Play-Doh is typically a fun “go-to” activity to do with a preschooler. What is even more exciting is that there are also educational benefits of using Play-Doh in the home setting. Here are a few easy ways to teach your preschooler using Play-Doh.

Make letter formations together! It is best to work on only a few letters at a time. You can also use this as an opportunity to have your child practice matching upper and lower case letters.

You and your preschooler can do basic math together, and your child will not even know it (especially for those who do not naturally like this subject). Together, make cookies or french fries with the Play-Doh. Then, you can non-chalantly practice basic math. For example, you could say, “Oh, look! I have three cookies. What if I made one more? How many would I have?”

Practice colors and sorting. With several Play-Doh colors, you and your child can make a variety of shapes and sizes with varied colors. At the end, you can help your preschooler categorize them.

Bring a new and basic awareness of kitchen and cooking terms to your preschooler while playing with the Play-Doh. There are basic measurement terms that your child can gain prior knowledge in, without having to actually memorize it at this point in time. For instance, you can bring out measuring cups and pretend to mix together whatever your child wants to pretend. You could say, “Oh, I would like to add ¼ a cup of flour. Would you like to help me dump in the ingredients?” You could do this with a tablespoon or any measurement.