The quality of education provided for children is very important. There is a great oscillation in the minds of parents regarding quality education. It is hard to choose or identify the well-equipped curriculum or education pattern.
Even when this is done, the method of teaching and pedagogical skills is always in question. Already teachers around the world are coming up with an experimented pattern of studies with a high focus on children. One among these is the use of modelling clay for inculcating the knowledge in the children.
Modelling clay is a malleable substance. It is mainly used in building and sculpting. There are many varieties of modelling clay depending upon the area of its usage. It is traditionally called as pottery clay.
Studies tell that children playing with modelling clay develop important skills. It also reveals that preschool teaching should have modelling clay hours in the timetable and also in the curriculum. It is proven that a wide range of cmpetencies is acquired by the children by playing with it.
Sensorimotor actions
Children get a sense of their body by creating representative models. It helps them to use their senses like sight, smell, touch, hot, cold, hard, slippery and sticky. The visual perception is also enhanced as they get a chance to recognize shiny, smoothness, etc.
Strengthens arms, wrist, and fingers
Children improve their motor skills by playing with modelling clay. Actions like squeezing, pinching, stretching, crushing, tearing, etc.
Builds personality
A child can recognize his taste, interest, trust, and instinct. They express their creativity. Children also get a chance to experience success and failures when they build a structure and when the same is destroyed. They get to learn from the mistake through qualities like persistent and perseverance. Surrounded by other children, they develop competency, control, and power in the environment.
Strengthens emotional stability
Working with modelling clay is very calming. It helps in strengthening emotional stability. There is a wide range of therapeutic aspect like self-expression by making, beating destroying and hitting the modelling clay.
Interpersonal skills
It will develop the habits of appreciating the differences and similarities between the individuals. It helps the children in comparing and paying attention to other people works. It will also give a chance to the child to explore the ideas and feelings of others. They can sharply identify the social and cultural environment.
Enhances team playing
When playing with modelling clay in a group, it will serve as a medium to initiate communication with the others. Provides a moment for the children to listen, learn and compromise. It is a great way of self-regulating a child. Many other aspects like request, accepting, helping, sharing, etc will develop by and by.
Basics of all subjects
Modelling clay will help the preschool children to have a touch in all the major subjects they are going to study in the future. As it is a sub-area of visual art, they develop aesthetic values, lateral thinking, balance symmetry, etc.
They come across natural science by developing the models of animals and insects. The explore Social Science by knowing and building the surrounding. Understand Geography by creating a mountain, a lake or a pond. They also come across Mathematics by creating the shapes of a cylinder, sphere, cube, etc. It is important to integrate this pattern of learning through modelling clay to give a strong base in developing skills and attitudes before they step into the serious world of competitive learning.
