Holiday Playdough Mats
These holiday themed playdough mats help kids develop fine motor skills and are great for kids in Preschool, PreK and Kindergarten. The playdough activities focus on Valentine’s Day, Easter, Saint Patrick’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, President’s Day (Patriotic) and Back to School time!
No Cook Playdough Recipe
Here’s one of my favorite ways of making playdough. This particular recipe is safest carried out by an adult, due to the use of hot water.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 cup salt
- 4 tablespoons cream of tartar
- 2 cups of hot water
- 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- Food coloring (optional)
Instructions:
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the salt and cream of tartar.
- Prepare Wet Ingredients: Get an adult to pour in the hot water and vegetable oil. Then give the ingredients a stir.
- Combine: Gradually stir in the flour until a dough starts to form. Be very careful with the hot water.
- Knead the Dough: Once the mixture cools down a bit and is safe to touch, knead it on a flat surface until it becomes smooth and consistent.
- Cool Down: Let the dough cool completely.
- Add the Food Coloring: I usually wear gloves to knead in the food coloring. Keep kneading the playdough until it’s the color you want. If it’s too sticky, you can knead in a bit more flour. I find a little bit of extra oil helps make the dough extra soft too.
- Store Properly: Keep the playdough in an airtight container to maintain its softness.
Tips
- Double the mixture if you’re making this for school.
- Use gel food coloring if you have some available, it doesn’t mess with the consistency of the playdough as much as the liquid coloring.
Holiday Themed Playdough Mats
The following playdough activities are a fun way for kids to develop fine motor skills whilst also learning about various celebrations. The pictures are in black and white so you can use any color playdough you like. There’s also a color example in the top right hand corner which kids may like to copy if they have access to the little tubs of colored playdough.
Preparation – Start by printing and laminating the mats for added durability. Alternatively, put them inside a dry erase pocket sleeve. Then grab some playdough and you’re all set!
How to Play – First choose a mat and name the picture. Then squish, roll and shape the dough with your hands to make the item.
Valentine’s Day Activities
<< Find these Valentine’s Day activities here >>
Saint Patrick’s Day Activities
<< Get these Saint Patrick’s Day activities here >>
Easter Activities
<< Learn more about these Easter activities here >>
Halloween Activities
<< Grab these Halloween activities here >>
Thanksgiving Activities
<< Get these Thanksgiving activities here >>
Christmas Activities
<< Find these Christmas activities here >>
Back to School Activities
<< Get these Back to School activities here >>
President’s Day and Patriotic Activities
<< Learn more about these Patriotic and President’s Day activities here>>
I hope you find these playdough mats helpful. You can grab them as part of a discounted bundle. Click the download button below to learn more.
More Fine Motor Activities
<< Learn more about these holiday fine motor activities here >>
<< Get these Christmas fine motor activities here >>
<< Grab these FREE back to school activities here>>