December 9, 2020 | Clara Buckley
What is this?
Chocolate? A square? Brown like poop? Cork?
… clay (because Ms Buckley told me)
Before a formal study we frequently begin with a period of experimentation. Children did indeed squeeze, grip, grab, pinch, poke, roll, press, lift, and play with the clay. Clay is a marvelous medium for increasing fine-motor hand strength and dexterity.
The clay block felt hard when pushing with our whole hands.
But when using our pinch we could pull off smaller pieces.
Some enjoyed the sheer sensory experience.
Others tried to lift the whole lump.
Some discovered how to roll the clay with their hands.
Sometimes the clay required a little extra pressure.
Working the small pieces back into the lump was an activity in itself!