Looking for some fun playdough activities? Here are lots of ideas with playdough for kids to build, create, learn and play.
Updated January 2024
There’s so much potential with homemade playdough and it is a consistent art material that our kids are drawn to over and over again.
Maybe you’d like some fun ideas with playdough for your kids to explore.
Here’s a list packed full of playdough activities for toddlers and preschoolers to build, play and learn with playdough.
Check out this video full of creative playdough ideas, and then keep scrolling for even more fun ideas. And don’t miss The Artful Parent go-to homemade playdough: our cooked recipe for playdough and our no cook recipe.
7 Toddler Play Ideas with Playdough
1. Playdough dress up with plastic toys (from Redviolet Studio). Gather up some plastic animals and kids can give them a whole new look!
2. Playdough poke-ins to make all kinds of prickly creatures. Try toothpicks, straws, pipe cleaners, marker caps, googly eyes––all are fun to press in for kids.
3. Rolling snakes is fun but how about these adorable snails? (from Mother Natured)
4. Stamp playdough (from Little Mainer Art Studio)
5. Playdough sculptures + loose parts (from Redviolet Studio)
6. Learn to use scissors with this playdough activity for toddlers (from Modern Preschool)
7. Pretend play animal setup (from Redviolet Studio)
8 Preschool Play Ideas with Playdough
1. Make a forest diorama.
2. Open a bakery! (from Little Mainer Art Studio) Set out muffin tins, rolling pins, cookie cutters, pony beads/sequins & candles.
3. Create an adorable cactus garden (from Redviolet Studio)
4. Play chef (from Creation Space)
5. Build playdough volcanoes and create eruptions with baking soda & vinegar!
6. Set up a playdough play tray for small world play
7. These playdough pizzas are cute enough to eat (from Nurture Store)
8. Build playdough towers with pasta (from Redviolet Studio)
9 Playdough Activities for Kindergartners
1. Write messages in playdough (from Little Mainer Art Studio)
2. And another fun alphabet stamping option (from Kindergarten Works)
3. Sculpt scenes with playdough on a tray (from CreationSpace)
4. Write Letters with Playdough (from No Time For Flash Cards)
5. Explore the layers of our planet with colorful Earth balls.
6. Build spaghetti towers by stringing beads on dried spaghetti (from Glitter on a Dime)
7. Try color mixing with playdough (from At the Butterfly Ball)
8. Create pictures in playdough with LEGO prints
9. Build structures using playdough and sticks (from Fireflies and Mud Pies)
5 Ideas for Homemade Playdough
1. Add in a beautiful nature element with petal playdough!
2. Whip up a batch of edible play doh.
3. Make your playdough glow with this recipe (from TinkerLab)
4. Make galaxy playdough & add in space toys (from Redviolet Studio)
5. Mix your own natural dyes into playdough (from The Imagination Tree)
4 Playdough Gift Ideas
Kids love playdough for gifts and it’s so fun to create playdough kits by season, holiday or based on your child’s interest.
1. Here’s how to make a playdough snowman for winter time.
2. Make some Christmas playdough that looks like candy canes!
3. Make a rainbow playdough kit (from the Kindergarten Connection)
4. Playdough party favors (from eighteen25)
More Playdough Activities for Kids
- The BEST Cooked Recipe for Playdough
- How to Make Playdough for Kids
- Our Favorite Playdough Play Ideas for Kids
- 3 Homemade Playdough Recipes for Kids
- How to Set Up a Playdough Play Tray
- Playdough Pretend Play Ideas
Want even more Sensory Exploration fun?
Check out our Sensory Creativity Pack!
This 30-page printable eBook is stuffed full of sensory play fun! An ultimate guide to sensory play, complete with our favorite recipes and tips for success!
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