Montessori rolling dough

Rolling out dough may seem like just a fun sensory task, but it’s packed with opportunities for learning. This Montessori-inspired activity helps your child strengthen their hands, practise order and care, and learn how to follow a process – all while enjoying some creative fun.

What you’ll need:

• A wide-necked jar (for storing dough)
• Play dough (store-bought or homemade)
• A small rolling pin
• Shape cutters or moulds
• A tray or mat to work on

Let’s get started:

• Invite your child to open the jar carefully and roll the dough into a ball.
• Show them how to roll it out using the rolling pin.
• Use cutters or stampers to make shapes.
• When finished, help your child gather all the dough into a neat ball and place it back in the jar.
• Ask your child to close the jar tightly to keep the dough fresh.

This simple process helps your child understand steps, practice responsibility and develop their fine motor control.

Learning benefits:

Direct learning includes:

• Opening and closing containers
• Following sequences
• Manipulating materials with hands and tools

Indirect learning supports:

• Hand and arm strength
• Hand-eye coordination
• A sense of order and focus
• An early understanding of capacity and shape

Ideas to extend the activity:

• Use several jars with different coloured dough – ask your child to avoid mixing them
• Introduce dough tools like scissors, stampers or texture rollers
• Create 3d shapes (e.g. Sphere, cube, cone) – a playful link to early maths
• Pair with wooden solid shapes – can they match their dough shapes to the real ones?
• Encourage peer learning: invite your child to help a younger sibling or friend with the rolling pin

No play dough? No problem!

You can make your own using:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 cup water with a few drops of food colouring
• Mix and knead until smooth – and you’re ready to go!

Safety first:

Always supervise activities involving small parts and tidy up straight after play. Avoid using cotton wool or polystyrene as these can be unsafe for young children.