- creativity - storytelling - for - kids - and - adults -
Playing Clay
away from smartphones back to continuos meaningful play and creativity
Combining clay creativity and storytelling, you get:

An exciting educational activity
at home!

Classes for preschoolers
in the ceramic studio!

Free play, communication, creativity
in the kindergarten!
Playing Clay approach takes elements from

- art therapy
- play therapy
- clay therapy
- storytelling

and makes a unique activity to develop communication, concentration and creativity.
.
Sometimes, we play some well-known favorite fairy tale.
Sometimes, we make up a story right away
.
Every kid can choose any character, make it from clay, and play with it
.
Teacher helps everyone and encourages everybody to play together.
You can play with clay
- at home with your kids and their friends,
- in a kids studio,
- in a ceramics workshop, or
- in the kindergarten.
.
The method is very easy to start with.
Neither kids, nor the teacher need any artistic abilities or education.
Many ideas and methods of child psychology, art therapy, play therapy are intuitively used in Clay'n'Play.
.
Free play with clay improves
- the balance and movement coordination,
- fine motor skills,
- emotional intellect,
- speech,
- constructive abilities,
- communication skills,
- releases stress.
I, Alex Lelchuk, came up with playing with clay in 2004
.
For many years, I have been running classes and writing about them in social networks.
.
I published two editions of the book in Russian: Playing with Clay, which is available now at major Russian internet bookstores.
.
Hundreds of kids, parents and teachers play with clay now across the whole country.
.
Why don't you join our company?

Free creative play with clay helps...
  • ... implement kids' inner visions, feelings and ideas in a soft bulky natural material,
  • ... communicate creatively with kids and adults, improve communication skills and self confidence
  • ... improve fine and gross motor skills, intellect and emotions
  • ... better understand the child, solve psychological problems in a safe environment
Playing Clay is always fun
You will never forget those magic hours you have spent with your kids building castles and dragons, unicorns and princesses, flowers and tunnels.

Articles about Playing Clay
You can learn more about the Playing Clay method, children art and creativity, children psychology, etc, in these articles.

    To get inspired and see the examples of classes, please



    Texts are in Russian there, but the photos speak louder than a thousand word. And all participants understand English.

    Come to our Playing Clay classes
    We play with clay with kids from 3 to 7 years old and their parents
    At each class, we choose a different theme together with the kids, and start playing right away
    .
    I help kids to make their characters or forms, encourage them to go ahead with the story and to communicate with each other
    Parents are always welcome to join the fun, it is included in the cost of the class
    .
    It is a great chance to spend some time with your children in an exciting creative activity.
    We usually build a lot of things, so we do not save or fire them
    .
    At the end of the class we collect all the clay back to the buckets for future use
    .
    But, kids can take home something small that they like most.


    Classes

    I give my classes in Haifa at various locations.


    To learn about current schedule and places, please call or write me: tel/whatsapp +972 555 044 393


    I wil gladly come to your place

    if you organize a group of children, teenagers or grown-ups


    If you are up to play with clay at home, or
    in your own studio or kindergarten, then...

    Read on!

    After reading the articles above, you will be able to start playing, get your kids involved and interested in modeling and making up stories.

    .

    I am working on English translation of my book Playing with Clay, and my videos about it.

    Clay, etc.
    Technically, you do not need much to play with clay.
    .
    I developed a system that helps you work with clay clean and easy.
    .
    No water, no dirt, no cleaning.
    Look, what you need to start playing with clay at home or in your studio:
    • Professional modelling clay in tightly closed buckets with fleece rags for keeping clay wet enough
    • Two buckets by approx. 7-8 kilos is a minimum set for home playing with a couple of kids or individual clay meditation
    • Сover for the whole table: oilcloth with woven base facing up which doesn't stick to clay
    • Insturments: only sticks for drawing and cutting small details
    You can purchase clay in a professional ceramics supply store.
    .
    Any low fire clay or earthenware for hand modeling will do it.
    .
    Fleece rags for wetting the clay must be synthetic. Any natural cloth will start to rot very soon.
    .
    Clay can be used multiple times. After each class we collect most of clay back to the buckets. The initial set will cover your needs from couple of months to a year.
    .
    Or you can leave the clay toys dry, paint them or play with them, or take them to closest ceramics shop for firing.

    Playing Clay at home
    A perfect way to
    .
    - give your kids a new natural material for play and creativity
    .
    - give yourself an hour or two of personal time while kids are busy playing
    .
    - spend some time with your kids doing something simple, funny and useful

    Start playing with clay together with your kids right away.
    When kids get comfortable with clay, they will easily play by themselves.
    .
    You would just have to give them some new ideas once in a while, help solve complicated play or technical situations and praise all their creations.
    Playing Clay in a studio or kindergarten
    A perfect way to
    - attract preschoolers to a ceramics studio,
    - introduce clay modeling to a kids center or kindergarten,
    - make parents participate in their kids' classes

    Playing Clay in a kids studio or kindergarten usually takes the form of a free moderated creative role play. In the beginning, the teacher suggests a theme -- favorite fairy tale, cartoon story or a situation from life.
    .
    Kids choose the characters they would like to make and play with. Or, they can make other things from the story -- houses, trees or roads. If somebody chooses to make something altogether different, that's fine, too.
    .
    Kids start to play with what they have just made. The teacher tells and plays the story and tries to integrate everybody's creations into common action. Also, the teacher helps the kids to make specific things if they ask for help.

    In a kids studio, we usually invite the parents to join the play at no additional fee, especially for kids under 5 years old.
    .
    Mother or father would play along -- make their own characters, buildings, trees or mushrooms. They give their kids an example how to model and play. They help their kids to make something only if asked.
    .
    Adults should make very simple toys, so that kids would be able to make something similar.
    .
    Playing Clay is especially good for dads, granddads and big brothers. It's heavy, bulky, technical.

    Right now, I am ready to answer any questions about playing clay and consult about buying the materials and starting your home or studio playing clay sessions.

    Tel/whatsapp: +972 555 044 393

    Facebook: alexey.lelchuk,
    Email: alexey.lelchuk@gmail.com
    Playing Clay group on Facebook:
    facebook.com/groups/claynplay
    Playing Clay hashtag on Instagram:
    instagram.com/explore/tags/игравглину/
    Youtube channel:
    youtube.com/channel/UC...

    A book has been published about Playing Clay in 2015
    Title: Igry s glinoy (Playing with Clay)
    Publishing house: Natsionalnoye obrazovanie
    2015
    It's a major Russian publishing house for educational literature.

    The book is a part of a Vdokhnoveniye (Inspiration) kindergarten program approved by Russian Ministry of Education.

    The book is on sale in major internet bookstores.
    Ozon:
    https://www.ozon.ru/context/detail/id/31049701/?_b...

    Labirinth:
    https://www.labirint.ru/books/468045/



    Theory
    Basic principles of art therapy, play therapy, creativity, child psychology, common sense applied to clay modelling with kids.
    Parents participation
    Parents and teachers will understand what clay modelling really means for a child and how they can participate in children creativity process
    Methodology
    Detailed description of the teaching process, themes for classes and clay modelling methods
    Practical experience
    Real cases from the classes, photos of children's works with comments from psychological and artistic view point
    How to
    Step-by-step instructions for fast and easy making of all necessary characters and buildings needed for play
    Future
    Description of clay modelling classes for teens. Preschool teachers and parents should know what their efforts will lead to
    Made on
    Tilda