When you need a quick activity, playdough is the way to go! These awesome playdough activities are a perfect match for our homemade playdough recipes. From letters and numbers to self-portraits and life cycles, there are many ways to explore sensory play through playdough with creative projects.
The Benefits Of Playdough
Playdough is excellent for many reasons! It is a great sensory tool for hands-on early learning activities like letters, numbers, and colors.
Playdough is also great for muscle strength for little hands getting ready to write. It is relaxing to knead, roll, stretch, flatten, pound, and whatever else is fun! It adapts to themes like a charm. Playdough loves to pretend, create, build, imagine, and discover.
Don’t forget socio-emotional development! Playdough activities can help kids learn about who they are, their feelings, and how to interact and what to expect from others during play!
Because of all these great developmental aspects of play dough, I like to pull it out and give it a fun theme twist. I hope you enjoy these fun playdough activities anyone can do!
Note: You can enjoy the benefits of these playdough activities with store-bought play dough too!
Our Favorite Playdough Recipes
Sometimes a simple playdough recipe is all you need! But if you want make something different for your kids to play with, here are a few playdough recipes that are fun tor try!
- Apple Playdough
- Jello Playdough
- Kool-Aid Playdough
- Pumpkin Pie Playdough
- Cornstarch Playdough
- Edible Peanut Butter Playdough
- Applesauce Playdough
- Frosting Playdough
Free Printable Playdough Activity Guide
Download this free playdough activity guide to extend the fun of your playdough-making session. Print and laminate for a fun playdough activity anytime.
Simple Things To Do With Playdough
Have a ball of homemade playdough? (See our favorite no-cook playdough recipe!) Then there are a few playdough activities and games to get you started.
Watch the video for our #1 Playdough Recipe
Playdough Science Activities
Add science theme playdough mats to your preschool science lessons. Or set up simple themed trays to explore parts of an apple or pumpkin. Turn play into simple hands-on learning!
- Parts of An Apple Playdough Activity
- Parts of a Pumpkin Playdough Activity
- Build an Atom Playdough Activity
Printable Playdough Mats
Add all of these free playdough mats to your early-learning activities! Print and laminate them so you can use them again and again! Laminate or put into a page protector for long lasting use!
- What Do Flowers Need Playdough Mats
- Recycling Playdough Mat
- Flowers Playdough Mat Bundle
- In the Garden Playdough Mats
Bug Playdough Mats
Learn all about bugs and their life cycle with these bug playdough mats. Make the parts of a bug with playdough.
Pond Life Playdough Mats
These playdough mats are a terrific opportunity to add spring science to your playtime! Explore typical pond life items and build your playdough pond mats at home!
Encourage creativity and let the playdough fun extend past the mats. Roll out a base of blue playdough for a pond and create an entire pond life scene using the mats for inspiration.
Weather Playdough Mats
For a simple weather activity for toddlers, preschoolers, or kindergarteners, create the weather from playdough with our free printable weather playdough mats.
Playdough Art Activities
You can easily add playful art projects to your playdough activities and even explore famous artists! Or try a self-portrait made out of play dough. We also have a printable Famous Artist Playdough Activity Pack.
- Salvador Dali Playdough Activity
- Picasso Pumpkins Playdough Activity
- Self-Portrait Playdough Activity
- Picasso Playdough Mats
Playdough Math Activities
Playdough is a fantastic math manipulative and can be used in various ways!
Practice Fractions
Looking for a hands-on way to demonstrate and practice fractions? Try this free pumpkin pie-themed playdough mat pack!
Add Dice
Turn your playdough into a counting activity and add dice. Roll and place the correct amount of items on rolled-out playdough. Try these free numbers 1-10 monkey math mats.
Use Number Stamps
Add number playdough stamps and pair them with the number of items to practice numbers 1-10 or 1-20.
Sorting Game
Make a sorting activity. Roll out the soft playdough into different circles. Next, mix up the items in a small container. Then, have the kids sort the items by color or size or type to the different playdough shapes using the tweezers!
Big or Small
Challenge kids to create different size playdough balls and order them in the correct size! Use vocabulary words such as least and greatest.
More or Less
Similar to the above challenge, try a more or less challenge. Roll playdough balls and place several balls on a paper plate. Next, roll out either fewer or more balls than what is on the plate and place them on a separate plate. Then ask your kids which plate has less or more!
Playdough Alphabet
Add letter stamps, plastic Scrabble tiles, beads to a tray, and homemade playdough. Practice letter recognition, spell your name, or practice sight words. Add this free alphabet playdough mat bundle to your learning time!
Playdough Fine Motor Practice
Use Tongs
Mix small items into your playdough and add a pair of kid-safe tweezers or tongs for them to find things with.
Or roll out various playdough balls and have kids use tongs to transfer them to a container!
Scissor Skills
Use kid-safe playdough scissors to practice cutting the playdough into pieces.
Cookie Cutters
Using cookie cutters to cut out shapes is great for little fingers!
Playdough Building (STEM)
Set out an assortment of building materials with your playdough for open-ended free play! Encourage simple engineering and problem-solving skills.
Add toothpicks and roll up “mini balls” out of the playdough and use them along with the toothpicks to create 2D and 3D structures (free printable cards)
Learn About Colors With Playdough
Add a few drops of food coloring to small pieces of plain homemade play dough. Mix it through! Great for little hands! See more fun color activities!
Explore the Senses with Playdough
Use Kool-Aid or Jello to give playdough a fruity smell and fun colors! Kids can explore 3 of the 5 senses, including sight, touch, and smell!
Playdough Nature Activities
Take your playdough outside and go on a backyard scavenger hunt to find cool things to press into homemade playdough like this no-cook playdough recipe. Kids will love examining the impressions left behind. Grab a magnifying glass too.
Playdough Shapes Activities
Add playdough to these shape mats! What a fantastic early learning activity for Pre-K, Kindergarten, or 1st grade!
Fun Theme Playdough Activities To Try
Dinosaur Discovery Table
We included a batch of homemade play dough with our dinosaur theme unit. Great for making a dinosaur fossil or two!
Dr Seuss Playdough
Turn your playdough into an activity for the book Ten Apples Up On Top by Dr. Seuss! Challenge your kids to roll up 10 apples out of playdough and stack them 10 apples tall! See more ideas for 10 Apples Up On Top here.
Roll A Rainbow Playdough Game
Grab a die and give it a roll! Match the number to the color and build a rainbow with this free printable rainbow playdough game.
Animal Theme Playdough
Practice those fine motor skills and find all the zoo items hidden in the playdough! Not sure what to use, add perler or pony beads!
Roll a Skeleton Playdough Game
Grab a die and get ready to create a skeleton with this free printable skeleton playdough game.
Winter Playdough Activity
Use playdough to count icicles for a winter math activity perfect for preschool and kindergarten!
Playdough Valentines
Add a fun Valentine’s twist to your playdough activities! Make a batch of pink playdough and have fun with a few playdough accessories.
Christmas Cookie Cutter Activity
Similar to our zoo theme playdough activity above, practice fine motor skills by making some playdough cookies with Christmas theme cookie cutters and Christmas sensory items. You can even add free printable ten frame math mats
Gingerbread Man Play
Make a gingerbread man tray filled with wonderful Christmas scents. Let your kids have fun baking!
Playdough Pretend Play Activities
Here we used our edible playdough recipe and a fun baking theme for creative playdough play that encourages socio-emotional development as well as fine motor skills.
Printable Playdough Project Pack
If you want an easy-to-use printable resource for all your favorite playdough recipes and exclusive (only available in this pack) playdough mats, grab our printable Playdough Project Pack! Learn how to make our favorite homemade playdough recipes and find a variety of exclusive hands-on learning playdough mats.
