Back to Basics: Why Play Dough Still Matters

By Dr. Aaron Bradbury

In an era where digital tools, phonics flashcards, and structured interventions often take centre stage, it’s easy to overlook the simple power of play by using play dough. Yet this humble, squidgy staple has stood the test of time for a reason. It embodies what the early years should be about, sensory exploration, creativity, communication, and connection.

Let’s go back to basics and remind ourselves why play dough should never be an optional extra, but a cornerstone of every early years classroom. Below are some clear ways that play dough supports early childhood development.

1. Fine Motor Magic

Rolling, pinching, squeezing, squashing, cutting, play dough offers endless opportunities to strengthen little hands. These movements build the fine motor control and hand–eye coordination children need for early writing and self-care skills such as dressing and feeding themselves.

Every squeeze and twist develops the small muscles of the hand, wrist and fingers, the very foundation of pencil control later on. It’s a prime example of learning through play.

2. Language, Communication, and Imagination

“Let’s make a cake!” “This is my dinosaur!”

The conversations that emerge around a lump of dough are rich and spontaneous. Children experiment with new vocabulary, negotiate roles, and make sense of the world around them.

Play dough provides an open-ended invitation to talk, describe, question and imagine. Add a few loose parts, candles, buttons, sticks, or shells, and watch a whole world of storytelling unfold.

3. Emotional Regulation and Wellbeing

For many children, play dough is calming. The sensory feedback from squishing and rolling can help to ease anxiety and provide a sense of control.

In moments of overwhelm, the repetitive actions of moulding dough can support self-regulation and emotional release. It’s tactile mindfulness for little hands, a soothing way to express feelings without needing words.

4. Social and Cooperative Learning

Play dough invites collaboration. Whether it’s sharing tools, taking turns, or co-creating a birthday cake, children learn to navigate social situations in a safe, playful context.

Practitioners can model kindness, empathy, and cooperation through this shared activity, using language that builds emotional literacy, “You waited for the rolling pin, that was thoughtful.”

5. Mathematics in Disguise

Without a worksheet in sight, children explore mathematical concepts through play dough every day. They compare sizes, count candles, explore shape and symmetry, and discuss more and less.

By embedding mathematical thinking into meaningful play, practitioners nurture curiosity rather than compliance. Play dough becomes a living, breathing maths lesson that children lead themselves.

6. Creativity and Curiosity

Play dough is beautifully open-ended. It doesn’t come with a right or wrong way to play, which is precisely why it matters.

Children can invent, adapt, and transform materials into whatever their imagination allows. That creative freedom builds confidence, persistence, and joy in learning. It’s a reminder that learning is doing, feeling, and imagining, not just producing outcomes.

Why It Belongs in Every Early Years Classroom

At a time when education risks becoming overly prescriptive, play dough reminds us what matters most. It embodies child-led exploration, sensory learning, and holistic development.

It doesn’t require expensive resources or complicated setups. Just a few simple ingredients, flour, salt, water, and creativity, and you have a tool that supports all areas of development:

• Physical (fine motor, coordination)

• Cognitive (problem-solving, maths, creativity)

• Social and Emotional (regulation, cooperation, self-expression)

• Communication and Language (storytelling, descriptive language, negotiation)

Back to Basics, Forward with Purpose

Going back to basics isn’t about going backwards. It’s about reclaiming the heart of early childhood education, experiences that nurture the whole child, not just their data points.

So, the next time someone asks why play dough still has a place in your classroom, you can confidently say:

Because it’s play. Because it’s learning.

Because it’s early childhood.