Laura Petix. Photograph by Branding By Kaysha.
A child can want to join a playdough activity and still want to keep it off their hands. In Laura Petix’s account, a barrier or a utensil can give that child another way to take part.
Petix, founder of The OT Butterfly, described those choices in a written interview with Tingles. Her starting point is what the child already shows an adult.
“They should pay attention to what actions, movements, sounds, environmental set ups, social contexts, or other physical sensations they notice that their child either loves/wants a lot more of, or avoids/seems fearful of,” Petix wrote.
She suggests grouping those observations by what touches the skin, moves the body, or involves sounds, tastes and smells. The record can stay in ordinary language.
“They shouldn’t worry about the technical terms of the sensory input,” Petix wrote. Her examples include a child loving a fleece blanket rubbed on their arms and legs, or running away and hiding after the doorbell.
That attention carries into the playdough setup. Petix suggests “putting the play dough in a ziplock bag and let them poke/touch it through the bag using it as a barrier.”
She also suggests utensils or other objects, including sticks, plastic cutlery, animal figurines and stamps. A wet wipe or towel within the child’s reach gives them a way to wipe their hands when they want to.
These are options for participation, with room for the child’s response to change what happens next. If a child seems extremely distressed, Petix wrote, “I would not force it.”
Watching the adult play, while choosing the shapes the adult makes, is another option she offers. That keeps a possible role open without requiring the child to touch the material.
The same approach matters when a child wants to stop. “When children need to communicate that they feel overwhelmed and want to stop something, it’s important to rely on what communication skills they already have,” Petix wrote.
“If that’s shaking their head no, or using sign language to sign ‘all done’- the adult should respect that rather than saying ‘use your words’,” she wrote.
Petix also suggests a visual card for “all done” or a “break time” card a child can point to. A way to leave belongs in the setup alongside a way to join.
The bowl of playdough can remain available while the form of participation changes. In Petix’s account, the adult’s next choice comes from noticing what the child is already communicating.
Petix is also the author of The Sensory Code.