do you think they are ready for playdoh?

my girls are almost 20 months. do you think they are ready for playdoh? if they are, what do I need to know to make playdoh time fun, safe and as clean as possible (not a neat freak but just want a heads up on any suggestions of not letting it get out of hand, kwim?).

thanks

 

We have play doh that we got for Halloween, but I haven't braved it yet. I really intend to very soon, we've just been busy and they are into coloring so I just let them color.

 

My boys started right before their 2nd birthday. Only 1 actually plays with the and the other likes to carry around the little tubs.

We would make shapes or he would flatten it and press the tub down to cut out a circle, just like one cuts out cookies. I know they have kits but we haven't tried them yet.

 

We haven't broken out the playdoh yet at home, but they play with it at school. It's not that big a mess as long as it stays in a contained area. I think they're old enough as soon as they know not to eat it.

ETA: You might try keeping it damp. I know the teachers at their school often complain that when the playdoh gets too dried out, that's when it crumbles and gets everywhere.

 

My 20 month olds have been playing with it for a few months. They like to play playdough along with little dishes (Ikea) chopsticks, rolling pins, safety scissors, etc. We just have a rule of no shoes while playing with it. They are always dropping it and as soon as it gets in their shoes, there goes the carpet.

Cari

 

You can make your own and you know it is safe for them!

http://www.teachnet.com/lesson/art/playdough061699.html

 

We've been doing Play doh since about 20 months. It is really good for fine motor skills (ripping, patting, rolling, smooshing, etc). I do it at the kitchen table and have some small cookie cutter & tools. They LOVE it. I would have a brrom, vacuum handy afterward since little bits tend to get all over the floor.

 

My girls started about month and a half ago. They love to push their hands in it and make hand prints, and wear play dough bracelets. I always sit down and play with them and when we're done we each get a piece of wet paper towel and wipe down their table. They love to be "mommy's big helpers". HTH

 

All of mine started before age two, they have fun just squishing it at that age, just try to minimize the eating, my boys never mouthed it, but my baby girl loves to eat it!!!! (YUCK!) I won't lie though...it does make a mess. I like the no shoes idea, we just keep it at the kitchen table...they will play for hours with it!! Good luck!

 

Brandon hasn't outgrown the taste everything stage so he doesn't get to do much play dohing or coloring. The big boys really started showing interest in it about age 3.

 

I started at about the same age as yours. I used a homemade recipe so that I knew it was safe in case it was ingested, which it was. They really didn't play with it much until after 2 years old, and even then it was a short lived activity. In the past few months (about 2 1/2) would they actually sit still and play with playdoh. DS will play for 1/2 hour to 45min. with it. DD looses interest in the first 1/2 hour.

 

I make mine sit at their little table with it. They can't get up an walk around while playing and I sit right by them and play with them the whole time so it doesn't get on the carpet. We are getting them a kit with a noodle maker and other stuff for Christmas.

They also have fun helping to clean up. We just use a ball of play dough to "pounce" on the table and gather the little pieces. It cleans up for us pretty easily.

 

I don't remember when we started with the homemade playdoh. It was probably 18-20 months. At first I did supervise them. Now, I don't have to. I do keep it where they can't get to it. and I do have them stay at their coloring table to play with it. the table has an old Office Chair Mat underneath it, so it's easy to clean up off the carpet. and there's a rule to Keep it at the table. no wandering around with it, no dropping tiny little pinches of playdoh everywhere, etc. Get a cheap mini muffin pan, some birthday candles and some plastic picnic knives and you'll have enough "props". someone gave us some plastic cookie cutters and an old style playdoh "oven" which makes cookies. They love playing with that and will play for a long time. Now I get the supplies out and let them play while I do something else. It's been in the last four months that they play together without much supervision/intervention.

 

Mine really started "doing" stuff with it at about three. Before that it was just squishing and short term.

 

I dislike playdoh very much! I keep finding pieces of it attached to the living room carpet even though we only used it on the table and cleaned up afterwards.

I do like the flubber - liquid starch and glue combo colored with food coloring. It's much easier to clean up and they like rolling it around and doing stuff with it. I do too; the rubbery texture is incredibly fun to play with.