We are slightly obsessed with play dough here. I made six different colors last week just because we wanted some fresh dough to play with. I love that it works so well for learning so many different things! Today we had fun exploring shapes with play dough for the #ToolsforLearning Challenge. Join us on Instagram and share your favorite play dough learning activities with the hashtag #toolsforlearning.
Tools you’ll need
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
This is an incredibly simple activity.
Just like all of our activities.
Get a full-year of math activities
A full-year of kindergarten math activities: perfect for small groups, partner activities and independent centers.
Let’s just say that I have been insanely busy lately and if an activity takes more than 2 minutes to set up, it hasn’t been making the cut.
We already had the shape cards printed and prepped from the Silly Shapes Matching Game, so I just grabbed a set (there are picture only or picture-word cards) along with the foam shapes that we picked up at the dollar spot at the beginning of the school year.
If you don’t have matching foam shapes you could cut shapes out of cardboard as a substitute.
To make it extra fun, we mixed up the cards and then put them face-down on the desk. Jaida, my 8-year-old selected a card from the top of the pile.
Then, she found the matching foam shape and placed it on the play dough.
She tried pressing it in with her hands. (I may have selected a firm play dough on purpose….shhh…. don’t tell her that!)
Then, she used the rolling pin to press it into the play dough.
She’s really needed some work on her arm muscles and fine-motor skills, so this was a sneaky way of getting her to do that.
I wondered if the activity would be boring to her since she’s in 2nd grade, but she had a lot of fun with it! I think the silly faces on the shape cards got her excited about learning!
Some of our Favorite Shape Books for Kids:
We can’t live without these!
Once your child’s creativity is sparked with this fun activity, take it a step further with these engaging resources:
My First SHAPES Padded Board Book
Round Is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes (A Latino Book of Concepts)Tangled: A Story About ShapesMouse ShapesShapesShape by ShapeCaptain Invincible and the Space Shapes (MathStart 2)Circle, Square, MooseThis Is a Book of ShapesPerfect Square
More from our Shop
Find even more engaging activities in the Life Over C’s shop!
Download the Silly Shape Matching Cards here.
![text saying [want more activities? Click to try these!]](https://lifeovercs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/want-more-banner.png)
More Activities You’ll Love:
- Letter Formation with Play Dough
- Bug Lab – A Fun Bugs Kids Math Game
- Learning with Play Dough Letters and First Words Flash Cards
- Play Dough and Alphabet Beads
- Simple tools for making words with play dough
- Initial Sounds with Play Dough Cutters
- Patterns and textures with Play Dough Rollers
- Phases of the Moon
- Roll and Build a Play Dough Spud
- Scissor Skills Practice with Play Dough
- Count & Smash Play Dough Math Activity
- The Ultimate DIY Play Dough Kit for Toddlers and Beyond
- Play Dough Exercise for Thumb Wrap Pencil Grasp
