A tribute to the humble and simple playdough.

This weekend, I have the privilege of a chat with my son’s class teacher. From experience, she knows that I don’t care for the ‘academic news’, at least not yet. I always ask about social skills. So, as I walk in, she bursts on about what a joker he is in class, his giggling, the dancing, singing… attempts at stand-up comedy! He’s the “hero” of her class. Even if she has made it all up, I’m in heaven. The small stuff is the exciting stuff.

And as she tells me about his writing, her eyes wander around her class, and suddenly light up. “He does a lot of different things with the chapatti roller and board,” she says. I blink and smile, hoping it’s all good. “Normally, children just roll the atta flat, but he rolls, makes pieces, slices them, cuts strips, forms patterns and arrangements. He never just rolls,” she continues. I am excited to hear this… he’s creative! Also, unique and distinctive. He doesn’t do what everyone else does. I can’t wait to brag about this when I get home. I’m pretty sure it comes from my genes. Oh happy day!

On my way home, I recall some of the happiest moments of my own life. They were the messy ones that involved paint or water, soap or sticky mud. There is nothing more fulfilling than creating from a mouldable mass. Kids in my various classes, and my own at home, have inherited the love for dough. Age no bar. Not only do I have a successful time entertaining my toddlers with this, but it amuses even the teenagers! So, today, this whole column is a special dedication. Want written proof? Big words to impress you? I have a few. 

Fine-motor development – Finger, hand, and wrist muscles develop when children work with this medium. If you have a child who hates writing, give him clay or playdough. Let him work with it. If you’re driven – math, the alphabet, shapes, sorting, colour-recognition, association and concepts like length, weight and thickness can be introduced via here!

Open-ended play – Any environment at all can be re-created using this medium. Every thought can be put into a 3D format. This amazing silly putty can unlock the innovator, the entrepreneur, and the artist. 

Science and discovery – Making dough at home can become quite the chemistry experiment. I mean, there’s no fizzing or dramatic exothermic reaction, but children are always amazed at how simple home stuff can combine to make a usable toy. The resulting empowerment builds a powerful thirst to create more.

If you are a parent who buys off the shelf, there are many choices. If you consider creativity and toxicity… you probably have only one child… but I digress. What I actually meant to say was that you have, in that case, even more options. Cyberspace has at least 20 recipes for homemade dough; with flavour, fragrance, glitter… the list is endless.

I can’t think of a better way to learn. And with some practice, I bet we can even get him to make some bread soon! 

PLAYDOUGH RECIPE

1 cup salt

3 cups flour

1 cup cold water

2 tbsp cornflour

2 teaspoons oil

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, adding flour slowly and kneading till you get a ball of dough. You can divide it into smaller parts and add food colouring. And if you’re going that far, you’d might as well add a few drops of essential oil for fragrance. 

This column was published in the Bangalore Mirror on 26 January 2016