Using Clay Dough -Instructions for a guiding situation

Risto Pieskä, LAO4SOT12YE

Possible Achievements

Activity is fun ★, heart of play is pleasure ✪ drive to repeat mastery

Social engagements (new friends, social skills, manners)

Learning as playing

Self-confidence grows

Observations:you get valuable information about the children as you observe them

Guiding methods

Child centered

child has the oppoturnity to affect how and what he/she is doing

Adults positive and encouraging feedback is important, especially when the child is doing creative activities

Guiding methods

Adult led

The adult who is leading makes almost all the decicions and the children have little power to affect anything

He might show to the children how to do it from start to the end, or just show the end product

He can let the children work alone or as groups

PREPARATION

Prepare the children a day before of the activity by telling them about the coming activity

Prepare enough clay dough for the children

Make sure you have enough equipments: rolling pins, tools to cut and molds

Have some goals to be achieved: getting the children use their imagination and creativity

Give a theme, a picture or use music to inspire them

Think who needs special attention and think what you need for him/her

STARTING THE ACTIVITY

Before the children arrive you prepare the table for them

Put the equipments and the clay dough on table ready for use (you can also use sea shells, grass, leaves, pebbles

as material etc.)

Get the children together who you are going to take for the activity and tell them what kind of work is waiting for them

Instruct them to get their seats and start their work

DURING THE ACTIVITY

You can observe the children the whole time, guide them as little as possible so that they feel like they are the makers of their work

Compliment their ideas and achievements, positive feedback is important

Be fair to everyone and remind them of the importance of sharing (some might start a fight because they want to use the same equipments)

ENDING THE ACTIVITY

You check that everyone has done their work ready

You can tell the children to present their work to the group and tell something about it

When they all are done with the presentations give positive feedback of the group

Then tidy up the work area together

TIDYING UP

All the children who were involved will help with the tiding up

They know where put the equipments but you can help and show where certain parts go

You take the most intriguing parts away, because some children may want to continue to do something with the clay dough

Thank everyone who helped you to tidy up

After they are done with the tidying up, you can tell them to go play with trains or to go outside etc.

+FEEDBACK

You can get the feedback during the activity or after the session

On the next day you can ask was it fun what you did yesterday

By through observations and feedbacks you can evaluate if you need something more to the session or something less

You can give to the children positive stickers on their shirts for good behaviour

THE POSITIVE POINTS ABOUT THE PLAY SESSION

The child can express him/herselfWork as a team memberLearn social skillsUse imagination and creativenessBe proud of the end productLearn during play

Word list

Achievements = SaavutuksetBehaviour = KäytösChild centered = LapsikeskeinenDrive = Halu/intoEnd product = LopputuoteEvaluate = ArvostellaFeedback = PalauteInstruct = OhjeistaaPrepare = ValmistellaSocial engagements = Sosiaalisia kohtaamisiaSelf-confidence = Itseluottamus