Creative play in kindergarten: How to use Playstilin products for educational purposes
For educators and teachers: How to integrate modeling clay materials into your curriculum in a meaningful way.
Modeling clay has always been a staple in early childhood education settings. But while traditional modeling clay is often seen as just a "plaything," modern modeling clay products like Playstilin offer significant educational potential that goes far beyond mere recreation. This article shows you how to integrate modeling clay into various areas of education in a targeted manner, thereby promoting the holistic development of children.
The conscious selection of play materials is an essential part of professional educational work. Modeling clay meets several requirements: it appeals to different senses, enables self-effective action, promotes creative processes, and can be flexibly integrated into different learning situations.
Kneading materials in the context of educational areas
Motor development and body awareness
Working with modeling clay is one of the most effective methods for promoting fine motor skills in kindergarten-age children. Kneading, rolling, pressing, and shaping specifically train the small muscles in the hands, which are later of central importance for learning to write. Hand-eye coordination in particular is trained when working precisely with modeling tools.
Practical idea: Set up a "fine motor skills station" where children can complete various tasks. With the extra-soft Playstilin Potty, even three-year-olds can gain their first experiences with shaping. Tasks such as "roll a snake as thin as your little finger" or "shape 10 small balls for a fruit basket" require different gripping techniques and promote the ability to control the amount of force used.
The feather-light Playstilin Airy is ideal for older preschoolers: it can be used to create more delicate designs, such as tracing letters or numbers in preparation for school.
Creativity and aesthetic education
Creative design with modeling clay enables children to realize their own ideas in three dimensions. Unlike two-dimensional painting, this results in tangible objects that can be viewed from different perspectives. This promotes spatial awareness and aesthetic perception.
Practical idea: Initiate a seasonal project in which the children create typical elements of the current season. In fall, they can create leaves, pumpkins, or hedgehogs; in winter, snowmen or Christmas motifs. The air-drying properties of Playstilin allow these works of art to be displayed permanently, adding seasonal flair to the group room. This not only strengthens awareness of natural rhythms, but also makes the children's self-efficacy visible.
Cognitive development and basic mathematical skills
Modeling clay offers a wide range of opportunities for teaching basic mathematical skills in a playful way. Concepts such as "more" and "less," "big" and "small," "heavy" and "light" can be experienced in a concrete way when modeling.
Practical idea: Introduce sorting and classification tasks. Children can arrange modeling clay objects according to color, size, or shape. With different Playstilin variants (airy, potty, wooly), different textures and consistencies can also be compared—an important aspect of sensory perception and mathematical differentiation.
Tasks such as "Form five apples of equal size" or "Create a series of balls from smallest to largest" are suitable for preschool work. Such activities train quantity understanding and seriation – both important precursor skills for mathematical thinking.
Language education and communication
Kneading dough together provides numerous opportunities for language development. Children describe what they are doing, explain their ideas, negotiate the distribution of materials, and present their creations. These natural communication situations promote vocabulary development and storytelling skills.
Practical idea: Use modeling clay as a basis for storytelling activities. Children can create characters for a fairy tale that is read aloud or invent their own stories based on their clay creations. The three-dimensional representation makes the story tangible and allows it to be continued in role-play.
Guided description exercises are particularly suitable for children with a migrant background or language support needs: "What are you doing right now? What color are you using? What are you creating?" This accompanying language helps to link actions and concepts.
Social learning and teamwork skills
Joint modeling projects promote social skills such as reaching agreements, sharing materials, finding solutions together, and showing consideration for one another. Especially when working on larger group projects, children learn to integrate their individual contributions into an overall work.
Practical idea: Plan a group project such as "Our daycare center made of modeling clay." In small groups, the children design different areas—the garden, the group room, the cloakroom. This requires discussion about proportions, color choices, and task distribution. With the Playstilin CONNECT! system, the individual elements can even be connected like building blocks, which further enhances the constructive aspect.
Science and technology education (STEM)
Modeling clay offers excellent opportunities for initial physical experiences. Children experiment with changes in shape, gravity, stability, and material properties.
Practical idea: Initiate building challenges: "Who can build the tallest tower that doesn't fall over?" or "Design a bridge that can support a toy car." Tasks like these promote planning skills, problem-solving abilities, and an understanding of static principles. The Playstilin CONNECT! system greatly expands the construction possibilities, as modeling clay and building blocks can be combined—an innovative combination of free design and systematic construction.
Experiments with different types of modeling clay are also revealing: What happens when modeling clay dries in the air? How does its consistency change? These observations train scientific thinking even at preschool age.
Practical tips for everyday life at daycare
material management
Careful organization of modeling materials makes educational work much easier. Store different types of modeling clay in labeled, transparent boxes so that children can access them independently. This promotes personal responsibility and enables open forms of activity.
Playstilin products offer a practical advantage here: the high-quality boxes are stackable and the modeling clay is safe to use thanks to its vegan, allergen-free composition—an important aspect in facilities with children who have allergies or food intolerances.
Age-appropriate differentiation
Adapt the kneading activities to the children's level of development:
U3 area: Free exploration is the main focus. Soft types of modeling clay such as Potty are particularly suitable. Simple tasks such as "Flatten the clay" or "Roll a ball" promote early motor skills development.
3-4 years: Introduction to simple shapes (balls, snakes, flat cakes). First tools such as cookie cutters and rolling pins can be used. The focus is on imitation and variation.
5-6 years (preschool): More complex designs, combination of several colors, more delicate work. Integration into project work and targeted school preparation (letters, numbers, tracing exercises with modeling tools).
Integration into the weekly schedule
Modeling materials should not just serve as "gap fillers," but should be consciously integrated into educational planning. Possible formats:
- Free play offer: Play dough station as part of the prepared environment
- Targeted activity: Guided activities in small groups
- Project work: Modeling clay as a design tool in long-term projects
- Portfolio work: documenting the development of kneading skills throughout the daycare year
Cooperation with parents
Inform parents about the educational objectives of kneading. Many parents initially view kneading activities as merely "play." You can highlight the educational value through brief documentation (photos with explanatory texts) or parent-teacher conferences. If necessary, recommend suitable materials for use at home—Playstilin products are also ideal for home use due to their safe, allergen-free composition.
Special applications
Inclusive education
Modeling materials are ideal for inclusive settings. Children with different abilities can work at their own level. For children with sensory sensitivities (e.g., those on the autism spectrum), the tactile experience of working with different types of modeling clay provides valuable sensory stimulation. The different textures of Playstilin (floaty, sandy, silky) offer a variety of sensory experiences.
Occupational therapy support
Specific exercises can be carried out with modeling clay in collaboration with occupational therapists. Targeted strengthening of the hand muscles, improvement of bilateral coordination, and promotion of graphomotor skills can be optimally integrated into everyday life at daycare.
Conclusion
Modeling materials such as Playstilin offer much more than just a way to keep children occupied. They are versatile educational tools that can be used in almost all areas of education. By consciously integrating them into educational planning and carefully selecting suitable materials—taking into account safety, sustainability, and developmental appropriateness—creative play becomes a valuable educational stimulus.
Investing in high-quality, safe, and versatile modeling materials is worthwhile for any institution. Not only do they support child development, but they also facilitate educational work thanks to their versatility and suitability for different age groups and areas of development.
Discover ideas for everyday life at daycare now
About Playstilin: Playstilin stands for vegan, allergen-free, and educationally valuable modeling clay products for kindergartens, preschools, and therapeutic applications. Developed with experts in education and neuroscience, Playstilin meets the highest safety standards and offers innovative solutions for professional use in early childhood education.