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Do your kids like playdough as much as mine do? They love it so much that they ask for it almost daily. When I realized what a benefit this was, I started adding in other skills that they could work on while playing with playdough. This Apple Tree Playdough Counting Activity is so much fun and perfect for the beginning of fall!
Playdough Counting Activity
Playdough is inherently a fantastic sensory activity that helps strengthen fine motor skills. This alone is fantastic, but adding in other skills like counting, alphabet and more makes the play even more engaging and beneficial!
This is how activities such as this Apple Tree Counting activity came to be. I added in practicing the skill of number identification, 1:1 correspondence and of course counting. My kids think they are playing a game, they are enjoying playdough time and I know they are practicing skills! It is a win win.
For this activity, you will only need a few things.
Play Doh , we used Red, Yellow, Green, Orange and Blue
Dice With Color Blocks
You may also like our Rainbow Counting Playdough Activity.
There isn’t much that needs to be done to prep for this activity. We made a tree, first. Depending on the capability of your child, this can be done by you or your child. To form the trunk of the tree mix an equal ratio of blue & orange playdough. Add a pinch of yellow if the dough looks too gray. Roll the dough into a long rope shape, this will be your tree trunk. Tear off sections of the green playdough and flatten the sections out. These will form the leaves of your tree.
Encourage your child to place the leaves on the tree. Offer your child to roll small balls of yellow, red, and green playdough, for the apples.
Offer your child one color block dice and one standard dice. Have the child roll both dice. Encourage the child to count the number on the dice and say the color the other dice landed on outloud. Now, have the child add that many playdough balls to the tree.
Repeat as desired.
This process of playing with this Apple Tree Playdough Counting Game helps children with so many important skills. Fine motor skills are strengthened while children are kneading and shaping the playdough. Rolling playdough into balls and snakes is a fantastic way to help strengthen hand muscles. These muscles are crucial for skills that children will need to learn such as tying laces, handwriting and more.
Children will also strengthen skills such as counting, number identification 1:1 correspondence and more.
For more counting and number skill practice, try our Counting Apple Tree Printable.
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