There are many ways in which clay can physically benefit students. To begin with, working with clay can physically aid students in the development of their fine motor skills, including hand flexibility and dexterity (Huang, 2016; Edmondston-Low, 2014). Due to clay’s plastic quality, the medium can be easily manipulated by even the “smallest or weakest fingers” (Joor, 1907, p. 548). Therefore, not only is clay well-suited to even the youngest students, but it is also a good medium for teaching students to modulate the amount of energy and pressure they impose on the clay (Joor, 1907). As Huang (2016) notes, the tangible and visual quality of the medium appeals especially to bodily-kinesthetic and visual-spatial learners. However, hands-on, authentic learning made possible with a medium can be effective in engaging all learners (Gude, 2008). For instance, working with clay can accelerate the use of the senses by engaging learners in physical movement, improving their hand-eye coordination, and increasing their observational skills (March, 2019; Huang, 2016).
References
Edmonston-Low, R. (2014). Off-Centre. Ceramic Review, 269, 82.
Gude, O. (2008). Aesthetics making meaning. Studies in Art Education, 50(1), 98-103.
Huang, Y. (2016). Manifestation of creative clay in kindergarten language courses. Annual International Conference on Education & E-Learning,
81–84. https://doi.org/10.5176/2251-1814_EeL16.25
Joor, H. (1907). Clay-work in the university elementary school. The Elementary School Teacher, 7(9), 548-552.
March, P. L. (2019). Playing with clay and the uncertainty of agency. A Material Engagement Theory perspective. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 18(1), 133. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11097-017-9552-9