Never underestimate the power of Play-Doh, especially for little boys who learn best by using their hands.  Let's face it, Play-Doh is a lot of fun!  It's squishy and soft and able to be maneuvered into any shape imaginable.   So, why not use it as a learning tool? 

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My 5 year old will resist doing school work because he sees a lot of it as pretty boring stuff.  But put a ball of Play-Doh in his hands, and school work is the furthest thing from his mind.  Then, challenge him to make the letters of the alphabet with his Play-Doh, and you've got a fun game on your hands!  Better yet, ask him to add different beginning letters to endings such as "at" or "ag" ... and make a game out of seeing how many different words he can create! 

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When it's all said and done, he has had a whole lesson in Phonics while PLAYING.  And ya know what the best part is?  Spending time together, and having a lot of fun doing so.