With daily Dough Disco™ a child’s brain learns to control the fingers a lot quicker.
Dough Disco™ is a fine muscle exercise that Shonette invented when she realised the children in her class were struggling to write letters. She studied information on brain development and found the fingers are one of the last things the brain controls during child development.
A group of neuro developmental practioners called INPP do an exercise with older children called tapping. It’s simply tapping the fingers in a certain order, some quite complex, on the table in front of them. She enjoyed it as much as the children and it started the growth of Dough Disco. She used dough because everyone loves dough and disco, the music stimulates our ‘happiness chemicals’ which in turn impact on memory.
Dough Disco™ has no age limit because fine muscle needs exercise just like gross muscles.
Our YouTube Channel – “Spread The Happiness TV” is full of Dough Disco™ resources that your class can sing and follow along to.
Grab your dough, turn up the music and get those fingers MOVING!
Welcome to the home of Dough Disco™, created by Shonette Bason and loved by children, teachers, Early Years practitioners and families around the world.
Whether you are completely new to Dough Disco or you are already squeezing, rolling, poking and dancing your way through the week, you will find everything you need right here.
Discover official Dough Disco resources, books, playdough, classroom activities and training designed to help you bring even more movement, fun and happiness into learning.
Ready to get started? Explore our Dough Disco resources today!
Want to bring Dough Disco into your nursery, school, classroom or home?
We have got you covered!
Our Dough Disco collection has been created to give teachers, practitioners and parents simple, exciting ways to engage children.
Choose from our specially created Disco Dough, Dough Disco books, themed activities, downloadable resources and complete sets packed with ideas.
You can start small or go for the whole Dough Disco experience.
All you need to do is choose your resources and get ready to DISCO!
Every Dough Disco needs one very important ingredient.
DOUGH!
Our official Disco Dough Packs contain our very own playdough, created with a consistency that is perfect for Dough Disco while still being brilliant for everyday playdough activities.
Squeeze it. Roll it. Squash it. Poke it. Dance with it!
Our packs are a great choice for Early Years settings, nurseries, schools and anyone looking to make Dough Disco part of their regular routine.
The tubs also feature secure screw lids to help keep your dough fresher and ready for the next disco.
Need some inspiration for your next Dough Disco?
Our Dough Disco books are packed with moves, themes and ideas to keep those fingers busy.
There are individual books available, as well as sets for teachers and settings that want to build a larger collection of Dough Disco activities.
Take your children on different adventures while continuing to practise Dough Disco movements, with themes ranging from dinosaurs and superheroes to pirates, space and Christmas.
Who said exercising your fingers had to be boring?
Definitely not us!
Want LOTS of Dough Disco in one place?
The BIG Book of Dough Disco brings the Dough Disco strategy together into one fantastic resource.
It includes step-by-step guidance on how to Dough Disco, information about fine motor skills, a progressive Dough Disco strategy, seven books and flash cards.
It’s ideal for practitioners who want more than a couple of activities and are ready to make Dough Disco part of their Early Years or classroom provision.
Dough ready?
Music ready?
Let’s GO!
We know teachers don’t need more complicated things added to their day.
You need resources you can actually USE.
Our Dough Disco range is designed to help practitioners bring short, energetic fine-motor activities into their settings without adding another huge planning job.
Use our books to discover different moves and themes, follow activities using classroom resources or get everybody moving together with Dough Disco videos.
Whether you’re working with a small Early Years group or getting a whole class involved, there are plenty of ways to make Dough Disco work for your setting.
Put Dough Disco on the BIG screen!
Our Dough Disco Whiteboard Resource E-Book gives practitioners another easy way to bring Dough Disco into the classroom.
It is perfect for creating a whole-group activity where children can follow along together.
Put it on the whiteboard, get your dough ready and start moving those fingers.
Simple!
Love Dough Disco and want to understand how to use it effectively in your setting?
Take your knowledge further with Dough Disco training and accreditation from Spread the Happiness.
Our How to Teach Dough Disco training explores the history of Dough Disco, why it is used, planning and progression, and how practitioners can continue developing activities throughout the academic year.
You’ll also find demonstrations of Dough Disco moves and classroom videos to help you put what you’ve learned into practice.
Practitioners can work towards becoming a Dough Disco Accredited Teacher, giving them the knowledge and confidence to make Dough Disco a regular part of their setting.
Because this is where Dough Disco began!
Shonette Bason invented Dough Disco™ after recognising that children in her class were struggling with writing and seeking a fun way to support the physical skills involved.
From that original idea grew the Dough Disco that teachers, practitioners and children now know and love.
When you choose resources directly from Spread the Happiness, you’re accessing Dough Disco materials created by the people behind Spread the Happiness.
No boring worksheets.
No sitting around waiting for little hands to magically become stronger.
We want children MOVING.
We want them PLAYING.
And we definitely want them smiling!
What is all this squeezing, rolling and dancing actually about?
We’ve created a complete guide explaining what Dough Disco is, including how it works, the basic Dough Disco moves, who created it, and how it can be part of children’s journey towards mark-making and writing.
Then come straight back here when you’re ready to start your own!
Want to see Dough Disco in action?
Head over to Spread the Happiness TV, home of Dough Disco and the Squiggle Early Writing Programme.
You’ll find follow-along Dough Disco videos you can use with children at school or at home.
Get your dough. Choose your video. Turn up the volume. And off you GO!
Teachers don’t get to have ALL the fun.
Parents and carers can bring Dough Disco home too!
Our books, dough and free videos make it easy to get started without needing specialist equipment or complicated instructions.
It can be a brilliant opportunity to get away from screens, put on some music, and enjoy doing something together.
You may even find the grown-ups getting too competitive about their Dough Disco moves.
You have been warned!
Whether you’re introducing Dough Disco to your Early Years setting for the first time, refreshing your classroom resources or looking for new moves and activities, we’ve got plenty to keep those fingers moving.
Discover official:
Choose the resources that work for you and bring a little more movement, music and HAPPINESS into your day.
Dough ready?
Hands ready?
Music ON?
LET’S GO TO THE DOUGH DISCO!
Dough disco involves moulding play dough in time to music and performing different actions such as rolling it into a ball, flattening it, putting each individual finger into the dough, rolling it into a sausage and squeezing it. Our books and YouTube videos have lots of examples of all the different themed moves you can do.
Children and adults need to have strong muscles in their hands to enable them to write effectively. This is exercise for the fingers to improve fine motor control and gross motor skills. Doing these simple, fun exercises will help your child prepare for writing. Dough Disco can also be used to develop finger dexterity for people with health conditions or impairments.
It has no age limit and is used to exercise fine muscle in all ages. It has been used in schools, homes and old peoples homes.
Shonette is the inventor of Dough Disco. She has created a whole range of resources both free and paid that are available through our website and our YouTube channel "Spread The Happiness TV".
Looking for ways to combat boredom with your children at home? Dough Disco is a great activity for children and parents. It combines learning and playful fun with loads of YouTube follow-along videos to get you going from scratch up to some of our more advanced moves.
Encourage creativity, develop the muscles needed for early mark making and writing and make some wonderful memories for the whole family – Dough Disco will help you with all these things!
