Give each child a small amount of product to use. Instruct your students to come up with a concept while playing with the modeling substance. Encourage them to play around with the material by manipulating it with their hands. Allow them to experiment with it for a few minutes. Announce for everyone to stop for moment and look at the Play-Doh. Ask them for their ideas of what they can make with the substance. Assist them in "seeing" the potential items they can sculpt, such as animals, people or objects. Explain to the kids that they are using the material to help generate a "concept" of what they can create and then allow them to begin sculpting.
Take the Play-Doh away from the children for a few minutes so they can put a design down on paper for what they wish to create. Give each child a sheet of drawing paper and colored pencils. Assist the children in drawing the item they are eventually going to sculpt. Ask the child to draw the object from the front, each side, the back, the top and the bottom to gain a three-dimensional perspective. Talk with each child regarding the design and ask questions as to how the drawings will be converted to a sculpted project. Direct the children to think about how to bring their concepts to the point of a workable designs.
Teach your students about the implements they can use in creating their Play-Doh sculptures. Explain that their own fingers and hands are the key tools needed for this type of project. Introduce additional implements by giving the children plastic knives, forks and spoons with which to work. Show the children how using these implements can help shape small details, such as eyes and ears on small clay animals. Also, introduce the use of color in their sculpture projects. Ask the children what colors they will use in their creations and whether these will be realistic or more whimsical. Give the children a variety of colored modeling material to use. You can add food coloring to white Play-Doh to create a variety of colors if needed.
Aid the children in shaping the dough to bring their concepts to life. Instruct the children to refer back to their designs as they sculpt. Encourage them to create small, detailed parts that can be molded together to create an entire piece. Allow them to work the dough extensively and refine their designs as they are inspired by working with their hands. Remind them to use implements for the smallest details and utilize colors to help highlight different aspects of their sculpture. Ask the children direct questions regarding their work as they create to keep them thinking about what they are crafting and what they can express by sculpting.