I love an easy prep teaching tool and this is one of those. These playdough letter mats are a fun way for young children to work with letters of the alphabet. The alphabet playdoh mats are the perfect way to practice letter recognition, letter sounds, and letter formation.
This alphabet activity can be included in a literacy center or it is a great tool for preschool teachers to use as a part of their letter of the week curriculum. Print the set of alphabet play dough mats onto card stock and laminate for durability. You can also cover them with page protectors. Add a scented playdough to enhance the sensory experience. We love this calming lavender playdough recipe.
Playdough activities are great fine motor skill practice and are a great way to strengthen hand muscles and finger muscles which are important for writing. This is a fun activity for young kids. You can even learn about famous artists while playing with playdough with these Picasso playdough mats.
Playful Ways to use the Play Dough Mats
Rolling the play dough and connecting it to form each letter of the alphabet is so much fun and helps with correct letter formation. This is an easy way to practice making uppercase letters.
You could also use dry erase markers to write each capital letter if the mats are laminated or covered with a sheet protector.
Use loose parts to form each letter such as pom poms, buttons, mini erasers, gems, or blocks. Line up the small pieces in the white space of the letter to form it. I love to do this and change up the loose parts for the season or holiday that is approaching. Dollar stores have mini erasers that work well because they don’t slide off the mat.
Targeted Skills
- letter identification
- letter names
- phonemic awareness
- letter sounds
- fine motor skills
Print Your Free Printable Play Dough Mats
Easy Play Doh Recipes
It is ok to buy playdough from the store! If you want to make your own or add a scent to yours, follow one of these awesome play dough recipes.
Homemade Play Dough from The Activity Mom
No Cook Playdoh from Little Bins for Little Hands
3 Ingredient No Cook Playdough from Twin Mom Refreshed
More Play Dough Mats
Does your child love play dough mats? Check out more mats to have fun working with play doh! Working with dough is so beneficial for fine motor skills, you can’t play with it enough so use these printables to extend your child’s play.
Number Play Dough Mats from 123 Homeschool 4 Me – These number mats can be used to form numbers and to practice counting.
Play Dough Mats organized by season from The Activity Mom
Roll a Rainbow Dice Playdough Mat from Crafts on Sea
Play-Doh Smash Game from The Activity Mom
More Alphabet Activities
Are you ready for more free printable alphabet activities? Here are some of our favorites to get you started.
Preschool Letter Worksheets from A to Z
Cars Alphabet Matching Activity
Very Hungry Caterpillar Alphabet Matching
From alphabet play dough mats and homemade playdough recipes to play dough games and more alphabet activities, we hope you will find the perfect activity for your preschooler to make learning fun!