Play Dough Center Set Up Ideas

Play Dough Center Ideas

Do your kids love play dough? It you’re looking for ways to spice up your play dough center and make it more fun and exciting for your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten students, you’re in the right place! These play dough center ideas will have your little learners engaged and on-task for longer periods of time, and they’re all tied to academic standards – can I get an amen?

Play Dough Ideas for Preschool

Play Dough Center Ideas

You know how it goes, there’s never enough space in any early childhood classroom. You have lots of little bodies that need space to move and play, but not enough room to do it in.

But I encourage you to consider having a separate tub for each of the materials in your play dough center. When the materials are separated it sends the message to your children that these items are important enough to have their own space. The academic skills that young children acquire when playing with play dough are vast, it’s a powerhouse of learning and fun!

If play is the work of young children, and play dough is one of their favorite ways to do that work, then the work should be respected. Don’t you agree?

Purple Play Dough
For your play dough center, you can purchase pre-made play dough, or you can also try making your own Easy DIY Homemade Playdough Recipe. I swear by this homemade recipe I’ve used in my classroom for 20+ years.

Rolling Pins in the Play Dough Center

Play Dough Rolling Pins

Rolling pins are a must in your play dough center. It’s easy to dismiss rolling pins as dangerous or not important, but rolling pins provide opportunities for children to develop the small muscles in the palms of their hands. The palmar arch is necessary for holding a pencil and writing.

The rolling pin pictured here is one that children have to actually roll against their palms to work properly. Some rolling pins have a rolling feature that allows the child to just grip the handles. The rolling pins without this feature are the ones that will help develop the palmar arch.

Academically speaking, if young children are going to be expected to write their names or write for a purpose in kindergarten, they will need well developed muscles in their hands to do so. Providing your students with rolling pins in the play dough center directly supports the development of writing skills.

Cutting Play Dough with Plastic Scissors

Cutting Play Dough with Scissors

Scissor skills can be tough for many young children to master. If your kids struggle to hold their scissors properly and have difficulty holding and cutting the paper, listen up!

Using scissors with play dough is an excellent way for young children to practice their cutting skills in a safe environment. The cheapest, plastic scissors you can find are best for use with play dough- metal scissors will rust.

Your kids will be less frustrated when they use scissors with play dough because it’s much easier than cutting paper. The play dough provides them with a fun and non-threatening way to practice their cutting skills. Of course, cutting also exercises the muscles in their hands and fingers that will be necessary for writing.

Name Stamping Playdough Activity

Learning Letters in the Play Dough Center

Nothing could be more academic than learning how to spell your own name. These alphabet stampers from Lakeshore Learning are perfect for stamping names in dough.

The play dough doesn’t get stuck inside the stampers like it does with cookie cutters. The letters on the stampers are also more realistic looking, some alphabet cookie cutters use block fonts that are difficult for young children to recognize.

Be sure to provide name models for children to look at as they make their names. You can use name cards with the children’s names written on them.

Making People in the Play Dough Center

Making People in the Play Dough Center

Creativity and imaginative play are other important skills supported by using play dough in the classroom.

An added benefit of making people or creatures with play dough is that children will often lend voice to their creations, which is a great way to support oral language development!

The people pieces seen here are from a kit that may no longer be available; however you can use Mr. Potato Head pieces.

Cookie Cutters for the Play Dough Center

Using Cookie Cutters in the Play Dough Center

You can have some basic cookie cutters in your play dough center that you keep out year round. Then you can add thematic cookie cutters at certain times of the year to keep it interesting and exciting.

The Best Play Dough Tools

Play Dough Tools for Preschool
1. Textured Rolling Pins
2. Dough Extruders
3. Plastic Dough Scissors
4. Dough Tools
5. Cookie Cutters
6. Alphabet Dough Stampers

Play Dough Center Ideas for Preschool and Pre-K
Kids also love to use their imaginations and create with cookie cutters. They have even been known to create entire scenes from stories and then retell the stories using play dough- you can’t get more academic than that!

Play Dough Activities for Preschoolers
If you’re looking for more specific play dough activities for your little learners, then check out the Ultimate Play Dough Bundle!

More Play Dough Resources

This post was updated in 2020. I used to have a free printable with old photos from 2010 here, but it is no longer available because the photos were of such poor quality. I apologize if this has caused you any inconvenience.

10 thoughts on “Play Dough Center Set Up Ideas”

  1. I have many of these tools as well as plastic placemats for work surfaces and mats that are more used as teaching tools/skills. ie. form this letter, make this shape, show the correct amount etc.

  2. Thank you so much for your great website. My Mother and I have a in home pre-school and daycare. With long hours it is very hard to find time to plan. Thank you again for all your wonderful idea…

  3. We use play doh a lot, I like the idea of a play doh center with tools separated in their own spaces/containers. How can I find the labels like you have?

    1. Hi Doreen, Thanks for stopping by! To make labels for your tubs you can take pictures of the items and print them out, then attach to the tubs. You can also do a Google search for the images you want, then save and print.

  4. I especially appreciate that you chose to include the benefits of various materials to be used in a play dough center. So often, emergent writing activities in preschool are viewed as “just play”, but it is so important to remember that at such a young age play is how children learn, and playing with play dough is one of the best way to develop both the fine and gross motors needed to learn how to formally write. Pinned and shared on Facebook.

  5. Play Dough is a wonderful tool for learning. It is a ton of fun and it gives kids the chance to express their creativity in so many ways. I love the idea of having a play dough center. I am going to start gathering and separating our play dough toys today!

    Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!

    1. I absolutely love your site. I am new to preschool after teaching other grades for 25 years. I used your ideas to set up my centers. I just finished with the ABC center. Thank you for your HARD work!!

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