We sculpt from plasticine with kids and enjoy the process ourselves. Such an activity not only positively affects the development of crumbs, but also brings parents and children together. Being involved in one process works wonders! And how many amazing things can be created from plasticine.
Favorite activity of children
We sculpt from plasticine with kids a wide variety of figures, animals and fruits. Probably every mother with a child aged 1.5 to 4 years talks about modeling. Most parents know how such an activity can entice crumbs. And how many emotions and delight will bring a new craft in the form of a beloved animal!
Modern plasticine has a very soft structure. And even a baby aged 1.5 - 2 years can easily cope with it. The material has a variety of colors, which is what attracts in the first place.
What is the use of sculpting?
Most parents know about the benefits of plasticine games. But why are they so useful?
Psychologists say that games develop:
- Fine motor skills. Statistics confirm that children who played with plasticine before the age of five are much less likely to turn to a speech therapist. This is due to the fact that the center of fine motor skills is located in the cerebral cortex, which actively interacts with speech. Accordingly, when a child sculpts, he automatically develops a speech center.
- Mindfulness. The baby will do from plasticine what you show him. And such a game will be of great interest to him. First you will sculpt small details: circles, balls and more. Then move on to more complex ones. Thus, the child himself will create the texture of the subject, paying attention to all the details.
- Perseverance. A baby between the ages of two and five is very difficult to captivate. The baby's interest lasts a maximum of 10 minutes. But your imagination and the proposal to fashion a new figure from plasticine immediately return the child to the process. Therefore, such an activity has a positive effect on perseverance.
- Tactile sensitivity. Baby learns from her own feelings to create a variety of objects and their texture. He easily changes it with his fingers.
What qualities can sculpt a child instill?
In addition to benefits, such an activity helps the baby to achieve new skills. Therefore, we sculpt with kids from plasticine step by step and develop important qualities.
Such qualities as:
- Love for work. Kneading small pieces of plasticine, the baby understands that to get a good result, you should work hard.
- Creative thinking. Try to give your child maximum independence. Let the hedgehog look more like a potato, and the fox will have a strange shape. He learns himself and develops his imagination and thinking.
- The ability to find a way out of this situation. When the baby doesn’t succeed, he asks you to fix it. You must show him possible solutions. For example, a teddy bear does not hold his head. Offer to attach it to the body with a match. Thus, a child from an early age will learn to find a way out of various situations. In fact, logical thinking develops, which is very important for a growing child.
Prepare the place
We sculpt from plasticine with kids! What a fascinating occupation this is. Joint molding brings parents and children as close as possible on an emotional level. And in order for classes to bring maximum pleasure to parents and children, it is necessary to prepare a workplace in advance.
In kindergartens, an entire room can be equipped for creativity. At home it is important that there is a children's table and high chair. In addition, you need to purchase a board for plasticine. Most often it is made of plastic.
The child should be as comfortable as possible. Make sure that during the lesson the back of the crumbs is not overstrained. Since children can be very keen on modeling, and often the process lasts more than 20 minutes.
Sculpt from plasticine step by step
At the age of two years, working with children is very simple. They can already easily follow you simple movements. But do not start the lesson with complex subjects.
Also be guided by the following tips:
- Get soft plasticine. Modern brands do not need to be heated with warm hands.
- Offer the baby to tear a piece from the main plasticine layer on their own. He must feel everything on his own.
- Using a personal example, show the baby how to use a hand to roll a ball or sausage. Repeat the same maneuvers with a special modeling board.
- Ask him to make some balls of different shades. In the meantime, you blind the horn of yellow plasticine. And designate a waffle texture with a match. Combine everything in ice cream. The child will be delighted with such a masterpiece.
What to sculpt with children aged one to two years
We sculpt from plasticine with kids in 2 years! At this age, it is rather difficult to interest the baby with plasticine. If the child shows interest, then you can begin to engage. If not, then it is better to postpone this lesson for a while.
By the age of two, children already know how to:
- Knead a small piece of plasticine with palms and fingers.
- Sculpt little balls.
- Roll out objects resembling sticks or sausages on a board.
- Make indentations with your fingers in a piece of plasticine.
- Flatten the ball with one or two palms.
- Smear clay on a piece of paper.
We sculpt from plasticine with kids from 2 years old
If the baby showed interest, then you can safely begin classes with modeling simple figures.
For example, you can do:
- Apple. Take a piece of red or yellow plasticine. Roll out a small circle from it. Then grab some brown material and roll a small stick on the board. As well as a small green flat cake, from which form a petal. Using a match, draw a leaf texture. Gather all the ingredients in a single fruit.
- Lollipop. Choose an attractive color of plasticine and roll a sausage out of it. Twist in a circle so that it resembles a bright caramel. String ready-made forms on sticks from under lollipops. Only explain to the baby in advance that plasticine is inedible.
- Snail. Roll up 2 small sausages. One will go to the shell, the second - to the body. Then fashion 3 circles. One - large, will be the head. And two small ones - with eyes. Connect all the elements.
Such a simple technology of modeling from plasticine will certainly captivate your baby!
Sculpt the hedgehog and the sun
For the sun, we need a small piece of yellow plasticine. And then:
- Sculpt a small ball.
- Then, using the pressure of the fingers, we turn it into a cake.
- We roll 2 long sausages of yellow color. They should be as thin as possible. Weave them together. It should make a flagellum.
- Divide it into several equal parts.
- We attach in a circle to the cake. The sun is ready!
Modeling a hedgehog from plasticine in stages is a real creation:
- We ask the baby to pinch off a small piece from the main piece of plasticine.
- We create the shape of a ball and with the help of fingertips we extend the muzzle.
- Roll up three small balls, preferably black. We collect eyes and nose.
- Take the spaghetti. Break into small parts and insert the hedgehog in the body. It turns out very attractive needles. And the hedgehog itself is incredibly cute!
Can I draw?
If the baby is reluctant to agree to sculpt, you can try a no less exciting lesson. Using soft plasticine is very easy to make drawings.
Draw or print a picture. It is advisable to choose a coloring with large drawings. There is a clear outline, and the crumbs will be easy to handle.
Let's say we have a picture that depicts a cat. Invite your child to make two small circles of green color, and two more smaller black shades. Stick them by pressing your fingers in the eye area of the kitten.
At first, such a lesson for the baby will be as interesting as possible. Since crumbs are much easier to glue a piece of plasticine on a sheet of paper than to connect the parts together.
And what to sculpt with children from 4 years old?
Plasticine modeling in stages is no longer so interesting for children at this age. They are interested in global creations. It is especially interesting to create a favorite cartoon character.
We presented several instructions for sculpting a variety of crafts. You can familiarize yourself with them, add your ideas and create with your child everything that he wants. Of course, at first, the created character may look a little like your favorite hero, but over time, the kid will gain experience and create a more similar one.
It is very important to give freedom of action to the child. Even if you see that something is not working out for him, try not to correct the work. Tips should also be soft and neat so as not to harm the creative interest of the child. Let him create something on his own, without outside help.