Today we are doing a playdough letters activity! Let’s make pre-writing fun by learning with playdough! Pre-writing activities are an important bridge between learning the alphabet and good handwriting for preschoolers, Kindergartners and even 1st graders. If your kids love playdough, these fun play doh alphabet activities are the perfect easy ideas for learning and pre-writing practice to use at home or in the classroom.
How to MAKE LETTERS with playdough
Add an educational twist to your kids playing with playdough by incorporating these pre-writing activities using various tools.
Related: Best play dough recipe, Alphabet Tracing Worksheets for Beginning Writers, and Related: 91 Educational Websites Offering Free Online Learning for Kids
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Supplies needed for Pre-Writing Activities with Play Doh
Our favorite tool to use with play dough is drinking straws. Sticking the straws into the playdough is a great sensory activity, and kids can make some pretty interesting creations this way.
Instructions for Pre-Writing play dough letters
First, use a roller to flatten out a piece of playdough on a flat surface. Now, let’s go through three different fun ways they can use the playdough to make letters or words.
1. Letter Cutting into Play Dough
Use cookie cutters of various sizes including uppercase and lower case to cut out letters. The kids can then move them around to make easy words including their name.
2. Writing Playdough Letters with Tools
Use playdough or clay plastic tools to make letters in the flattened playdough. You might want to draw the letter first on a piece of paper so your child can try to copy it.
3. Playdough Letters with Straws
- Cut straws to about one inch in length. If they are much longer they will be too easy to knock over, and your child will have a difficult time getting his or her hand into the area.
- Show your child how to insert the straws.
Craft tip: For younger kids, you can use the playdough where the letter was made using tools and push the straws into the playdough over the top of each letter.
If you push the straws deeply enough you will have a fun, lacy pattern on the back of the playdough after they are removed.
Our Experience With These playdough letters activity
My kids LOVE playdough. And so I wanted to figure out how to make playdough educational. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a sensory activity. However, I wanted it to be more. And that’s how this playdough letters activity came to life. I saw the letter magnets on the fridge and thought… hmm.
My kids loved this playdough letters activity. They cut out different letters and spelled little words and even their names! And the other activities like the straws and writing the letters in the playdough also helps with letter recognition and fine motor skills!
Prep Time
5 minutes
Active Time
30 minutes
Total Time
35 minutes
Difficulty
easy
Estimated Cost
$10
Materials
- Playdough
- Cookie cutters
- Straws
- Playdough or clay tools
Instructions
- Use tools such as cookie cutters, playdough tools, and straws as pre-writing tools to make letters in playdough.
Notes
Make sure to cut the straws into 1-inch pieces for little fingers to handle, it will make it so much easier for them.
My kids love activities with drinking straws. Previously, we’ve combined drinking straws with liquid glue to make sun catchers. My kids have had fun sticking them in my hair for a crazy up-do.
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Have you used playdough as a learning tool like our pre-writing activities? What other items have you used with playdough?