PAWTUCKET, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In celebration of World PLAY-DOH Day, Hasbro Inc., a leading toy and game company, today announces PLAY-DOH Kids Can, an all-new campaign that empowers kids to harness their imagination as a superpower. With the mission of providing limitless resources to make imagination accessible and fun for all, the PLAY-DOH brand encourages boundless, open-ended play to equip kids with the imaginative power to turn dreams into reality and mistakes into possibilities.
As part of the PLAY-DOH Kids Can initiative, the brand launches PLAY-DOH Imagination Curriculum for families and educators in the U.S. and Canada. Rolling out this month through multi-channel in-person and digital programming experiences, the new educational materials have been developed by leaders in play and imagination, whose experience spans more than 40 years of expertise in qualitative research, inclusive design and creative arts. The Imagination Curriculum is the real-world application of the PLAY-DOH Kids Can campaign, guided by rigorous insights with a mission to overcome the restrictions society places on creative play to empower future generations with the confidence to explore and express their imaginations.
“The PLAY-DOH Imagination Curriculum is inspired by a variety of inputs gleaned from our ‘Imagination is a Superpower’ research that further underscores the importance of the PLAY-DOH mission - to elevate the value of imagination. Kids today are up against several imagination barriers like stress, judgment, and distraction which can lead to ‘growing out’ of their imaginations too quickly,” said Tamara Grindrod, Senior Vice President, Creativity & PLAY-DOH Brand at Hasbro. “This program provides an easy-to-use guide for kids and adults to exercise their imaginations and individuality through a variety of quick, fun activities that encourage open-ended play, whether at home, at school, or anywhere you can bring a can of PLAY-DOH compound.”
With activities ranging from 5-15 minutes, the PLAY-DOH Imagination Curriculum includes step-by-step guides for parents and educators to seamlessly present each project to kids through detailed instructions, structured scripts and options for extending each lesson plan. With engaging activities like Funny Hats, Canned Creatures and Music Monsters, little ones can freely express themselves by creating their own sculptures and characters using PLAY-DOH compounds – sparking open-ended play that celebrates everyone’s unique imagination. Download an example of a curriculum booklet here to learn more.
“Imagination is one of the most exciting and sophisticated skills humans possess, but often it can go unexplored, preventing us from reaping the full benefits it offers us. Like any skill, imagination responds to being challenged, stimulated and strengthened!” said Emma Worrollo, founder of Playful Den and a PLAY-DOH Imagination Coach who assisted in the curriculum development. “This is the aim of the PLAY-DOH Imagination Curriculum: to provide fun games and ideas specifically designed to stretch and shape the imagination in a variety of different directions.”
In schools, imagination is not often perceived as a critical skill for children’s development; however, research and insights show that teaching and practicing the use of imagination in classrooms can greatly help kids build fundamental skills like problem solving, independent thinking, confidence and more. This is why the PLAY-DOH brand is bringing the Imagination Curriculum to hundreds of classrooms across Canada and the United States. Through this school programming, educators will have the tools necessary to bring imagination into classrooms in simple, fun and structured ways.
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Beginning this month in Canada, Syllabus Partners will distribute the PLAY-DOH learning materials to 750 educators for classroom lesson considerations, along with 18,750 children as their take home booklet to practice at home.
- “When Syllabus Partners offered ECEs across Canada the PLAY-DOH curriculum, we received over 1,000 applications to the program in less than 24 hours,” said Michael Sheasgreen, President and Publisher of Syllabus Partners. “To us, it’s clear: imagination is a key building block of early childhood development, and the PLAY-DOH brand is the perfect partner.”
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Starting November in the U.S., the PLAY-DOH Imagination Curriculum will impact 400,000 students across Title 1 schools through the non-profit organization, First Book. Providing nearly two million cans of PLAY-DOH compound and the curriculum booklet to schools across the country, which includes educator scripts on how to facilitate activities. The curriculum will also be uploaded and published on school websites where educators can download directly.
- “At First Book, we know that creativity and individuality are nurtured in an environment that brings together imagination, play, and learning, empowering children to think big and bring their dreams to life. The Imagination Curriculum classroom activities spark inspiration, self-expression, and hands-on skill-building to support children’s development,” said Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book. “With a generous donation of PLAY-DOH compound from Hasbro, First Book is thrilled to spearhead the launch of this innovative PLAY-DOH pilot program. Our work is informed by the expertise and experience of more than 600,000 educators in our Network nationwide, and this program will bring joy and play into the lives of more than 400,000 students.”
Families are also able to enjoy imagination, activity-based content on PLAY-DOH’s social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Pinterest) as well as the newly relaunched shop.hasbro.com/play-doh. Content features access to educational materials, engaging activities and visibility into the study, “Imagination is a Superpower,” which led to the development of the PLAY-DOH Imagination Curriculum.
About Hasbro
Hasbro is a leading toy and game company whose mission is to entertain and connect generations of fans through the wonder of storytelling and exhilaration of play. Hasbro delivers play experiences for fans of all ages around the world, through toys, games, licensed consumer products, digital games and services, location-based entertainment, film, TV, and more. With a portfolio of over 1,800 iconic brands including MAGIC: THE GATHERING, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, Hasbro Gaming, NERF, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH and PEPPA PIG, as well as premier partner brands, Hasbro brings fans together wherever they are, from tabletop to screen.
Hasbro is guided by our Purpose to create joy and community for all people around the world, one game, one toy, one story at a time. For more than a decade, Hasbro has been consistently recognized for its corporate citizenship, including being named one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media, one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute and one of the 50 Most Community-Minded Companies in the U.S. by the Civic 50. For more information, visit https://corporate.hasbro.com or @Hasbro on LinkedIn.
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