28/05/2026
“How does playdough help with school readiness?”
This is something I’m incredibly passionate about, because when parents hear the words “school readiness”, they often think children need to know the alphabet, write their name perfectly or sit still at a desk for long periods of time.
But when you actually speak to kinder teachers and early childhood educators, many are hoping to see something much deeper before children start school 💙
Things like:
• Confidence to try
• The ability to engage in play
• Curiosity and problem-solving
• Emotional regulation
• Independence with everyday tasks
• Fine motor strength and coordination
• Communication and social skills
• The ability to focus, persist and cope with challenges
This is why play-based learning sits at the centre of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and kindergarten programs across Australia.
And it’s also why playdough is one of the most used tools in early childhood education and development.
Not because it’s trendy.
Not because it keeps children “busy”.
But because it supports SO many developmental areas at once through hands-on, meaningful play.
When children squish, roll, pinch, flatten, cut and create with playdough, they are developing:
⭐️ Fine motor skills and hand strength needed for writing, cutting and self-care tasks
⭐️ Bilateral coordination (using both hands together)
⭐️ Creativity and imaginative thinking
⭐️ Early maths concepts like counting, shapes, patterns and size
⭐️ Language and communication through storytelling and conversation
⭐️ Focus, concentration and persistence
⭐️ Emotional regulation through calming sensory input
⭐️ Confidence through open-ended exploration and problem-solving
Playdough isn’t going to “solve everything” on its own. But there’s a reason educators have used it for decades - because it works!
Children learn best when they are actively engaged, curious and emotionally connected to what they are doing. And to them, this just feels like PLAY.
Inside the Play Sense Academy, we have a whole Kinder section dedicated to school readiness, play-based learning and the developmental impact of playdough play.
If you want to better understand HOW play supports learning - and simple ways to encourage these skills at home - comment KINDER and I’ll send you the link to our Kinder page 💛
