Playdough time is always a favourite in any preschool or early learning environment — it’s hands-on, creative, and wonderfully calming.
Adding shape playdough mats to your playdough table makes this sensory activity even more meaningful.
These mats turn simple play into a chance for children to explore, recognise, and create shapes in a fun and interactive way.
Why Use Shape Playdough Mats?
Our printable Shape Playdough Mats are designed to help preschoolers learn basic shapes while strengthening fine motor skills. Each mat features a large, clear outline of a shape — such as a circle, triangle, square, and rectangle — that children can fill, roll, and mould with playdough.
Through this hands-on activity, children:
- Learn to identify and name shapes
- Practice hand–eye coordination
- Strengthen finger muscles used for writing
- Engage in creative problem-solving as they shape and fill outlines
How to Use the Mats During Playdough Time
- Print and laminate the four shape mats for durability.
- Provide children with a variety of playdough colours.
- Encourage them to roll the playdough into “snakes” or flatten it to fit into the shape outlines.
- As they play, talk about the shapes — “How many sides does the triangle have?” or “Can you make a big and small circle?”
- Invite them to decorate their shapes with small beads, buttons, or nature items like leaves for extra creativity.
Encouraging Language and Thinking Skills
Playdough time is also a wonderful opportunity to build language.
As children work, use shape words and comparison language such as:
- “Your square has four equal sides.”
- “That circle looks round and smooth.”
- “Can you make a triangle with the same number of corners?”
These conversations help children connect mathematical concepts to their everyday play.
Printable Shape Playdough Mats
Included in this free printable set are four mats featuring:
- Circle
- Triangle
- Square
- Rectangle
Print them out, laminate, and keep them ready for your playdough centre or home learning space.
Playdough shape mats are a simple yet powerful tool for playful learning. They encourage creativity while teaching early geometry in a way that feels natural and engaging.
Whether used in a classroom or at home, they make learning shapes truly hands-on and fun!
Preschool Fun with Face Masks
Character role play engages children’s imagination while teaching emotional and social skills. Free printable face masks enhance pretend play, allowing kids to explore various roles. Through role play, children develop language, confidence, and problem-solving skills. Creating themed environments encourages deeper learning about emotions and cultural awareness, enriching their creative experiences.
Animal Walk Cards: Fun Movement and Imagination Play for Preschoolers
The Animal Walk Cards are a fun, engaging resource that encourages children to inventively move like various animals. This activity promotes gross motor skills, imagination, self-regulation, social interaction, and language development. Ideal for classroom or home use, these cards facilitate joyful play while enhancing physical and emotional growth in preschoolers.
10 Social- Emotional Activities for Preschoolers
Social-emotional learning (SEL) fosters preschoolers’ emotional intelligence, confidence, and empathy through engaging activities. Ten suggested activities include using flashcards for emotions, mindfulness techniques, crafting gratitude projects, and reading emotionally resonant stories. These interactive methods promote vital skills like self-awareness, emotional regulation, and relationship-building, ensuring children develop lasting social-emotional skills.
Animal Match-Up: A Printable Game for Early Learners
The Matching Animal Halves Game enhances preschoolers’ observation, concentration, and problem-solving skills. Children match halves of animal cards, supporting visual recognition, fine motor skills, cognitive development, and language learning. It can be played as a memory game or used for discussions and storytelling, making it an engaging educational activity.
Fine Motor Fun with Lacing Cards
The Free Printable Lacing Cards are designed for young children to enhance threading skills, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor development, essential for pre-writing. To prepare, print, laminate, and hole-punch the cards, then use yarn for lacing. This activity promotes creativity, independence, and vocabulary-building in a fun, engaging manner.
Teaching Preschoolers About Money Through Play
Introducing preschoolers to money helps them grasp numbers, value, and essential life skills. Learning about coins and notes fosters counting, basic exchanges, and concepts of sharing, saving, and spending. Utilizing Free Play Money Printables enhances this learning through engaging activities like pretend shops and sorting, linking financial concepts to real-life experiences.
Creative DIY New Year’s Hats for Preschoolers
New Year’s party hats for preschoolers are vibrant, fun, and encourage creativity through DIY projects. These hats can be easily made using construction paper and simple decorations. Interactive ideas like light-up or noisemaker hats enhance excitement. Providing children with templates promotes personal expression, making celebrations memorable and engaging for young ones.
2026 New Year Tracing Activities for Preschoolers
The content introduces a set of four New Year’s themed tracing worksheets designed for preschoolers and kindergartners. These activities aid in developing fine motor skills, enhance handwriting, boost concentration, improve spatial awareness, and promote early literacy. Parents can easily download and print these worksheets for children’s enjoyment and engagement.
Alphabet Affirmation Cards
Positive affirmations enhance preschoolers’ confidence, self-esteem, and emotional wellbeing. The ABC Affirmation Cards combine alphabet learning with uplifting phrases, encouraging resilience and a growth mindset. Suggested uses include morning routines, literacy activities, and calm corners to reinforce these messages. Regular affirmation practice fosters a kinder self-view in children.
Different Types of Transportation
Learning about transportation captivates preschoolers, enhancing vocabulary and curiosity. Our Transportation Flashcards help children recognize vehicles like cars, trains, and boats. Activities include sorting, sound imitation, storytelling, and matching toys to flashcards, fostering language skills and imaginative play. Engaging further promotes understanding of movement and community roles of vehicles.
Learning the Alphabet Through Play
The Free Alphabet Bingo Printable Game transforms letter learning for preschoolers into a fun, interactive activity. It enhances letter recognition, phonemic awareness, and listening skills while fostering cooperation. By playing, children not only memorize letters but also engage actively, making learning enjoyable and effective. Download your game to start today!
All About Me Template for Teachers
The beginning of a preschool year is significant for children and educators, marking new experiences. Engaging “All About Me” activities promote trust, self-awareness, and confidence by allowing children to share personal insights. Educators benefit by understanding students better. A free printable worksheet aids this process, supporting self-expression and reflection throughout the year.
Exploring Family Roles with Preschoolers
Teaching preschoolers about families fosters understanding of relationships and belonging. Family Flashcards serve as a visual tool, enabling children to identify members and their roles. Activities include naming members, discussing family dynamics, and drawing families. Emphasizing inclusivity helps children recognize diverse family structures, enhancing emotional connections and identity.
Engaging Alphabet Game for Early Literacy
Learning the alphabet is one of the most important early literacy skills for preschoolers. Recognizing letters and connecting them with sounds sets the foundation for reading and writing. The process should be fun, engaging, and hands-on so children can develop a love for learning right from the start. Why Alphabet Learning Matters Introducing letters in…
Leave a comment