Clay is a natural material that offers a wide range of possibilities in early childhood education. Wet clay can be a wonderful sensory experience for babies. Toddlers and preschool children may prefer sculpting with clay than playdough because of its texture and permanence.
Clay is often used within Reggio Emilia teachings and project work. Clay is a responsive, earthy, silky material that can be combined with loose parts. Children can gain a deeper understanding of a subject by moulding it out of clay.
Early Years Learning Framework
The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) supports children connecting with clay as a natural material (4.4) that teaches respect for the environment (2.4). Clay provokes curiosity, imagination, creativity (4.1), problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating (4.2).
Reggio Emilia and clay
Reggio Emilia philosophies recognise the educational value of materials, like clay. The book Thinking In Materials by Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind and Kocher describes how clay can be much more than a material for sculpture:
"We may set the clay out in other ways, for instance, as a big block in the center of a large mat on the floor, as several blocks stacked so they echo a child’s height, in a space with several overhead projectors to facilitate a complex play of shadow, bodies, and movement. These various ways of setting out the clay do not just invite different interactions. They also shape what and how we see and the meanings we construct of the experience."
In the Shape of Clay is an atelier space set up at The Loris Malaguzzi International Centre in Italy. Browse through their gallery of images to find inspiration for your own classroom. Learn ways to use mirrors, tools and technology in Reggio Emilia clay play.
AnjiPlay and clay
AnjiPlay, a philosophy used in public early childhood programs of Anji County in China, also values materials like clay. The AnjiPlay website describes how:
"Materials meet the child’s needs to explore cause and effect relationships, engage in collaboration with peers, imagine, create, and challenge themselves at their highest level of ability. AnjiPlay materials and environments provide the greatest degree of possibility and complexity in play through minimal structure, open-endedness, inter-relatability, and sturdiness.
To become instantly inspired by the possibilities of clay, read a blog post by Suzanne Axelsson about clay play in China. Her photos and videos are incredible.
Clay techniques for children
Early childhood educators don't need any experience with clay to start using it with children. Sit at a table with a small group of children and give each person (including yourself) a small lump of clay. Try some of the following techniques yourself, talk about what you are attempting to do, and let children copy you if they wish.
Make a pinch pot
The easiest clay pot to make is a pinch pot. Roll a lump of clay into a ball and stick your thumb gently into the middle of it. Move your thumb and fingers in a pinching motion to widen the hole in the clay ball. Keep pinching until your clay looks like a pot.
Make a coil pot
Start a coil pot by rolling a lump of clay into a long snake. Start coiling the snake into a circle, to form the base of the pot. Then start building the sides. Don't worry if your snake is too short, just add new ones as you go.
Make clay beads
Roll pieces of clay into tiny balls. Make holes by inserting a stick or skewer into the middle of each ball. When the clay beads dry, the children can thread them on string.
Add water
Water can be added to clay by wetting your hands, pouring water on the clay, or by using a spray bottle.
- Soak clay in water and squeeze it through your fingers.
- Use wet fingers to smooth out clay.
- Join two pieces of clay together by scratching them to create a rough surface, applying water, and pushing them together.
- Remember to add water if your clay is drying out too fast.
Stretch and pull
Stretch clay in your hands. How does the shape change? How long can it stretch without snapping?
Use tools
Specific clay tools are available to purchase, but you can use a variety of easy-to-find objects like cutlery, sticks, and pieces of wire. Use these to scratch, poke and engrave the clay.
Lumps of clay are easily cut using fishing line. Hold the ends of the fishing line using two hands and pull it down over the lump of clay.
Loose parts can be added to clay for decoration. Try pressing beads, sequins, wool, seed pods, or feathers into clay.
Let it dry
If the children make something out of clay to keep, remember to let it dry in the sun. Air-dry clay is best for drying in the sun. Some types of clay should be fired in a kiln, but don't worry if you don't have one. You can dry all types of clay in the sun, just expect cracking and crumbling.
Learning experiences
Awaken the senses
There is more to clay than making objects. Even toddlers and babies can benefit from these clay experiences:
- Add clay and water to a trough so it turns into brown slush. Let children dip their hands into the water and squeeze clay through their fingers.
- Mix clay and water in small pots and use it as finger paint.
- Let children stand on slabs of wet clay and dig their toes into it.
- Throw balls of wet clay at a wall to watch them splat.
- Don't throw away bits of cracked, dried clay. Play with them.
Teach literacy
The State Government of Victoria released a video of preschool children using clay to form letters of the alphabet. This is a very hands-on way to introduce children to the shapes and formations of letters.
Sculpt visual representations
Clay is easily incorporated into project work. It is a wonderful medium for creating visual representations of things children are learning about. Children can learn deeply about a subject when they build it with clay.
Try making animals, dinosaurs and fossils, or the moon from clay.
Learning environments
Clay can be set up on a table as a once-off experience. If you have ongoing access to clay, it would be wonderful to reserve a permanent clay space in your room. This could be a large table, a trough, or even a small table with enough space for one child.
Clay can be used indoors or outdoors, but it may dry too quickly in direct sunlight.
Consider placing clay near a tap, so children can fetch their own water and wash their hands afterwards.
Remember to designate a space for drying clay and presenting the children's creations.
Interactions
Clay play is excellent for developing relationships, the senses, and language. Early childhood educators can sit with children and play with clay alongside them, while role modeling descriptive language:
- What are you doing? (E.g. "Rolling, pinching, pulling, pressing, sculpting, building or blending".)
- What does the clay feel like? (E.g. "Cold, soft, hard, heavy, squishy, scratchy, wet or dry".)
- What does clay look like? (E.g. "Brown, white, creamy, smooth, lumpy or broken".)
Discussions
- Where does clay come from?
- Do you prefer clay or playdough?
- Did you learn anything from playing with clay?
- Do you like getting messy with clay?
- How does heat and water change clay?