Disco Dough

Dough disco involves moulding play dough in time to music and performing different actions such as rolling it into a ball, flattening it, putting each individual finger into the dough, rolling it into a sausage and squeezing it.

Disco Dough helps to strengthen children's fine motor muscles to enable them to develop their pencil grip which in turn will help to develop their writing skills. But most of all it's fun!

In Nursery and Reception we do Disco Dough for five minutes a day. Morning Nursery and Reception do it just before dinner time. Afternoon Nursery do it just before home time.

What do you need to do a dough disco?

Music - Any song will do! We have had Abba, Frozen CD, Musicals, and TV Themes to name a few of our favourites!

Dough - You can buy pots of dough or make your own with your child. See the recipes below to help!

A set of moves! - These can be done in any order and you don't need to include them all!

Dough disco moves

Hands rolling dough into a ball

Roll

Roll the dough into a ball using both hands.

A finger poking a ball of dough

Poke

Poke the dough with each finger and thumb in turn to make holes in the dough. Make sure you swap hands so all fingers and thumbs are used.

A hand squeezing a ball of dough

Squeeze

Squeeze the dough with all the fingers and thumb using a fist grip one hand at a time.

Hands rolling dough into a sausage shape

Sausage

Roll the play dough between both hands moving backwards and forwards to make a sausage.

Hands squashing a ball of dough into a pancake shape

Pancake

Hold the play dough in one hand and push the other hand flat into the play dough. Repeat this until the dough is flatter!

A hand pinching a dough ball

Pinch

Pinch the play dough. Hold the play dough in one hand and use Tom Thumb and Peter Pointer to pinch the dough. Then swap hands and repeat.

Try it at home!

You have nothing to lose but all to gain by doing dough disco at home! The children will develop the muscles in their hands to help them with their pencil grip which will help them with their handwriting! Five minutes a day will help to give your children the skills they need to become happy and successful writers! Give it a go and have some fun!

Happy dough disco!