Clay is an exciting, and engaging material for young children to explore. However, it is often overlooked, with
other malleable materials such as playdough, being favoured.
Clay often comes out for something specific, such as making a pot, but we often don’t give children time to really explore it as a material. I sometimes think clay is a ‘forgotten’ resource. Like many resources in early years, such as wooden blocks and sand, clay has historical significance.
Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852), the founder of the Kindergarten included materials like clay in his educational approach. It is Froebel we have to thank for wooden blocks, which are still a staple of the early years settings, but clay does not have such high visibility.
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