Dinosaur Dough: Adult Commentary Sheet

This Adult Commentary Sheet is designed to help practitioners model high-quality language during dinosaur-themed playdough activities. It provides ready-to-use ‘Did you know…’ facts, positional vocabulary and commentary stems to help adults scaffold children’s learning naturally through play.

Perfect for Nursery and Reception and Year 1, this resource helps ensure consistency in adult language, promotes curiosity and builds early vocabulary linked to movement, shape, and imaginative play.

What’s Included:

A printable Adult Commentary Sheet for playdough and dinosaur play
‘Did you know…’ statements written in language children can understand
Modelling prompts and talk stems to encourage curiosity and reasoning
Vocabulary examples for positional and descriptive language (e.g. “Press the dinosaur into the dough”, “Wrap it around the tail”)

Perfect for:

Continuous provision areas (messy play, fine motor, small world)
Supporting EYFS practitioners, TAs, and students in developing confident, consistent talk
Linking to Oracy, Communication and Language, and Understanding the World outcomes
Encourage adults to comment, not question, and turn every play moment into a language-rich learning opportunity!