Playing With Clay Is a Relaxing Activity For Kids

Why is playing with clay a calming or relaxing activity?

Why is playing with clay a calming or relaxing activity? Because touching clay induces stimulating neural input from most of our sensory senses. When a young child starts touching, forming, or modeling, it’s considered active learning. Playing with clay stimulates tactile input, visual pathways communicate with both left and right hemispheres of the brain, and auditory and smell sensory systems are also collecting information. Playing with clay causes a high visual-auditory connectivity in the brain. Strong connectivity occurs and the child becomes intensely focused on his handwork. Children using their hands can be so engaged that other stress related thoughts clear their minds. The electrical activity stimulated in the brain becomes a different type of action, firing connections and allowing children to focus on their handwork only. A calming effect takes place because cognitive processing is occurring while forming or manipulating clay. It’s good for children during their sensitive periods to develop good habits and activities that can help early in life to regulate relaxation by creative handwork. Playing with Clay can relieve stress for kids.