Your children will have fun trying to create each of the stages of a frog’s life cycle with play dough on these fun play dough mats. Each play dough mat features a stage of frog life on the left-hand side of the mat. Your children can create their own version of each stage of the frog life cycle top of or beside each picture. They could also try to replicate the picture on the play dough mat. These mats are a great addition to a pond theme or other animal theme in your classroom.
Life Cycle Of A Frog Play Dough Activity
Print the Frog Life Cycle Play Dough Mats. If you plan on using the mats over and over again, you will want to laminate them. They will be much easier to clean and reuse that way. If you don’t have a laminator available, you can put the mats inside page protectors or cover them with clear contact plastic.
The life cycle of a frog play dough mats include photos and words of all the different parts of the life cycle a frog goes through:
- eggs
- tadpole with legs
- frog with tail
- tadpole
- frog
Homemade Play Dough
You can use store bought play dough or make homemade play dough to create the various stages of the cycle. Your children could use both green and white play dough so they can use the same colors shown in the pictures. If you are worried about your children mixing the play dough, you could just put out green play dough.
Frog Life Cycle Play Dough Mat Materials Needed:
If you like, you could put out any or all of the following for your children to use:
- Pipe cleaners
- Wiggly eyes
- Beads
- Buttons
- Cookie cutters
Your children can create their own versions of the stages or try to copy the picture displayed on the page. Keep the activity open-ended and leave this decision up to them. I tried to replicate each picture and found it a challenge. You can see my attempts in the picture. Giving your children the opportunity to create their own versions is probably the best idea.
Place the mats in your play dough center and invite your children select which stage they would like to work on. Another alternative is print out several copies of each stage stage and let your children focus on one stage at a time.
Use these mats with other resources as you talk about pond life and the frog life cycle. Read books about life cycles such as A Frog’s Life). Provide pictures or manipulatives about frogs and tadpoles. By incorporating different methods of talking about the life cycle, you will provide many different opportunities for children to explore and learn about frogs.
Also use these Frog Life Cycle activities with your preschoolers.
More Pond and Life Cycle Ideas—
Pond Theme Snack Activity
Observing Pond Water and Sink Water
5 Green Frogs Counting Activity
Books About Animal Life Cycles
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