Playdoh Alphabet Mats

I love incorporating hands on alphabet activities into my classroom.  Little learners need these opportunities to truly interact with letters if we expect them to learn the letter.  Playdoh Alphabet Mats are a great to let preschoolers and kindergartners practice letter formation in a fun way.

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Prepping Your Letter Mats

Because these mats will be used again and again, there are two things I do to be sure they are durable.  First, I print them on Astrobrights card stock.  Card stock is much thicker than standard colored paper, and I want my mats to have enough weight to hold up to lots of use!

Next, I laminate them with thicker laminating film.  Again, I want them to be as sturdy as possible so they can be used again and again.  Plus, when children are scraping the playdoh back off, I don’t want the mats to bend and crinkle.

 

Here are the products I recommend for prepping your Alphabet Playdoh Mats.  Please read my disclosure about affiliate links.

             

The Best Playdoh for your Letter Mats

While you can use any playdoh, I personally love homemade playdoh for my classroom.  It’s more pliable, lasts longer, and doesn’t seem to dry out as fast.  Plus, you can make it in so many fun colors, add essential oils for scents, add glitter, and more!  My favorite playdoh recipe can be found HERE.

For children who can handle more of a hand workout, you could even use modeling clay.  Either way, playdoh and clay are both great for building dexterity and hand strength which will promote fine motor skills!

 

Setting Up Your Alphabet Playdoh Station

Now it’s time to invite little learners to use this hands on alphabet center!  You may add it to your alphabet center, writing center, fine motor center, or even your art center.

Teach students how to roll the playdoh to make snakes and balls.  Those are the two basic shapes they’ll need to work with to make the letters.

I also remind students that they can simply lay the playdoh shapes on top of the mat.  No need to actually smash it into the mat!  This little tip makes clean up a lot easier.  Otherwise, you may have to scrape leftover playdoh off the mat or use Windex to get it off!

 

The FREE playdoh alphabet mats are located in my FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY.  Sign up for the library and you’ll get this plus dozens of other FREE printables!

 

Looking for MORE Hands on Alphabet Activities? Check these out:

• Magnetic Letter Activities
• Hands on Alphabet Activities
• DIY Feely Letters Tutorial
• Best Youtube Alphabet Videos

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