It's an amazing thing to work in three dimensions. Lifting ourselves beyond paper (and screens), clay lends itself as such a wonderful opportunity for children and adults alike.

Here are a few advantages to this remarkable medium:

Firstly, by being soft and easy to manipulate (the clay, not the artist), it invites a wide range of ages and skill levels to explore creating in 3D. Creating with depth and height allows the child to ‘get behind’ their artwork. And seeing it from different perspectives gives their brains more to consider and more to figure out.  

Secondly, by being mouldable but also holding its shape, it allows ideas to be explored, tested, and reworked where necessary; so the same piece can be used repeatedly through the process.

Thirdly, drying it out allows a piece to be kept, painted, and even used functionally. To make A Real Thing is hugely encouraring to a young child and may spark many other efforts in their future.

Fourthly, with clay being in its nature a natural material, it is reminiscent of other things they will encounter in life (think mud, playdough, and cookie dough) and so will spark ideas and comparison opportunities when engaging with those materials. These in turn can lead to more ideas and experiments. A quick side story - we recently spent a day at a dam, and on discovering that the bottom was particularly muddy underfoot, the children immediately took to sculpting little pots to be dried by the fire! How wonderful it was for them to meet a material and find some familiarity with it that propelled them forward in comparison and competency and play.

Fifthly, clay is a medium whose use has an incredible rich and diverse history, with a myriad of techniques to study and masters to learn from. It continues to be a medium used by amatuers and professionals alike, and so one never need ‘grow out of it'.

And lastly, working with clay strengthens little figures, making them all the more ready for all the 2D and 3D work that they do.