kids can cook up with this Play-Doh Kitchen Creations Pizza Oven Playset! To start, add compound and press the top to stamp out a round Play-Doh pizza crust and send it spinning out of the oven. Kids can play-pretend chef with the classic look of the cheese grater, the pizza paddle with fun moulds, the serving and slicing tools, the pizza box, roller, and 2 plates. The play food tools throughout this Play-Doh set feature lots of moulds to make pretend pepperoni, onion, make-believe mushrooms, and so much more! The 6 cans include 2 ounces of tricolour compound with red, yellow, and orange for pretend-cheese, plus 5 more classic colours.

Not content with these top 10? More Play-Doh toys and sets are waiting for you online and in-store at Mr Toys!