The Dough Disco!
What is ‘Dough Disco’?
This is a fun and engaging activity that involves moulding dough in time to music and combining a series of hand and finger exercises designed to improve fine and gross motor dexterity, hand-eye coordination and self-esteem.
It helps strengthen children's muscles in their fingers which in turn will help them to develop their pencil grip in preparation for mark making and writing, but most of all it is great fun.
How a session unfolds…
First of all the children use their imagination by miming putting their disco clothes on. They are then prepared, ready and excited to ‘go to the Dough Disco’!
They then go on a little walk around the room before ‘arriving at the Disco’ and are then given their dough.
Excitedly they choose the music they will be dancing to.
The children find their disco spot to stand on. The music starts and dancing to the beat of the music the children follow the staff as she demonstrates various ways to manipulate the dough in a fun and exciting way using Tommy Thumb, Peter Pointer, Toby Tall, Ruby Ring and Baby Small, making sure each hand is exercised.
- Rolling the dough into a ball using their hand-eye coordination as the dough is manipulated into a ball in the palm of their hands.
- Poking the dough with each finger.
- Squeezing the dough using all fingers in a fist grip one hand at a time.
- Rolling the dough backwards and forwards in the palm to form a snake!
- Making a pancake by pressing the dough flat in the palm until it become flatter and flatter.
- Pinching the dough with ‘Tommy Thumb’ and ‘Peter Pointer’, using both hands.
- Larger movements like stretching the dough out to the side, up high and down low helps develop arm muscles, shoulders, balance, posture and core strength.
At the end of the Disco, the children make a pancake with their dough, lie down and quietly place their dough on their tummies. They then have a few moments to calm down, rest their bodies and mind by focusing on their breath as the breathe in and out and feel their dough rising up and down with each breath they take.
The children absolutely love this activity and each day look forward to go to the dough Disco and let their hands and bodies dance!