Not long ago I published an article about how you can organize your first classes in . In the article I talked mainly about educational games with dough, which will help the baby learn to pinch off, cut the dough, leave prints on it, and generally do a lot of interesting things with it :) Today I would like to continue the topic of modeling, but dwell a little more on modeling is no longer from dough, but from plasticine, and bring to your attention options for the very first plasticine crafts with your baby.

Modeling classes are known to be extremely beneficial for children. Even during such seemingly simple actions as rolling out a kolobok or sausage, the child’s imagination and creative thinking develop. The child learns to perceive three-dimensional images, and at the same time trains fine motor skills, which has a very beneficial effect on the development of speech and on preparing the hand for writing. In other words, modeling in general has a very beneficial effect on the intellectual and emotional development of a child, so it is very advisable to include it in regular activities with your child.

Often mothers think that it is too early to sculpt with a one-year-old baby, because... the child will most likely want to taste the plasticine. However, even if your child tries to try it, don’t give up on your creativity lessons right away! Try to demonstrate to your child what plasticine is capable of, show how many unusual things can be made from it. Even if the child persistently continues to “try” the modeling mass, then at first sculpt from. Firstly, nothing bad will happen if the child tries it, since it is absolutely natural, and secondly, after several tastings, the child will most likely refuse this activity, because... The dough tastes very salty.

All the crafts in this article can be made from either plasticine or dough (store-bought, Play Doh, or homemade). The only thing worth noting is that when you make stickers on paper, the plasticine will stick to the paper much better than the dough. If you do work with plasticine, then choose the softest plasticine for practice so that the baby is not disappointed after his first attempts to sculpt.

Always remember that creative activities should last no more than 5-10 minutes. Do not restrain or force your child to sculpt with plasticine if he does not want to or is naughty. Even slight pressure on the baby will lead to the fact that he will eventually lose all interest in creativity. Therefore, if a child refuses to sculpt, just offer him this activity after some time (in a day, a week, or maybe a month), most importantly, don’t force it!

Where to start modeling classes with a child 1-2 years old

Naturally, you shouldn’t sculpt complex crafts in your first lessons. Now our task is to master the basic and simplest skills of working with plasticine. So, what should you teach your child first:

• Pinch off a piece plasticine with thumb and forefinger
• Knead plasticine in the palm of your hand
• "Flatten" small plasticine balls with your index finger. At first, the mother makes the balls for the baby, then gradually we learn to roll the balls together.
• Roll the bun between two palms. It is preferable to use both hands (rather than rolling the bun on the table), since in this case both palms are massaged, which is twice as beneficial for the baby’s motor skills. If it is difficult to roll a ball with two palms, at first you can learn to roll the bun on your mother’s palm. Give the resulting ball different images, so your simple manipulations with plasticine will take on meaning. For example, by adding a leaf to a ball, you can turn it into an apple, and with the help of a match or a toothpick you can easily make a real bun that rolled away from grandma and grandpa!

• Roll the sausage between two palms. An ordinary plasticine sausage can easily become a cucumber for a hungry doll Masha or a worm that will then crawl along a baby’s hand.

Well, now there are various options for plasticine crafts that you can create even with a one-year-old toddler.

The simplest crafts from plasticine

For all crafts, you will need to draw or print a picture template in advance. In the article I added the ability to download the simplest b/w templates. If you wish, you can pre-color them, or, if you have a color printer, find more interesting color analogues of the templates. I think the baby will like any option, even black and white.

Try to ensure that when creating a craft, the child plucks off each piece of plasticine himself and, if possible, rolls it into a ball.

• Ladybug –

• Chicken grains –

• Snowflakes –

• Watermelon with seeds –

• Specks on the fly agaric –

• Tree with leaves –

Crafts made from plasticine with the arrangement of elements in specific places

• Beads –

• Rungs for stairs . Invite your child to help the girl climb a palm tree to get coconuts - there’s no way to do this without a ladder. –

• Train wheels –

• Flower –

• Zebra stripes –

• Plasticine hide and seek . Hiding the bun from the fox -

You can also use ready-made manuals in your classes. This is very convenient, because... does not require any additional preparation before class. Here are the manuals we used:

• (Ozon, Labyrinth, My-shop)

• (Ozon, My-shop)

One of the most effective activities for developing fine motor skills is modeling. According to experts, sculpting should begin as early as possible. In this article I will present our favorite exercises.

When reading materials about how interesting modeling is for children, do not forget that most children aged 1 year are conservative and love established order. They have only recently gotten used to the idea that all toys are soft or hard. Plasticine is a completely new consistency for a baby, which threatens the existence of everything familiar. At least go and check all the items again, in case some of them have the consistency of plasticine.

In addition, any creative activity requires not only the formation of a skill, but also enjoyment of the result. This requires awareness of the results and one’s capabilities, which manifests itself very weakly in the second year of life. Therefore, if you decide to take up modeling with a child under two years old, do not expect much jubilation and joy.

The simplest element, “sticks” (cylinders), is mastered by most children in the third year of life. Some cope with the cylinder only at three years. After mastering the cylinders, you can start working on the balls.

The book “Plasticine Beads” contains 8 pages of exercises for gluing balls. A one-year-old baby can handle them quite well. For a two-year-old, you can make the tasks more difficult by offering regular plasticine. It is more elastic and sculpting with it will be more useful for the development of finger motor skills. Classic plasticine produced by Luch (Chemical Plant) is considered one of the best.

“Plasticine Oranges” contains 8 pages of exercises for creating all kinds of balls:

Happy sculpting!

More publications

A good option to spend time with your family and pay attention to your child is to do some common activity. For example, teach a child to work with plasticine. It doesn’t matter if parents don’t know where to start and what to sculpt, for this there are video tutorials on quick and high-quality sculpting from plasticine.

We analyze video lessons on modeling from plasticine with a child

Safety precautions when working with plasticine:

• Before you start working with plasticine, you need to cover the table with film so as not to spoil the surface on which you will work.
• Prepare in advance all the materials needed for work. And a container (box or bag) for finished products.
• Take a rag or napkins to dry your hands with.
• Make sure that the child does not put the material in his mouth, scatter it or mold it anywhere.
• Do not rub your eyes when working with plasticine.

We understand the main types of plasticine for the whole family

Nowadays, the variety of plasticine is very large, which allows everyone to choose a material according to their taste and capabilities.

1. Paraffin. This is domestic plasticine, which our grandparents used. Its only advantage is the price. It consists of paraffin and chalk, and is hard, so it is difficult to soften it.
2. Floating. Children love the fact that products made from this plasticine float on the surface of the water, since the material from which it is made is two times lighter than usual.
3. Sculptural (not for small children). This is professional, hard plasticine.
4. Wax. Soft, bright, flexible (does not require kneading), mixes well, forming new colors and shades. One of the most popular types of plasticine.
5. Solidifying. Hardens within 24 hours after making the figurine. Subsequently, this product can be played like a toy.
6. Ball. Sold in jars in the form of small balls connected together with glue threads.
7. Plant based. This plasticine is very soft, for the little ones to taste.
8. Fluorescent. This type of material glows.
9. Pearl. It has a pearlescent sheen, but otherwise is no different from the others.
10. "Smart". It can be liquid and solid, changes color and shape, tears and stretches, and is magnetic.

Modeling is one of the types of creativity for activities with children even of the youngest age. Simply by playing and entertaining your baby, you can develop sensitivity, fine motor skills, the child’s imagination and thinking, hand synchronization, perseverance, teach how to change a figure and analyze what happened.

Before you start working, you need to explain and show your child how to work with plasticine, using your own example.

Photo of step-by-step work with plasticine

Knead the material. Knead like dough, just with your fingers.

Pinch off a little at a time and form pieces of different sizes.

Slap your palm and fingers on the plasticine.

Squeeze in your hand to shape the material into different shapes.

Roll into a ball with your palms. Roll into a sausage.

Thanks to these actions, the baby will learn to knead plasticine and make the most basic figures from it.

There is a very interesting plasticine Play Doh, it can be stored for 4 years, is inexpensive, and the crafts made from it are very beautiful. You can also make “pasochki”, and then mix and sculpt something else.

Here is an example of a video where Masha and the Bear make Play Do Sushi from plasticine.

Play Do is so easy to use that you can even sculpt animals without any difficulty. And then you can take the product apart into parts and hide it back in the jar.

We study a simple MK "Modeling animals from purchased plasticine"

Any child can be taught to sculpt animals from plasticine; you just need a little time, effort and patience. The main thing is that the plasticine is soft and elastic, so that children’s hands can handle it.

Cow

Cat

All children, from young to old, watch cartoons and ask to buy this or that toy. Why not make your own favorite hero? For example, from the same plasticine? It’s not difficult at all, and it will be doubly enjoyable for the child to play knowing that he did it himself.

For example, Smeshariki, bright, original, amusing and funny cartoon characters. They look so beautiful on TV screens that sculpting them is a pleasure, and not difficult at all.

To do this you need:

• plasticine;
• toothpicks;
• plastic knife;
• board for working with plasticine.

Make Nyusha, the only young girl in the cartoon.

Step-by-step modeling:

1. First you need to take pale pink plasticine. Often this is not available in sets, so you have to mix red and white. A little red and white separately.
2. Roll a round ball of the pink color you need. Make eyes from white plasticine, hair, eyelids, nose and pigtail from red. You will also need a little black for the eyelashes and pupils.
3. Having made all the parts separately, connect them, and secure the arms and legs with toothpicks.

Happy crafting!

Modeling for kids: basic techniques, a system of play activities with children from 1 year to 3 years.

Modeling for kids

Modeling for kids: why do kids need modeling?

Modeling is a type of visual activity for a child. Classes with plasticine, dough, mass enrich the baby’s sensory experience, develop fine motor skills of the fingers, teach how to bring things to fruition, allow the child to develop the child’s speech, attention, thinking, imagination.

In modeling as a type of productive activity (that is, activity that results in a finished product - a sculpted product) develops the child’s ability to plan his actions.

Modeling teaches the baby to analyze, develops perception, after all, in order to display any object in modeling, you need to highlight its main parts, their characteristics (color, size, shape, proportions, location in space).

Also in sculpting we We clarify and consolidate the child’s ideas about the objects of the surrounding world.

In modeling, the child tries to correlate the features of the object with the features of the material (modeling dough or plasticine), this leads to memorization sensory standards(color – yellow, red, green, blue and others, size – small, large, shape – round, oval, triangular, long – short, wide – narrow).

Very important: games - modeling classes are easier for a child than drawing classes, since It is in modeling that the child begins to feel every movement of his finger(for example, when small objects are pressed into clay or modeling mass, small pieces are torn off from a piece of clay) and movements of your hands(when, for example, a ball is flattened into a flat cake, when a sausage or ball is rolled out). That is why it is best to start visual arts classes with modeling, and a little later start drawing with your baby. Also in modeling, the child easily feels the shape of the object(it is easier for him to understand that the ball is round, it is a ball in modeling, in which he rolls this ball himself, and not in a flat image in drawing).

Modeling will prepare the child’s hand for more complex movements.– mastery of pencil and brush in drawing.

Modeling for kids: at what age can you start modeling with a child?

You can start modeling with your child from the last months of the first year of life.

In the second year of life The child gets acquainted with play dough as a material, gets acquainted with its properties and qualities.

In the third year of life baby masters "the alphabet of modeling" - basic sculpting techniques, based on which you can make many different shapes. Based on the ABC of modeling learned at this age, all subsequent crafts of the child at an older age will be built.

Modeling for kids: materials for modeling with a young child

The first is play dough. (safe for the health of the youngest children and made from environmentally friendly materials).

Play dough recipe for children from 10 to 12 months: 300 gr. flour, 150 gr. water, 1 teaspoon sunflower oil (do not add salt to the dough). You can add freshly squeezed beet juice to the water to get a pink color. But it will only last for a day, a maximum of two days.

Recipe for salted play dough for children aged 1 to 2 years: 2 cups flour, 1 cup fine salt, 1 cup water colored with food coloring, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. The dye is food grade, which is used for coloring Easter eggs and confectionery (take ½ or ¼ sachet of the same color for this portion of dough). The dough does not stick to your hands and holds its shape well. The dough can be stored for 3-4 weeks in a tightly sealed bag in the refrigerator. Better in advance make several colors of dough.

A figurine made from such dough can be baked in the oven over low heat. The color of the dough remains the same after baking. If you dry a figurine in the air, then a figurine 1-2 cm thick will dry for 10 days.

With children 2 years and older You can use different materials for modeling: modeling mass, plasticine, salt dough.

Clay- an excellent natural material for modeling, which is also useful psychologically. Clay is a great stress reliever! If you want to sculpt with clay with your baby, then buy light-colored clay at the store. Dark-colored clay often frightens young children, and they refuse to sculpt with it (for fear of getting dirty). Clay should be stored in a tightly tied bag in the refrigerator, as it dries out quickly.

Ready-made industrial dough or modeling mass It is advisable to buy classic, unflavored (without the smell of vanilla and other similar odors).

The second is an oilcloth to protect the table from plasticine or dough. As well as a modeling board and a damp cloth. This teaches you to be careful. The main reason why we can’t do without these items is that when using them, we won’t need to use prohibitions on the child (don’t touch, you’ll get dirty), we won’t have to pull him. Even if the baby gets the oilcloth dirty, the table will remain clean, and the oilcloth can be easily washed off.

Immediately teach your child that we only sculpt on oilcloth and immediately clean up after ourselves. At first you will do this, then the baby will get used to the order and begin to imitate you. He will know the rule - we sculpt at the table on oilcloth, and after sculpting we put everything back in its place.

Modeling board It is better to have darker colors so that the light details made of dough or plasticine and their shape are clearly visible. It should be no smaller than the size of a landscape sheet (I don’t recommend buying small boards for modeling. They are very inconvenient for modeling with kids).

Damp cloth should be nearby on the table. It is needed to wipe your hands (the baby will need to show how this is done).

Third, if you are afraid that the child will stain his clothes, then put armlets on his arms (this is a “tube” made of easily washable waterproof fabric and is put on the child’s arm from wrist to elbow) and an apron. You will be calm that your baby will not get his clothes dirty, and he will be able to sculpt freely and joyfully. Your emotions and your calmness are very important - after all, the child “reads” them instantly and senses your emotional state well. And if the mother is constantly worried that we will get something dirty, then the child will not be happy to sculpt. Also, if you are afraid for the floor and its cleanliness (for example, you have carpet at home, then instead of worrying, you can simply protect the floor in advance - just lay a film on it).

Fourth. Additionally you can purchase stacks for plasticine (they are usually included with the plasticine set) - with their help you can apply different patterns to the surface of the product.

It is important:

- the place for modeling and all objects must be prepared by the mother in advance, before the game - activities with the child, since a small child cannot wait long - he needs to act immediately.

- a child over 2 years old already knows where the materials for modeling are at home and how to use them for their intended purpose; from this age he helps his mother put away all the materials after modeling (for example, arrange the remaining pieces by color, wash his hands, remove the apron)

Modeling for kids: how to sculpt with kids?

First stage. Getting to know the material.

Very often this stage is skipped, as a result the baby does not want to sculpt, wants to put the dough in his mouth, and nothing happens! Because before sculpting, we must take into account the nature of a young child.

For a child, one of the important means of understanding the world is experimentation and exploratory games. Let your child first enjoy the process of exploring new material and get to know it well. Otherwise, he simply won’t sculpt; he will be attracted to this new piece of something attractive, and not to the sculpting process!

Introduce your child to the dough (or plasticine, depending on the child’s age). Give the opportunity:

• slap it with your palm:"slap-slap"
• press with your finger and get a “hole” in a piece of material
• hold the piece in your hands and mash it in different ways,
• finger press into a piece of mass a piece of raisin (peas, beans),
• mix different colors and see what happens when you mix different colored dough. When buying plasticine for modeling, look at the instructions on the package. Manufacturers always indicate whether plasticine colors can be mixed to create new shades. It is advisable for kids to buy plasticine, in which you can mix different colors and get new shades.

Let your third-year-old baby experiment with colors on his own - for example, make a lot of different balls - “beads” on a Christmas tree or doll. Get each ball by mixing colors (yellow + blue = green, red + white = pink).

• You can let your baby knead the dough himself (help mom) and make “pies” out of it(whatever you want), pretzels and sausages for treating the dolls.

The child’s research interest must be encouraged and developed, the child must be praised, and not prohibited from his actions. A young child learns about the world through a sensory way, and not through our words or video presentations.

When the child explores the material and becomes familiar with its qualities and properties, it will be possible to give him the material for another task - for modeling.

This is important to remember: our way of teaching sculpting to the youngest children is as follows:

1. from the baby’s acquaintance with the material (research activities)
2. to use it for its intended purpose (for modeling)
3. and further to the development of interest in the image that we want to convey in sculpting.

Helpful advice: If the child refuses to study the material, then you can give him different game tasks yourself: “hide the peas in a piece of text”, “what will happen if we mix two pieces, let’s try!”

Modeling for kids: basic sculpting techniques with young children

• rolling out a piece of dough or plasticine into a stick (sausage),
• rolling a piece into a ball,
• flattening (a ball into a flat cake, a sausage into stripes),
• obtaining an indentation in a piece by pressing a piece of plasticine with your finger,
• pinching off pieces
• attaching parts to a large piece of plasticine.

The baby masters these techniques by the age of three (of course, if he is taught modeling at home or in a circle or in kindergarten).

Modeling for kids: important points in organizing play activities with your baby at home

— In all age subperiods of early childhood, the child’s modeling is introduced into the play plot.

You need to not just ask the child to make a fungus - but to make it for a hedgehog who lost his fungus in the forest.

Or another example: you need to make pies for your doll for tea, because she is waiting for guests - her girlfriends!

Another example: we decided to make vegetables and fruits for the store game. Or they decided to stick nuts to treat their toy squirrel. Or now we’ll make candies that the doll will treat all guests to on her birthday.

IMPORTANT NUANCE: The hedgehog (toy) himself turns to the baby and asks the child to help him, and the baby happily agrees, talking to the hedgehog as if it were alive. At the end, the toy thanks the baby for his help.

TYPICAL ERROR: An adult says this: “The hedgehog asked you... The hedgehog thanks you.” This doesn't work with kids! The hedgehog himself turns to the baby and he asks, talks to the baby, takes the molded mushrooms from him and thanks him. An adult talks to a child as a hedgehog.

You will find a list of game plots at the end of this article.

— All fashioned products are used in the future for the child’s play(for example, in the situation with the hedgehog, we actually give the toy - the hedgehog the mushrooms we sculpted, he rejoices, thanks us, we accompany him to the forest - we completely act out this plot with the baby).

— When we sculpt an object (for example, a tumbler), before starting sculpting we must examine this object with the child, name its parts and their shape and size. You can consider a toy, a picture or a real object, if possible.

For example: “What an elegant tumbler! Oh, beauty, and how cheerful! (we stroke the tumbler's head). What did I pet? (head). What does she look like? (on the ball), What is this? (we stroke the balls - the hands of the tumbler, let the baby stroke them too). What are they like? To the balls! Only small ones! Now let's iron the tumbler's dress. How beautiful. What does it look like? Also on the ball. Only big!” Etc." The child needs to be given the toy in his hands to stroke it and name each part of it. And then put it in place and start sculpting it.

An example of such a conversation about a bird before it is sculpted(author - R.G. Kazakova): “The chicken lost its mother hen, ran, searched and came running to us. How did he escape? (on the paws). He’s tired, let’s pet him: “
Oh, you little yellow one! What did I pet? (back, wings). What does a chicken look like? On the ball! Now what did I stroke? Head! What does she look like? For a small ball. The chicken wanted to peck the grains, and began to look for the grains. What is he looking at? (with eyes). What does he eat the grains with? (beak). Waved at us with what? (tail)." After this, the adult shows how to sculpt a chicken, accompanying all his actions with comments and questions: What did I sculpt? Round body. What is this little ball? This is the head, and these are the eyes. The chicken immediately saw its mother chicken! What did he wave at her? Wings!

- First, the baby will sculpt according to your instructions, and a little later he will be able to sculpt himself according to his own design.

— If you teach your child a new sculpting technique (for example, teach him to roll a ball in a circular motion between his palms), then it is better to plan your home games - sculpting classes like this:

• The first day is learning how to roll a ball.
• The next day, we consolidate the skills the child has mastered in rolling a ball: we again sculpt a ball with the child (but in a different game plot).
• Then we take a break for 2-3 days.
• And again we make a ball again (already in the third game story).

For example, for the first time we made a ball - a bun. The second time it was balls - balls. The third time we made balls - balls for the kitten.

In the future, frequency will not matter.

Research has shown that this is precisely the frequency that a child needs to best master a new action. This is the most successful planning scheme that allows you to quickly consolidate a child’s new skill.

— Never disassemble ready-made crafts made by a child in front of him; this rule applies forever and is relevant for any age of the child. If you want to reuse plasticine, then disassemble the crafts so that the child does not see it.

— Do not leave your child alone while sculpting, Moreover, modeling at this age takes no more than 3-5 minutes.

— If a child doesn’t succeed in something, he wants to break his craft, just help him, correct it, show him how to fix it. Act on behalf of the toy - let it tell him what needs to be done to correct the craft.

Modeling for kids: modeling for children 1-2 years old

You can start introducing your baby to the test from the end of the first year of life. At the age of 1-2 years, the child becomes familiar with modeling dough as a material and explores it.

One game will take 3-5 minutes. This is the time when a child at this age can focus on the task and act purposefully with you.

Modeling for children 1-2 years old: options for game tasks

"Little Explorer" Place a piece of dough on the modeling board. Let the baby remember it, make indentations in it with his finger, make a hole, pinch off small pieces from a large piece of dough (“feed the chicken with grains”). If a child is afraid to touch the dough, then start playing with the dough yourself, commenting on all your actions. The baby will gradually get used to it and will be drawn to this material and want to play with it.

“We spank with our palm.” Place the play dough on a plate of a contrasting color and invite your child to slap the dough with his palm: slap-slap-slap! Try making holes in the dough with your finger: “Here’s a hole—boom!” And then there was a hole - a finger fell into it - bang! Bang!

“Feed the hen and the cockerel.” Next time during our play session, let a toy chicken and a cockerel come running to the baby and ask him to feed them grains. The baby plucks off small pieces of plasticine and puts them on a plate - “feeding” the cockerel and hen. The guests thank him for the treat!

Game "Ay". Take a piece of play dough and hide a small object, such as a ball, in it. Say: “The ball hid. Where are you? Awww! Let's call him together: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Ball, ah! Where is the ball? Here's the ball! Found!”

Game "One - Many". Hide several items in a piece of dough, for example, shelled nuts so that their pieces are visible from the dough. Invite your child to get them: “one nut, two nuts, three nuts!” Lots of nuts!”

Display with commentary. A child at this age will not yet be able to sculpt a craft, but he will be able to help you.

• Example 1. Roll a lot of balls yourself. And invite the child to slap them with his hand, making pancakes or pancakes out of them (Yu. A. Razenkova’s technique) and saying each time: “slap, slap, slap.” Place all your pancakes or pancakes on a doll's plate and serve them to the dolls.
• Example 2. You can sculpt any simple crafts yourself in front of your child’s eyes - a mouse, a bear, a bunny - and comment on your actions. Name the parts of the object, their color, size, shape: “I’ll sculpt the eyes. Where are the bear's ears? Here are the ears. Where are Vanya’s (child’s name) ears? Here are the ears! Vanya has big ears, and the bear has small ears. Round! That's what! What are we going to do next?”

Modeling for kids: modeling for children 2-3 years old

At this age, you can sculpt with your child from any materials: clay, plasticine, salt dough, mass and modeling dough, snow.

What can we teach a 2-3 year old child during play modeling classes: our tasks

• sculpt sticks and sausages (roll out a lump of plasticine between your palms with straight movements),
• connect the ends of the stick, pressing them tightly against each other and getting a “steering wheel”, “ring for a pyramid”,
• roll out a lump of plasticine or clay with circular movements of your palms (we get a bun, a ball, a snowball, a ball, an apple, a berry),
• flatten a lump of plasticine or a ball between your palms (we get a flat cake, cookies, gingerbread),
• make a depression in the middle of a flattened piece of plasticine, pressing with your fingers in the center (we get bowls for three bears, saucers for dolls),
• connect the two resulting parts into one object (connect two balls - you get a tumbler, connect a stick - a sausage and a ball and get a rattle),
• sculpt only on oilcloth on a sculpting board, help an adult clean the table after sculpting (put all objects in their places).

Modeling for children 2-3 years old: sequence of learning to model

At an early age, the child masters the “alphabet of modeling” - the basic techniques of modeling. The basic elements for modeling with a baby are a cylinder (we call it a “stick” for a child) and a ball. From these shapes you can create a variety of shapes with your child.

First stage. Familiarization with materials, games - research. We have already talked about this stage a little higher. If the child is not familiar with modeling dough and plasticine, then we always start from this stage.

Second phase. Rolling out a piece of plasticine/modeling dough/clay to length (receiving a “stick”, “column” or “sausage”, “cylinder”).

• First, the baby learns to roll the dough into a sausage on a board (with our palm we roll a piece of plasticine on the board with forward and backward movements to make a sausage).
• Only then is the child ready to roll out the piece with the same movements between the palms.
• The next complication is making images from our “sausages” - sticks. Making “bagels” from sausages (connecting a stick into a ring).

Third stage. Rolling the ball and flattening the ball into a cake. Combining shapes (ball + stick).

• First, the baby rolls a ball on the table in a circular motion (rolls a piece of plasticine on the table to make a ball).
• Then he masters a more complex movement - rolling a ball between his palms.
• After this, the child is ready to make figures from elements known to him. The form is supplemented with natural materials (for example, to express the image, you can use seeds, twigs, leaves like eyes, a tail, ears, mustache).

Modeling for children 2-3 years old: options for play activities in stages with gradual complication of tasks

First stage: familiarization with materials

— Let's feed the birds (pinching off small pieces of clay or plasticine from a whole piece),

— Norca for the mouse (hide the mouse from the cat) - show the child how you can press your fingers deep into the center of a spherical piece of plasticine to form a “mink” - “hole”).

The second stage – we master rolling out a piece of bread (sausage) in length.

• make pencils for a bear or for any other toy (we teach how to roll out sausages),
• make a branch for the bird (sausage),
• making treats – sausages for puppies (roll out pieces of plasticine into “sausage sticks” and put treats in a toy plate, treat them to toys),
• let's make a fence (We lay out the molded sticks - sausages on the board like a fence. For example, you need to hide the cockerel from the fox by building a fence through which the fox will not pass),
• let's build a ladder (We lay out the sausages we have fashioned on a sheet of paper like a ladder. First we make two long vertical sticks. Then between them we lay out horizontal sticks like steps),
• airplane(connecting two sticks to form an airplane figurine),
• herringbone(We lay out the sticks like a Christmas tree on a modeling board. One long sausage in the center is the trunk of the Christmas tree. We place other green sausages on the sides obliquely - these are the branches of the Christmas tree),
• log house (train station, bus stop from logs): we sculpt a lot of identical sticks and build a structure out of them (like folding a log house or a log well), the roof can be made from a rectangular piece of cardboard or plywood.
• bagels
• pyramid rings (connecting the sausage into a ring),
• bracelets for dolls (connecting the sausage into a ring),
• other options (the child can figure out what his plasticine stick looks like: this is a dog bone, these are cucumbers, these are earthworms, these will be carrots if one end of the stick is made narrow and sharp),
• snail(Option 1. Laying out on a modeling board: twisting the sausage into a spiral. Option 2: “snail crawls.” We place our spiral on its edge, pull one end up and tilt it away from the shell - we get the head of a snail),
• stump for Mashenka and the bear (short wide sausage: “Sit on a stump, eat a pie,” a bunny, a fox, a bird can jump and sit on a stump),
• ribbon (river, road) – flattening the sausage into strips,
• scarf for snowman(scarves for animals) - flattening the sausage into stripes,
• carrot for bunny (when rolling, apply pressure on one side, and you will get not a stick, but a “carrot” with a sharp end on one side),
• snake (We make a long “sausage” from plasticine, bend it like a snake. Cut one end of the “sausage” - this will be the mouth, the head of the snake. We make the eyes of the snake from the seeds. You can place the snake in different ways: a) in a spiral - this is “the snake is sleeping "or b) a winding line - this is “the snake is crawling”),
• nest for a chick (together with the child, we roll out a lot of thin sausages - sticks and from them in a chaotic order we put together a nest, we help the birds “build a nest”),
• bridge(we connect the sticks into a bridge in accordance with your idea, there are many different options).

Third stage – mastering rolling the ball

• let's make balls and play with them (the kid makes balls and then plays with them - rolls them down the slide, rolls them into the hoop),
• modeling a bun for grandparents,
• modeling balls for a kitten (the kitten loves to play with balls),
• sculpting balls,
• modeling rattles (ball + sausage),
• apple(We make a ball and make a small depression in it at the top and bottom with our finger. If the child wishes, you can supplement the craft with a green cutting with a leaf: a) roll out a thin stick - a cutting - from green plasticine, b) then roll out a ball of green plasticine, flatten it slightly - you will get an oval leaf of an apple, attach the leaf to the cutting on the apple),
• tomato(made similarly to an apple, but without the stem and leaf),
• modeling berries (berries are small red balls, we put our “berries” in a basket or on a doll’s plate and treat the toys),
• raspberries for the bear (also red balls - berries),
• candy(making balls - candies for the doll, she will treat her friends with them at her birthday),
• beads(we make multi-colored balls of the same size. To do this, divide a piece of plasticine yourself into equal parts of the same size and give them to the child. We attach the finished beads to a thread),
• pyramid of balls (We make balls of different sizes - for this, prepare in advance and give the child pieces of plasticine of different colors and different sizes. Then we put them into a pyramid - on the largest ball we put a smaller ball, then we find and put an even smaller ball. We attach a bead or a small bright one to the top plasticine ball)
• let's build a snowman (Roll 3 balls of different sizes, place them on top of each other according to size, decorate the plasticine snowman with seeds or peas for the eyes, a straw for the nose, etc.),
• sculpting a bird or chicken (We make two balls, place them one on top of the other, make eyes from peas or seeds, make a tail from a feather, make a beak by pinching it - pull a piece of plasticine from the ball - head forward so that you get a beak),
• bunny sculpting (We divide a piece of plasticine in half. From the first piece we roll a large ball - the body. We divide the second piece in half again. From the first part we make a small ball - the head. We divide the remaining part in half again - we get two sausages - ears. We make the eyes from natural material - peas, sunflower seeds),
• modeling of a cat, bear, mouse, dog. The head and body are made of balls. We make the ears by pinching them. We complement the image with a mustache (a thin plastic hard strand), eyes (seeds, peas),
• tumbler(The body is a large ball, the head is a small ball, the arms are the two smallest balls, we decorate the roly-poly dress with seeds, we also make the eyes from natural material),
• caterpillar(we connect several balls into a caterpillar, make eyes and a mouth from the seeds),
• cucumbers(roll balls from green plasticine, and then roll them into a stick - a cylinder, we get cucumbers),
• bananas(we make it similarly to a cucumber, but from yellow plasticine and bend it in the shape of a banana).

Technique for flattening a ball into a cake - a circle:

• making pancakes(Show how to flatten the ball into a cake - press it with your palm. Bake a pancake for the doll, put them on a toy plate. Let the doll treat all the toys with her pancakes over tea!),
• making vitamins for a doll (we make small multi-colored balls and flatten them into “cakes” - tablets),
• pancakes(we help grandma bake pancakes for tomorrow: we flatten small balls into flat cakes, put them on a doll plate and treat them),
• making a soft mat for a toy pussy (flattening and attaching small parts to the base),
• mushroom(we make a stick - a cylinder. We roll up a ball and flatten it into a disk. We attach the “cap” of the mushroom to its “leg”),
• Sun(we make a ball, flatten it into a “cake” - a disk. Next we make sticks - cylinders. We flatten them into strips. We lay out the stripes around the center of the sun. We make the eyes, nose, and mouth of the sun from seeds or draw them with a stack,
• turtle(roll up a ball, flatten it. Take a small piece of plasticine and roll up a ball for the turtle’s head. Take 4 more small pieces of plasticine and roll them into a stick - a sausage, make turtle legs out of them),

All crafts can be made from modeling mass and then dried. You will get vegetables and fruits for playing “shop” and toys.

Modeling with kids- a very useful and very exciting activity for both adults and children. I wish you success and joyful moments of communication with children in the process of modeling!

Modeling books for kids

I wrote this article based on your letters and questions to me. And at the end of it, at the request of readers of the “Native Path” website, I give a list of books that I can recommend on this topic - modeling for the youngest children from one to three years old.

— First part: strips and circles of plasticine.
— Second part: three-dimensional pictures made of plasticine on a picture base.
— Third part: sculpt from dough.

The same author has other colorful separate small albums on modeling for children from 1 to 3 years old: “Plasticine Treats”, “Plasticine Berries”, “Plasticine Snakes”, “Plasticine Specks”, “Plasticine Strips”. You will find a description of all the play activities for modeling with kids from this series of “plasticine books” in the author’s first full book, “Sculpting with Young Children,” at the link above. And in separate albums for children, the same system of games is presented, just in a different form, more convenient for the family - with ready-made pictures.

4. Lykova I.A., Shipunova V. Delicious modeling for children and adults. . This is a book on making confectionery products - gingerbread houses, different types of pies with children. For those who love to bake.

5. From books published long ago that can no longer be purchased, but can be found on the Internet: Doronova T. N., Yakobson S. G. Teaching children 2-4 years old to draw, sculpt, and apply in games. - M.. 1992. Book for teachers.

Modeling for kids: modeling dictionary. How to correctly name actions in modeling

Pinching off - separating a small piece of plasticine using the thumb and forefinger (we use our fingers like tongs). First we press and pull out the piece, and then tear it off.

Topping - use your thumb and forefinger to pull a piece away from the part (we get, for example, a beak).

Compound— press the two parts of the craft together and carefully smooth the joint.

Rolling out - forming “sausages” (cylinders) from a piece of plasticine using “forward and backward” movements (first with your palm on the table, then between straight, tense palms).

Rolling up- forming a ball from a piece of plasticine using circular movements of the palm on the table or circular movements with straight palms.

Flattening - squeezing a piece of plasticine to give it a flat shape. Flatten a small piece between the index and thumb fingers. Flatten a medium and large piece of plasticine with your palm.

Indentation - making a depression in a piece of plasticine by pressing with the thumb or forefinger.

You will find more materials for classes with children from 1 to 3 years old in the articles on the site: link or on the course cover below for free subscription

Step-by-step lessons will help everyone who wants to learn how to sculpt from various materials. You can also involve children in the sculpting process, because the sculpting process perfectly develops fine motor skills of the hands, and also allows you to have fun and interesting time with your parents.

To sculpt these miniatures you will need:

Any modeling material of your choice (polymer clay, cold porcelain, tinted salt dough, plasticine or model);
- A set of special stacks for modeling;
- Stationery knife or blade;
- Silicone glue;
- Clear nail polish;
- Several small boards or plastic plates.

So, depending on your choice of material for sculpting, the sculpting process itself is not very different. Crafts made from polymer clay (if it is not self-hardening) and from salt dough must be subjected to heat treatment (bake in the oven). Crafts made from cold porcelain and model are simply left to air dry.

If you sculpt with children, I recommend using soft plasticine, modelling, or salt dough tinted with food or natural dyes (the smallest and most inquisitive ones will definitely taste the material. Be careful, do not leave children unattended while sculpting, and also do not leave them alone with modeling stacks - the sharp edges of the stacks can also be dangerous for the baby).

We choose a miniature composition or an individual animal and start sculpting. Any material for modeling must first be thoroughly kneaded. Then, according to the step-by-step photos, detail by detail, mold the composition you have chosen. Carefully smooth out the joints of individual parts using stacks. We also give the necessary relief with a stack.

After all the animals and other parts of the compositions have been baked in the oven or completely dried in the fresh air, we glue them onto prepared areas (wooden planks or plastic blanks) using silicone glue. If necessary, cover with several layers of transparent varnish (wait until one layer of varnish is completely dry and only then apply the next layer of varnish).