How to teach to sculpt from plasticine. Briefly about the main thing: how to learn to sculpt from polymer clay? How to start sculpting from plasticine
Thomas Aquinas defined man as a being with brains and hands. “The greatest joy is when we can use our brains and hands at the same time in a way that is creative, useful, and productive.” Modeling from plasticine is a time-tested, extremely stimulating and useful activity for the development of a child.
Modern types of plasticine
Plasticine, or rather a composition resembling plasticine (plastichina), has been used by sculptors since medieval times to perform mainly sketches and preparatory work for (smaller) sculptures, and is mentioned in the Lives of Illustrious Painters, Sculptors and Architects by Giorgio Vasari. The material traditionally consists of beeswax, which is often replaced by mountain wax (ozocerite), fillers (clay powder) and plasticizers (animal fats, vegetable oils, glycerin). Microcrystalline wax is the basis of plasticine, providing its "body".
Plasticine is a material with special properties that make it practical and useful in preschool education. Unlike clay or wax, it remains soft and workable (does not harden or dry out).
Several plasticine formulations with similar properties have been developed since the 1800s:
- An oil version of the "Kunst-Modellierthon" (known as Plastilin), invented by Franz Kolb in Munich, in 1880. This product is still available today as "Münchner Künstler Plastilin" (Munich Artists' Clay).
- A similar product was invented in England in 1897 by the artist and art teacher in Bath, William Harbutt. It consisted of 65% filler (mostly gypsum), 10% petrolatum, 5% lime, and 10% lanolin and stearic acid. In 1915, Harbutt patented another formula that added wool fibers to give the material a stronger composition. The Harbutt Company, owned and operated by Harbutt's descendants, continued to manufacture the material as a children's toy at the Buthampton factory until 1983.
- In Italy, Pongo is sold as clay and shares its main characteristics.
- Plasticine is a trademark of Roma Plastilina; the formula is 100 years old (Plasticine Roma contains sulfur).
- In France, sculptural clay is produced by J.Herbin, and sold as Plastiline.
Professional sculptural clay or sculpting clay is any of the plastic materials used in modeling and construction. Their composition and manufacturing processes can vary significantly between different manufacturers. Oil-based material is made from various combinations of oils, waxes and clay minerals. It is compatible with all silicone rubbers, even polyadditive silicone rubbers (whose catalysis is inhibited by the presence of sulfur). Thanks to these characteristics, sculptural clay is used in the art sector for the production of models and sculptures, in the field of special effects and in industrial prototyping.
How to sculpt from sculptural plasticine? The special composition allows it to be molded by hand at room temperature, to create sculptures of any size with realistic details, with the help of tools (stacks, spatulas, modeling knives, etc.) to draw clear lines. A large figure molded from material can be reinforced with a metal core. To make the surface of the sculpture as smooth as possible, the master can treat it with a pad soaked in limonene or turpentine essence.
Modern types of plasticine are represented by a large assortment:
- wax-based plastic material;
- floating (very light plasticine, which allows it to stay on the water);
- fluorescent, mother-of-pearl;
- ball;
- smart plasticine: based on silicone polymers with amazing physical properties. It bounces, can flow like a liquid, but breaks on a sharp blow.
For production modern species plasticine, some high-tech materials are used, including polyvinyl chloride suspended in a plasticizer. Technically, such a modeling material is called polymer clay. When cured, it melts into a very hard plastic. Polymer clay impresses with its versatility. It can be sculpted, cut, stamped, textured and even sanded.
In order to be able to give it a shape, liquid and pigments for color are added. It is difficult for small hands to manipulate this material, at least at first. But the more you work with polymer clay, the easier it gets. Polymer clay can be baked in the oven to shape it. But it is one of the most expensive sculpting materials and its use is limited to small sculptures.
Several companies produce light or airy plasticine or light self-hardening mass (clay) for modeling - a non-toxic, all-natural, air-curing material. Lightweight, soft to handle, the material is perfect for making toys, vessels, jewelry, reliefs and sculptures. How to sculpt from light plasticine? It generally dries at room temperature within 24 hours or possibly a few days, depending on climatic conditions, size and thickness of the model.
How does modeling affect the development of a child?
Plasticine modeling is an exciting art activity that is not just great entertainment for children. Her goals are much greater. Material capabilities like art project, are diverse and important for the social, cognitive, emotional, physical development of the child.
Health and emotional background of the individual
Playing with plasticine is one of a number of sensory games that play an important role in the development of the child. Sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste are all included in the sensory game. In fact, this is not only touch, sensory exploration is a way for a child to explore, discover, classify and comprehend the world.
Playing with clay contributes to the development of fine motor skills in a child. In modeling lessons, small muscle groups on the fingers, hands and wrists of babies are trained, strengthened, helping to facilitate the process of learning to write. The control over the movements of the fingers used in clay modeling is in fact the same as the ability to hold a pen and write with it. Without well-developed fine motor skills, a child may have difficulty not only with learning to write, but also with other tasks, such as turning the pages of a book, cutting, drawing, squeezing glue out of a tube, tying shoelaces, closing zippers.
Sculpting soothes a child during an "emotional crisis" - helps to resolve internal discomfort, whether it be boredom, anxiety, or another type of arousal. Creating figurines, be it a bunny or a kitten, or any other animal, makes it possible for kids to feel competent and be proud of their achievements (“I can roll out”, “I made a smesharik”). During modeling lessons, children communicate with each other, describe what they do and how, observe the actions of their comrades and compare actions and objects, which teaches interaction with each other, joint actions.
Mental and personal development
Through playing with plasticine, children express their ideas, satisfy curiosity, analyze and solve problems, and learn symbolic thinking. Playing with plasticine, children listen and talk with peers or adults, which helps them to expand vocabulary when they describe their actions, make up stories about their creations, use ideas from books they read with their parents, refer to what they see in everyday life.
Psychologists say that children live to play, they learn to understand the world through play. When they play, they explore, control or change their environment, learn to focus on something - all of which provide a preparatory stage for subsequent academic achievement. The education of a child depends very much on his ability to feel and touch.
The most important aspect is the quality of the material. For babies, very soft plasticine is needed. If it is inconvenient for a child to sculpt, then his interest in such an activity will pass very quickly. Sculpting tools:
- board for modeling;
- stacks;
- rolling pins, including those with patterns;
- moulds.
The creative possibilities of plasticine are endless, which allows the child to spend a lot of time with the material, play with it and not get bored. It also encourages imagination. The material allows parents and children to create stories, characters, animals and geometric shapes.
How to teach children to sculpt?
Emphasizing the importance of individuality little man, many parents and teachers have the misconception that given the texture of a material such as plasticine, a small child will learn and create a sculptural object on his own. A great idea, but sadly not the case, and is mostly up to parents and teachers to provide adequate stimulation or motivation based on the child's own experience.
First of all, when we sculpt from plasticine with children, we teach how to form their basic forms:
- egg (ellipsoid);
- hemisphere;
- cake;
- sausage;
- cylinder;
- cone;
- brick;
- tourniquet;
- spiral.
After they master these forms and names for each of them, it is easier for us to give instructions on how to sculpt figurines, animals, fairy-tale and cartoon characters, for example, fixies, and so on, then gradually move on to compositions. The child, depicting the volume of an object (and its other features), gets an idea of such a concept as proportion. Modeling, for example, a snowman or a smeshariki, the child understands that the object is round and to create it you need to roll balls. Thus, the ability to generalize objects and form is developed.
Age 2-3 years
This age group gets excited when they see bright plasticine and what can come of it. What do we sculpt from plasticine with children 2 years old? Small explorers can be offered simple art objects; blind, for example, a bright green-brown caterpillar.
- Cut out a leaf shape from a sheet of white paper. We ask the crumbs to color it.
- Together with the baby, you need to make balls from green and brown plasticine, which we collect together.
- Let the baby try to roll two or three balls and connect them independently.
- Using yellow and black plasticine, we make the eyes and mouth of the caterpillar on the first ball, from red plasticine we roll out two small sticks for the antennae, which we place on the head.
We place the molded caterpillar on a form cut out of paper so that it seems that it is crawling along the sheet. It is important to comment on the modeling process, it is useful to accompany it with songs, rhymes or interesting history corresponding to the topic.
What do we sculpt from plasticine with children 3 years old? They have already acquired a certain linguistic vocabulary and you can teach them to sculpt Smesharik, Losyash, Krosha or Nyusha, explore such a shape as a cone and make ice cream out of plasticine. Other modeling ideas: any animal, hare, cat, even a beetle or spider; food, such as a fruit platter or pizza.
Modeling in this age group is usually given no more than 20 minutes.
Children 4-5 years old
At this age, children are actively interested in the world around them. Modeling from plasticine is a great way to develop kids and, for this age group, it can already be divided into an object, a plot (a logical composition of different figures), and decorative features. When a child forms a figure, he actively uses his imagination.
What do we sculpt from plasticine with children 5 years old? Ideas:
- mushroom meadow (a sheet of cardboard will serve as the basis for placing the composition);
- lawn with a lake;
- fruit basket (make a small basket of flagella, then fill it with tiny fruits using basic shapes and plasticine different colors: apple, melon, banana);
- fabulous house with tiny furniture;
- a composition with “fake snow” (made of cotton wool) and “fake ice” (made of foil), in which fur seals or walruses molded from plasticine should be placed;
- a “game board” for tic-tac-toe in the form of a pond made of blue plasticine, on which four thin sausage rollers are “drawn”; "tic and toe" in the form of 10 green turtles. For each figure, roll up large and small balls, flatten them on one side and connect; roll out the sausage roller and cut into four short parts for the legs, which are attached to the body of the turtle. Make eyes out of yellow plasticine. Blind in yellow 5 "X" and 5 "O" and stick on the backs of the turtles.
- compositions that combine various objects with plasticine (straws, buttons, shells, pebbles) - ideas designed for middle and older ages.
When depicting objects, children reproduce not only forms, but their characteristic features, firstly, color.
Drawing with plasticine from template pictures
The developing technique is reminiscent of mosaic art, combining sculpting and appliqué. Using templates or coloring pages, we ask the child to “draw” fruits, leaves, the sun, a rainbow, a steam locomotive, a car, a tank, and so on. Using the basic modeling techniques from plasticine of the desired colors, we place thin sausages, pancakes inside the contours.
Basic modeling techniques from plasticine:
- pinch off;
- flatten;
- roll and roll;
- pinch or pinch;
- pull or pull;
- lubricate and press;
- twist and twist;
- we scratch.
With kids who are two and three years old, we start by simply smearing plasticine into the contour of the sun or a leaf (a great massage for little fingers!), Combining modeling and drawing, over time they will learn how to draw with plasticine according to patterns.
How to store plasticine crafts?
A bas-relief created from plasticine according to a template can be framed and hung on the wall, put the figures on a glass shelf - to show the child how much parents are interested in his work.
Figures molded from plasticine can be stored for years, but in certain conditions. To do this, they need to be folded separately in small boxes and put away in a cool and necessarily dark place.
We sculpt from plasticine step by step - ideas
How to sculpt animals from plasticine? It is not difficult for a baby, together with his mother, to create an elephant calf, for which you need to roll out a large ball for the body, a medium-sized ball for the head, two small balls for the ears, two small balls for the eyes and two tiny balls for the pupils from plasticine. Blind all the balls with each other, flatten the ears into a cake before attaching to the head. Roll up a long roll-sausage, which is cut into legs for an elephant calf and a trunk. Roll up a thin sausage roll for the ponytail.
Car
The car is definitely the most popular toy for boys. Blinding a car is quite simple and every child can do it with the help of adults. To make a machine, we need:
- children's set of plasticine;
- stacks for plasticine.
We sculpt a machine from plasticine step by step:
- We choose plasticine of any preferred color to create a car body. We knead the plasticine so that it becomes soft and elastic. We pinch off a piece of plasticine and roll it into a sausage.
- Smooth out the edges. The top of the part should have an arched outline.
- Cut off a piece of plasticine for the hood and base under the windshield.
- We smooth out all the bumps.
- From pieces of white plasticine we flatten cakes for glasses (front, side and rear).
- We sculpt four wheels from black plasticine for tires and gray plasticine for disks; we roll four balls of a larger size for tires, and a smaller one for disks. We flatten the "tires" and place the flattened "disks" in the center. Relief can be extruded on disks with a stack.
- We sculpt the wheels to the body of the machine.
- We attach arched wings to the upper part of the wheels, made of the same color of plasticine as for the car body (for the wings we roll up small sausages and flatten them) and we can drive our plasticine car.
Making a funny creature, such as a cat or kitty, is easy. First, we make the body, rolling up a large ball from which we make an oval. From the second ball of a smaller size we make a head, on which we form small ears in the upper part. We attach two parts, for reliability, you can use toothpicks.
From four small sausages we make paws, from a thin sausage - a tail. We sculpt body parts in the appropriate places. We make the nose and eyes from black plasticine.
Hedgehog
Light model, step by step:
- We roll a ball out of plasticine and pull it out from one part, forming a nose.
- We roll up two small balls of white plasticine and attach to the muzzle in place of the eyes. For the pupils, we roll up two tiny balls of black plasticine.
- We make spines from sunflower seeds.
Dinosaur
The step-by-step process of sculpting a Tyrannosaurus rex:
Step one: prepare four pieces of plasticine.
Step two: form the body. We roll one piece into a ball, make the tail part, thinning one side, and form the neck area, squeezing at the top at the opposite end.
Step three: we sculpt the legs by rolling a piece of plasticine into a sausage and dividing it into two parts. For each leg, we make claws from ribbons of white plasticine, sharpening them at one end.
Step four: we form the head of their small ball, stretching it from one side. Separate the lower jaw from the upper part with a stack.
Step Five: The arm (two parts) is formed in the same way as the legs, but smaller.
New Year crafts
It is easy and interesting to make Christmas decorations from light plasticine using a variety of shapes (stars, hearts, circles, and so on). The material is safe for children and therefore they will be happy to take part in such a pre-holiday event.
Flower
Master class on making roses. We need colored plasticines for leaves and petals, and floral wire.
- First we make petals, for which we roll up a thin sausage, which we cut into several small pieces and flatten them into flat ovals.
- We fold one petal to make the center of the rose, sculpt the next petal around the open edge (the central petal).
- We continue to add petals, each time placing them over the open edge of the previous petal.
- We roll a piece into a sausage, a little thicker than the first, cut into pieces and flatten into flat ovals for larger petals.
- Add them to the rose bud, each layer of petals needs to be sculpted a little loosely to make a beautiful open rose.
- When the number of petals is enough, we make the flower stem. We roll out the green plasticine thinly and collect it around the floristic wire, leaving a small tip for the flower head.
- Leaves are made following the instructions for making petals, except that we squeeze them at one end (the tip of the leaf). If the leaves are too heavy, you can push a short piece of wire down the center to support them. We sculpt the leaves along the stem and plant the flower preparation on the top (tip of the wire).
A plasticine person can be molded from plasticine of the same color, or colored plasticines can be used for different parts of the body. This is when we want to show that our baby figure, man or woman is wearing some kind of outfit. For example, you can make a person out of blue plasticine, and a head out of white material.
- Roll up a small ball for the head.
- For the body, form a cylinder that is larger than the “head” and smooth it out.
- Roll up sausages for arms and legs; one pair should be thicker than the other.
- We attach the head to the body: we pluck a little plasticine from it using a pencil or a toothpick. The hole should be deep or wide enough to fit the neck. We make the neck by stretching a small cone on the body, on which we put the head. Smooth the edge well.
- For the hands, you can add slightly flattened pieces of plasticine and round them so that they look like fingers.
- For the feet, bend the ends of the sausages; they should be large enough to support the legs. We press the feet to the plank, forming the soles.
- We fasten the finished arms and legs to the body and smooth the edges.
- We roll two small balls of white plasticine and two tiny balls of plasticine of blue color- for pupils. Tightly fasten both eyes to the head.
- For the mouth, roll up a small thin sausage (no more than the width of the head).
- You can add a nose by simply attaching some plasticine to the center of the face and smearing it with your fingers into any shape (ball, triangle, and so on).
The most important thing in the process of modeling with young children is not only to teach them how to perform basic modeling techniques. The main thing is that they should have fun. Perhaps one of the children will quickly get tired of sculpting and switch to another game with pleasure. Someone, on the contrary, is very passionate about creative work.
Before sculpting, it is important to ask a child who is four or five years old what he wants to mold. You can offer your own version and not interfere with him, if he expressed a desire to make a figure on his own, choosing an animated character as a theme, perhaps it will be some kind of fix, and perhaps even an animatronic Freddie.
Plasticine sculpture develops children's creative potential, and we should refrain from any negative criticism, on the contrary, they will encourage creativity as much as possible. If a child is experiencing frustration, it is important to address the issue by encouraging more practice and experimentation.
In addition to the fact that the child is absorbed in the game, he begins to understand cause and effect when he picks up plasticine and manipulates it to change the form. It stimulates the child's creativity, tickles his intellect. FROM scientific point vision, modeling creates many new synapses in the brain, activates neurons through the senses used in the work.
In contact with
The excellent work of modeling masters can encourage you to learn something new for yourself. With the help of improvised means and polymer clay, craftsmen are able to embody original ideas that delight connoisseurs of creativity.
How to learn to sculpt with polymer clay? Need to be inspired!
How to start doing miracles?
To get started, it is worth getting acquainted with the basic material. Polymer clay is a plastic material based on polyvinyl chloride, which allows you to create handmade products. In addition to PVC, clay contains plasticizers that provide flexibility, and dyes. The material for modeling can be of two varieties:
1. Clay that hardens immediately after sculpting.
2. Clay that needs to be baked in an oven to harden. It will be more convenient for a beginner to start with the second option, since he does not yet have the necessary skill, which appears over time.
For baking the molded product, the temperature is from 110 to 140⁰C and the time is about 30 minutes. More heat will cause the clay to melt, releasing toxic substances. Therefore, do not forget to carefully ventilate the kitchen after baking polymer clay.
Examples of polymer clay works can be:
Women's jewelry (rings, earrings, bracelets, beads);
New Year's toys;
Talismans, key rings;
Souvenirs (flower bouquets, miniature animals, vases).
Sculpting tools
Modeling from a polymeric material is a delicate work, it requires a deep thought of the final result and is not complete without tools.
1. Stationery knife for cutting small parts.
2. Thick needle or wooden toothpick.
3. Acrylic paints and a brush to give the product expressiveness and make it realistic.
4. Fine-grained sandpaper to sand the surface, smooth out the bumps.
If you plan to devote a lot of time to modeling and make it your craft, then along with clay you can purchase a professional set with stacks, rolling pins and molds.
We teach children to make plasticine crafts not only for fun. The fact is, such lessons are not only fascinating and funny, but also useful. After all during creative work such as modeling, weaving, drawing lessons - our motor skills, coordination of movements develop, and the concept of shape, colors, proportions is also created.
Knowing the importance of such a lesson, many mothers ask questions how to learn to do crafts. In fact, everything is very simple. In addition, the stores have a variety of types of such material of the entire color palette, as well as devices for working with it. This greatly facilitates the lessons for beginners and makes it possible to fantasize freely. Of course, the complexity of the craft will depend on the age of the baby. You should start with ordinary products that are familiar and important to the child. Most kids love animals., so you need to choose this topic for work. It is worth sculpting from plasticine in stages, showing the baby all your manipulations and giving explanations. You can create an elephant together, a New Year's oleshek, or your pet, may appear from under the fingers of a child. Or maybe your child loves cars? Or shortbread pretzels? All these are motives for inspiration that can be used by a young walker when working with plasticine. And of course, you will need step-by-step instructions - how and what to do.
Before you start sculpting, you should check that you have everything you need:
- Plasticine (we take soft, pliable, of normal quality, so that it is easier for the baby to knead it in the hands).
- Modeling equipment.
- Children should be reminded that it is forbidden to take materials by mouth. Moms need to keep a close eye on everything.
Gallery: modeling from plasticine (25 photos)
We sculpt from plasticine, crafts in stages
If all materials are prepared, it is necessary to sit comfortably at the table with the baby. We create animals from the material in stages, duplicating the manipulations of the child to show him an example.
We take a piece of any color, preferably dark (which the child will like) and make a couple of details.
At the same time, we are learning to sculpt the lightest plasticine figures:
- The oval is large for the body;
- Four small ovals (or sausages) for our paws.
- Small oval (or roll up a tourniquet) for the tail.
- Create a ball for the head and pull it out a little from one side for the trunk;
- We blind two small balls and add them (these will be the ears).
- After that, slowly collect the main particles of the figure, that is, attach the legs and head to the body.
- Attach the ears to the head and the tail to the body.
Next, you need to fashion the eyes, eyebrows, claws for the animal. But mommy age should be taken into account. and capabilities of the child. A very small kid will not be able to create too small details. Therefore, we ourselves create them from plasticine and help the child to correctly place them on the figure.
Modeling from plasticine for children 2 and 3 years old
At the age of two to three years, the baby still can not cope with normal material, so it’s worth taking another special soft plasticine for young children.
Children are just learning how to manage their own hands and it is difficult for them to give modeling lessons. We select not difficult tasks for the baby so that he can cope with them, this will please him, give him self-confidence and he will wish to continue to engage in this interesting type of creativity.
By the age of three, a child will be able to:
- Tear off pieces of plasticine.
- Create balls out of them.
- Flatten the material.
- Attach the material to the paper and roll it out.
- Crush the balls with your hands.
- Create sausages.
- Roll sausages into rings.
- Connect all the components into one piece.
- The task of parents is to teach the child this.
Show your child:
- How to cut a sausage and get rings.
- How can you cut shapes from a flat cake.
- How to cut dough into squares triangles and other shapes.
- How to stick various objects on plasticine smeared on cardboard, for example, seeds, beads, cereals, pasta.
Duration of modeling lessons in age 1-3 years is fifteen minutes and depends on the mood and desire of the baby to work with this material.
For this age, it is advised to take plasticine of only important colors, so as not to overload the child with a strong variety and not to distract from the modeling lesson itself. In addition, if you want, you can mix colors and get new shades.
Modeling from plasticine for children 4 and 5 years old
At the age of five, the child already knows how to handle a modeling knife, his hands are already strong and he can work with simple plasticine.
Babes of this age can roll balls, sausages, and now it will be more important for them to create more complex and unique crafts themselves.
Invite your child to create a mushroom clearing or a forest lawn with bushes and trees around. Maybe the child wants to mold something of his own, do not interfere with him in such a matter. On the contrary, it is beautiful and improves his independence.
Plasticine modeling is an unusually exciting activity for any age. Everyone, if desired, will find the technique and theme that will correspond to his preferences. At first, my eldest daughter did not want to sculpt (as well as draw) with me, although she did it successfully and with pleasure in the development center. But I gained experience, read manuals, watched training videos, and after a while we sculpted with great joy with the whole family. I'll tell you about our personal secrets that helped teach a choleric child to sculpt beautifully from plasticine. Now the eldest daughter is 6 years old, the little one is 3 years old, and this is what we get (the photo in the article is the work for the last calendar year).
A few secrets of modeling with kids are our personal experience.
- For kids, it all starts with a balloon. It can be flattened, rolled into a stick, deformed, stretched on one side - this is how almost any detail is obtained.
- The child needs fast results. How to achieve it is up to you, depending on age. For us, fast is within 45-60 minutes, when Nastya was younger, fit into 10-20 minutes. In fact, in 10 minutes, a child can easily blind such a spectacular and cute panda, and in half an hour - their whole family along with bamboo. At the same time, the work should be moderately difficult and corresponding to the interests of the child. You can prepare parts in advance, which you then combine together. You can take on more voluminous elements, and offer the child smaller, but also significant. You can sculpt every detail together: the child is the main one, the mother is already detailing. Again, it depends on age and skills.
- Eyes,ears, nose, tail- it is these parts of the body that are decisive when sculpting most animals. It is on them that the child distinguishes animals by species. It is relatively simple with the eyes: a black dot on a white circle - the toy immediately comes to life. The simplest nose is slightly elongated and with a black ball at the end (mouse, fox, dog, wolf, bear, by the way, too). You can add a white or pale pink tab to the ears of the main color (hares, mice, cats) - it always looks good. The same light "pancake" is appropriate on the belly. Well, the tail must certainly be realistic (ringlet, with a brush, fluffy lump, etc.).
- Plasticine toys can and should be played with. They can be taken to the sandbox, to home games, but always subject to careful handling - that is, so that pieces of plasticine do not stain carpets, chairs, upholstered furniture, etc.
- It is easier to sculpt a plasticine picture than a three-dimensional composition.
- A background of colored non-smooth cardboard is better than plasticine smeared over the base. In addition, cardboard is easy to combine: the bottom sheet is a blue sky, on it is earth, sand or grass. A matter of two minutes.
- For three-dimensional figures, you need two types of plasticine. Hard - for supporting parts, soft (can be waxed) - for detailing (pink ears, eye, tongues, paw pads, spots, fruits on a tree, etc.). Or just heat the pieces of the desired color on the battery. For example, a tree trunk is hard, and small leaves on the crown are soft. The pumpkin is soft, its leaves are hard, but the veins are also soft.
Has your child grown up and started to get involved in creativity? Wonderful! Your task is to be there, to instruct and help. This is especially true for sculpting. To do this, consider the main points.
Material by age
For each age, it is preferable to take "your" plasticine. So, for toddlers, it is better to make plasticine with your own hands. To do this, mix flour and salt one by one, add a little water and knead the salty elastic dough. Here it will be the first safe plasticine for your crumbs. Also, the advantage of such material is that crafts from it can be kept for a long time: just bake them in the oven, and after cooling and hardening, paint with gouache.
If you don’t want to bother, then purchase a special mass for modeling in the store, designed specifically for children of the youngest age. Such a mass has softer and more pliable properties, and it will be much easier for fragile little fingers to cope with it than with “adult” plasticine.
Has your little one grown a little and crossed the border of the nursery group? Then choose a German mold. Sculpt from it with your child and lower the finished crafts into a container with hot water. So the figures will harden, like plaster, and will delight you for many years with their beauty.
When buying plasticine for young children, be vigilant, do not enter into a marketing provocation and do not purchase plasticine with fruit flavors. Yes, it looks and smells quite attractive and is quite suitable for older children. But if your baby is still tasting items of interest to him, then be vigilant! As soon as you turn away for a second, a piece of fragrant plasticine will already be in your baby's mouth.
For kids preschool age you will like high-quality imported plasticine. It is less sticky and has more saturated colors. And at this age, it is already possible and necessary to use cereals, beads, toothpicks, sticks, etc. to develop the child’s creative abilities in modeling.
Well, of course, you can’t do without a stack, thick oilcloth or modeling board, which can be purchased at any stationery store.
How to teach a child to sculpt
A child of one and a half to two years old, getting acquainted with plasticine, will probably want to know its taste, scatter its small pieces on the floor or simply smear it on the table. Therefore, firstly, of course, during classes, you should always be close to the baby, and secondly, you need to give him specific tasks. So he will be less distracted by extraneous activities. For example, invite him to complete the composition he has begun.
Here you already have a picture from plasticine with a forest and animals depicted on it. Tell the child that the chanterelle gathered for mushrooms, but it was raining and the path became wet. You need to help the chanterelle not to wet the legs. And for this you need to lay out a path from the pebbles.
Basically, children of this age can flatten circles prepared by adults into pancakes. Invite the child to play: "Let's bake pancakes for hares", or "Let's make wheels for this machine, or" Let's sew buttons on Masha's dress. Such game moments will lure your child and encourage him to take action. Classes will bring great pleasure to the baby.
Then you can already show how to roll up the "sausage". You can roll it out on the board, or between the palms. And now, from two elements, you and your child make a basket, which you fill with sweets, circles - fruits, sausages - bananas. Agree, interesting?
At the age of three, a child can already roll balls on their own (but under supervision). First, offer him to fashion puppet vitamins, medical tablets for an elephant, then a bun, and only then a tumbler, a snowman, etc.
What to sculpt with kids
Some children like to make pictures from plasticine, others like voluminous compositions more. There are no identical children. Therefore, adapt to the child, consider his desires.
If the child likes to smear plasticine more, then cereal can be added to the work (under the supervision of adults!). Lay out various pictures from it on the blank.
As for voluminous works, here your imagination and the imagination of the child are limitless! Having mastered simple figures, such as circles and sausages, and, having fallen in love with the modeling itself, the child begins to show his creative abilities. He pulls out the plasticine, pinches, presses, smoothes, etc. And now, new unique masterpieces are already appearing from under his fingers!
Now there are many websites, as well as modeling magazines. Let your little one watch and learn with you.
Never force a child. Be able to properly involve him in the process and then you will develop not only creative abilities in him, but also prepare the muscles of his fingers for writing.