Playdough Pretend Play Ideas

Our favorite way to use playdough: as a pretend play tool! Here are some of our pretend play ideas for kids using playdough.

Updated February 2024

We don’t know about your kids, but when our kids play with playdough, it usually turns into a pretend play fest more often than simply sculpture or art.

Whether they are setting up a playdough bakery or creating a small world for their animal figures, kids love to use playdough for pretend play.

Here are 5 of our favorite pretend play ideas for playdough!

Playdough Pretend Play Ideas

1. Playdough Bakery

Whip up a batch of apple pie playdough and let your kids set up their own bakery or restaurant! All you need are a few silicone cupcake liners, buttons, beads or sequins for sprinkles, and maybe even some candles!

2. Halloween Creatures with Playdough

You can make spooky creatures any time of year, but we especially love these at Halloween! Before you get started, take a look around the house for buttons, Lego parts, beads, pipe cleaners that your kids can use to create their own playdough monsters!

3. Small World Play

Add your child’s favorite small toys or animal figurines to take the playdough play to a whole new level of small world creative play for kids. We keep these materials in a large Tupperware container with the playdough, so it’s ready whenever the kids get the urge to play.

4. Playdough Turkeys

This is the best activity for the kids table at Thanksgiving! Add some Autumnal feathers and glitter, and a dash of cinnamon to your playdough for a Fall sensory experience. 

5. Playdough Snowmen

Playdough snowmen are easy to make and fun to play with, especially when it is too cold to go out and play in the real snow!

More Pretend Play Ideas for Kids Using Playdough

• 33 Ideas with Playdough for Kids
• 3 Homemade Playdough Recipes for Kids
• How to Set Up a Playdough Play Tray
• How to Use LEGOs to Make Pictures in Playdough
• Our Favorite Playdough Play Ideas for Kids

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