Office of Child Care and Family Resources

Dear Families,

I hope this newsletter finds you well!

Children love to play; that is their work and that is how they learn and discover their world. Play contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of young children. The many skills acquired through the power of play include language development, problem-solving, sharing, and how to connect with others. Play also instills a deep sense of creativity and adventure in preschool children.

Children learn through all their senses: taste, touch, sight, hearing, and smelling. One favorite preschool sensory activity is playing with playdough. When children play with playdough, they gain an understanding of shapes and relative sizes (big, small, length, height). They also come to appreciate the tactile sensations and fine motor dexterity associated with playdough: poking, rolling, squeezing, and pounding. The malleable properties of playdough are limitless, enabling children to explore and to stretch their imaginations.

Here are some fun playdough recipes for your family. They are easy to make, and ingredients are easily found in most homes. I put together a booklet, “Simply Sensational Sensory Activities for Preschool Children,” full of open-ended, creative sensory, and art activities. You can access it through this link:

https://occfr.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ECC_recipes_booklet_from_Cigdem.pdf

Happy spring and summer explorations! Have fun creating family memories full of play and joy! We will see you when the fall semester starts.

Cigdem