Looking for some fun playdough activities for kids? Here are lots of ideas to build, create, learn and play with playdough for kids of all ages.
Updated March 2021
What to make with playdough? There’s so much potential in humble playdough and it is a consistent art material that my kids are drawn to over and over again.
Maybe you’d like some fun ideas to invite your kids to explore play with playdough. Here’s a list of playdough activities for toddlers and preschoolers to build, play and learn with playdough.
Playdough Activities for Kids
Check out this video full of creative playdough play ideas, and then keep scrolling for even more fun ideas. And don’t miss The Artful Parent go-to homemade playdough recipes for both cooked and no cook playdough.
8 Playdough Activities for Toddlers
1. Playdough dress up (from Redviolet Studio)
How fun is this idea from Catalina? Gather up some plastic animals and kids can give them a whole new look!
2. Playdough poke-ins
Poke in toothpicks to make all kinds of prickly creatures. Try 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)
Pressing things into playdough is fun for kids to see the impression left behind. These wooden stamps leave fun designs behind, but anything works!
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)
Use the lid of a big or small plastic container to press playdough into and create a pretend play setup for toddlers. Bring out some plastic animals and loose parts like corks, popsicle sticks and straws to add to the fun.
8. Make playdough monsters
This is a great playdough activity for all ages and you can certainly vary the loose parts offered depending on your child. Some fun options include: googly eyes, toothpicks, beads, pipe cleaners, cut straws and popsicle sticks.
9 Preschool Playdough Activities
1. Make a tabletop forest ecosystem
2. Open a bakery! (from Little Mainer Art Studio)
Set out muffin tins, rolling pins, cookie cutters, pony beads/sequins & candles. Kids love taking your order and whipping up playdough cupcakes, brownies, cookies and the like!
3. Create an adorable cactus garden (from Redviolet Studio)
4. Play chef (from Creation Space)
5. Build playdough volcanoes and make it erupt with a baking soda & vinegar science experiment!
6. Create 3D playdough faces
7. Create pictures in playdough with LEGO prints
8. Make playdough pizza (from Nurture Store)
9. Build playdough towers with pasta (from Redviolet Studio)
8 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. Create pictures 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. Explore color mixing with playdough (from At the Butterfly Ball)
8. Mix your own natural dyes into playdough (from The Imagination Tree)
5 Ideas for Homemade Playdough
1. Add in a beautiful nature element with petal playdough!
2. Build structures using playdough and sticks (from Fireflies and Mud Pies)
3. Whip up a batch of edible peanut butter playdough
4. Make your playdough glow with this recipe (from TinkerLab)
5. Make galaxy playdough (from Redviolet Studio)
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. Snowman in Mason jar snow globe.
2. Candy Cane playdough for Christmas!
3. Make a rainbow playdough kit (from the Kindergarten Connection)
4. Playdough party favors (from eighteen25)
More Playdough Activities for Kids
- The Artful Parent has an entire page dedicated to playdough and clay ideas for kids.
- 15+ Creative Ideas for Playdough
- More fun playdough activities for toddlers!
- A few more super fun activities with playdough for preschoolers.
Do you have any great playdough ideas for kids to add—either your own or ideas you’ve seen elsewhere? If so, please include them in the comments!
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