Early Childhood open minded materials

The absolute beauty of open-ended materials is the versatility it offers people of ALL ages. 

Whether a young toddler exploring properties, texture, and concepts of cause-and-effect, to an adult who uses their knowledge and experience with clay to sculpt unique pieces, there are opportunities for learning and engagement for everyone!

Clay is a beautiful and grounding natural resource that exercises the brain and body. Its malleable texture allows children to explore & engage in limitless ways. 

Tips to keep in mind when welcoming your little one/s to explore clay...

For Infants and Toddlers: 

It's not uncommon for young children to want to mouth the clay, but try not to let that deter you from offering these experiences. As your little one explores, you may model physical alternatives they can do with the clay instead (e.g. "you can pat the clay," "pinch the clay," "roll the clay," etc.). The more your child has consistent exposure to the clay, they more they'll opt to use their hands instead of their mouths. 

For Preschoolers: 

Try to refrain from asking "what are you making?" While this is one of the more widely used question in early childhood, it's the one we should actually be using the least. When offering children open-ended materials, let's focus on their process in place of a "product." Preschooler's are professional scientists, always filled with curiosity and an urge to touch, experiment, and "test" materials & their hypotheses. When exploring clay, they may have no agenda on making something concrete, but rather, they may be interested in seeing all the things they can do with clay. We don't want to add a feeling of pressure or expectation in having them make something. But if indeed they do want to make something specific, they can easily share that with you - just let it come from them!

For Children of Any Age:

Try not to rush their experiences with clay. In a time where we have a billion different activities for children, it's actually far more beneficial to stick with the same thing, and revisit over-and-over again - repetition and simplicity are key!