Last Updated on July 9, 2023 by Sheryl Cooper
Inside: Put together playdough learning activities with this fun collection. Over 15 different ways to build skills with toddlers and preschoolers.
Toddlers and preschoolers love working with playdough. There’s so much squeezing, pressing, poking, and rolling going on. While they are having fun with their creations, they are building important skills, such as fine motor and pre-writing.
But did you know there are even more benefits when young children are engaged in playdough learning activities?
In this collection I’ve found over 15 playdough learning activities that include fine motor, science, math, literacy, art, color, nature … and more!
I’ve also included one of my most popular free playdough counting mats – scroll down to find the link to the pdf!
Scroll down to find my favorite playdough recipe!
Playdough Learning Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers
While searching for different ways we could use playdough, I found over 15 fun hands-on activities. I’ve categorized them by the primary skills they are building. Simply click on the links to find the details of each playdough learning activity.
Fine Motor: Squeezing Playdough
Fine Motor: Triangle Shapes Fine Motor Fun
STEM: STEM Playdough Activity with Legos
Visual Processing: Playdough Press
Shapes: Shape Playdough Mats (Free Printable)
Shapes: Playdough Shapes Building Challenge
Numbers: Exploring Numbers with Playdough
Counting: Montessori Play Dough Poke
Literacy: Elmer the Elephant Activity
Literacy: Dragons Love Tacos Activity
Literacy: Learning Your Name Playdough Puzzles
Art: Playdough Pictures
Pretend Play: Birthday Celebration
Pretend Play: Chocolate Playdough Cookie Shop
Colors: Easy Homemade Playdough Recipe
Colors: Color Surprise Playdough
Nature: Building with Sticks and Playdough
My Favorite Stovetop Playdough
Notes
How long your playdough lasts depends on how much it is used, and by how many children each day. We usually keep the same batch for the duration of a theme (2 weeks) and then change it. But it definitely can last longer than that.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 cup salt
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 cups water
- 1 or 2 packages of unsweetened Kool-Aid for coloring (If you don’t have Kool-Aid, you can use food coloring or Wilton’s icing gel)
Instructions
- Add flour and cream of tartar together in a bowl. Mix with a whisk or spoon.
- Place a pot on the stovetop and add water, salt, oil, and food coloring.
- Turn on the stovetop’s burner and stir as the salt starts to dissolve.
- With the heat still on, add the flour and cream of tarter, small amounts at a time.
- Keep stirring everything with the heat on until it all comes together and starts to lift from the bottom of the pot.
- Turn heat off and let it cool a bit so it’s not burning hot. (You don’t want to burn your hands when you knead it!)
- Carefully take the pot with the playdough and tip it, dumping the playdough onto your countertop (or other flat surface).
- If it’s still a bit too warm to touch, let it cool some more.
- Knead the playdough on a flat surface until it feels like a soft ball. (You can do this on top of waxed paper if desired.)
- If it feels a bit dry, you can add some oil to your hands while kneading.
- It it feels too sticky, I’ve found that usually means I didn’t cook it long enough. You can put it back into the pot with some heat for a couple of minutes and see if that helps.
- Let your ball of playdough cool and then store in a sealable gallon size plastic bag or other airtight container.
Looking for an easy homemade playdough recipe? Check out this NO COOK method!
More to Read
Purpose of Playing with Playdough (Michigan State University)
Free Printable Playdough Counting Mats
Click on the photo below for the link to the activity and free printable:
More Fun Activities
10+ Toilet Paper Roll Activities
10 Pom Pom Learning Activities
How to Build Fine Motor Skills Using Household Utensils
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