Play dough fans rejoice! Kate from Picklebums is joining us today with a fantastic set of printable sea creatures that are perfect for enjoying with some ocean play dough.
Printable sea creatures for ocean play dough
Watch our Playdough Masterclass
Click play on the video above to see our playdough masterclass.
This video gives you everything you ever wanted to know about play dough: how to make homemade playdough with quick and easy recipes; the benefits of playdough for children; and lots of sensory play activities using play dough including playdough math activities, playdough literacy activities, and playdough fine motor skills activities.
Plus find out how to get printable playdough recipe cards and printable play mats. It’s an excellent beginners guide to play dough!
Subscribe to NurtureStore’s YouTube channel to get more gardening and nature study videos!
We have four kids – twin girls aged nine, a five year old boy and a two year old boy – and I am always amazed at how much they all love playdough. Playdough is one of those rare activities where all our kids happily play together.
It is such an open-ended activity that it lends itself to intricate creations made by the nine year olds, as well as basic manipulation from the toddler, and everything in between. It allows for lots of cooperative play, negotiation and social skill development, but it is also just as easy to give each child their own lump if they are not ready to play together right now.
We have commercially made playdough accessories coming out our ears which have all been well loved, but the best playdough accessories are always the ones that we make ourselves, the ones that really spark my kids’ imaginations or follow their interests. Cathy first inspired me to make printable playdough accessories when she had the wonderful idea to use our bunny cup cake toppers with playdough. Genius! Since then we have made some printable playdough garden accessories, and after a recent trip to the beach collecting rocks and shells I knew that sea creatures would be my next playdough set.
My kids waited, not very patiently, for me to finish creating the images and then the girls helped cut them out, laminate them and then cut them out again. Meanwhile the boys and I set about making our favourite microwave playdough – blue of course! Then we all collected some extra bits and pieces – glass pebbles, stones and shells. The rest was up to the kids…
All four kids loved creating under the sea scenes. Elaborate stories were played out, sharks ate fish and a star fish got tangled in an octopus. The playdough became waves, and lagoons, and even a deep sea diver!
Download the sea creatures printable
You can print your own under the sea playdough accessories by downloading the sea creatures printable pdf file below. Then just print, cut, laminate (or cover with self adhesive paper), cut again, and play!
How to download the printable
Hey, are you doing a project on fish, the seaside or the ocean? If you’re looking at this article then I guess you might be. I have some great free printables on a fish theme that I think you’ll love.
NurtureStore has an extensive library of free printables, including a free Number Fish printable, which is great for adding numbers to your play and working on math skills in a hands-on way. I also have a lovely free Ocean Creatures Play Set which you can print and combine with playdough or a water tub for imaginary play.
An early childhood educator and Mum of four, Kate lives on a small property called ‘The Pickle Farm’ in rural Australia. Kate’s blog, picklebums, has articles about gentle parenting, gardening, family food, activities for kids, free printables and anything else that pops up in her crazy life. You can also find Kate on facebook, twitter, and pinterest.
Christmas play dough recipe
This Christmas play dough recipe is inspired by the Christmas-flavoured sugar I make each year to go on our Christmas-movie-popcorn.
The sugar smells exactly like Christmas, with a blend of herbs and spices that fills the house with a festive feeling and, as I often have play dough on my brain, I thought why not try it for a Christmas play dough recipe?
Christmas Day play dough recipe
Watch our Playdough Masterclass
Click play on the video above to see our playdough masterclass.
This video gives you everything you ever wanted to know about play dough: how to make homemade playdough with quick and easy recipes; the benefits of playdough for children; and lots of sensory play activities using play dough including playdough math activities, playdough literacy activities, and playdough fine motor skills activities.
Plus find out how to get printable playdough recipe cards and printable play mats. It’s an excellent beginners guide to play dough!
Subscribe to NurtureStore’s YouTube channel to get more gardening and nature study videos!
This article is one of our Christmas sensory play activities and part of our Christmas activities and crafts for children.
Play dough is just fantastic – a super sensory play material that feels good, smells good, doesn’t make too much mess and my kids love it.
It’s great as a calm-down activity for giddy, festive kids, and put together with some Christmas cookie cutters it makes a lovely Christmas gift .
Here’s the recipe with the special blend of herbs and spices that smells exactly like Christmas.
Start by filling your salt with all the Christmas flavour. Take one cup of salt and add:
1. the zest of an orange or two clementines
2. some vanilla pod
3. a good grating of nutmeg
4. three cloves
5. some ground cinnamon
6. a bay leaf
Blitz this with a blender until everything is chopped, mixed and smelling wonderful.
Add two cups of plain (all purpose) flour…
two tablespoons of vegetable oil and two tablespoons of cream of tartar.
Pour in one and a half cups of boiling water…
and some food colouring. Red? Gold? Green? Then mix it and form it into a dough.
Add some extra shine to the play dough recipe by pouring in a little glycerine.
Add a good dash of glitter for some festive sparkle. Knead the dough for a few minutes and then you’re done.
Wrap the play dough in a plastic bag and it will last into the new year.
The Homemade Play Dough Recipe Book
The Homemade Play Dough Recipe Book is the perfect beginner’s guide to making, playing and learning with play dough.
Every childhood needs play dough! It’s the perfect sensory play material and lets your children build vital math, literacy, and fine motor skills all through play.
This practical book will give you easy homemade play dough recipes PLUS 52 play dough activities that incorporate sensory play, fine motor skills, math, literacy, and imagination.
Suitable for teachers, childcarers, and parents with children aged 2 to 8.
Written by Cathy James, the author of The Garden Classroom and the creator of NurtureStore.
50+ play dough recipes and activities
You will be able to set up sensory learning activities your children love to help them develop vital skills through play, including:
Snowman Play Dough
Wake-Up Dough
Math Tangrams
Small World Diggers
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Valentine Lollipops
Heart Bunting
Mark Making with Play Dough
Candy Store Play Dough
Toothpick Math
Chocolates Play Dough
Spring Chicks
Scissor Skills Activities
Real Bread Making
Chocolate Play Dough Cupcakes
Under The Sea Play Dough
Salt Dough Bead Bracelets
Princess Pink Play Dough
Garden Flower Play Dough
Spot The Tracks Activity
Play Dough Art Station
Play Dough Fractions
Shape Matching Jigsaws
Ice Cream Parlour Play
Design a Fish Challenge
Art Mural Making
Big & Small Exploration
Play Dough Bake Off
Alphabet Dough Activities
Chill Out Lavender Play Dough
Animal Habitats
Seaside Play Dough
Making Caterpillars
Making Butterflies
Birds and Nests
Seashell Play Dough
Gingerbread Men
Pizza Parlour Play
Cinnamon Leaf Prints
Outer Space Play Dough
Autumn Trees
Diwali Salt Dough Candle Holders
Rangoli Mandals
Play Dough Spiders
Scary Monster Play Dough
Drinking Straw Exploration
Colour Mixing Experiments
Christmas Salt Dough Candle Holders
Christmas Spice Play Dough
Christmas Trees
Christmas Angels
Winter Landscapes
Click here to get your copy of The Homemade Play Dough Recipe Book Beginner’s Guide for $14.99 or save $10 with our bonus pack below.
BONUS: add The Amazing Play Dough Printables Pack and save $10
Upgrade your Beginner’s Guide To Play Dough and get The Amazing Play Dough Printables Pack too. It’s the perfect pairing!
The Amazing Play Dough Printables Pack gives you a whole year of play dough printables: 180 play mats covering over 50 themes and topics.
Simply print, add play dough, and play!
No hassle, no planning, you’ll always have an activity on hand.
You can use these play mats:
- for sensory play sessions
- to build fine motor skills
- in finger gyms and welcome activities
- with loose parts play
- in classroom centers, to fit year-round themes
- for play dates, rainy days, snow days, and after school
- while you cook, do laundry, read a book, and drink that coffee while it’s still hot
- and anytime your children say ‘I’m bored!”
Combine the play mats with The Homemade Play Dough Recipe Book and you’ll never run out of play dough ideas!
Buy The Amazing Play Dough Printable Pack now with The Homemade Play Dough Recipe Book for only $34.99 $24.98 and save $10.
Click here to save $10 and get them both
Every child needs play dough!
Play dough is the perfect sensory play material because it’s great for all ages. My daughters are teenagers now and they’ve been using play dough since they were around two years old. As they’ve grown, the ways they use play dough have evolved.
Very young children may enjoy simply having some dough to explore – they need few added extras to enjoy squashing and squeezing the sensory dough. Using the recipes in The Homemade Play Dough Recipe Book to make your own play dough, means you know exactly what’s in it, so you can you be sure it’s safe for your child.
Toddlers and pre-schoolers love to have props added to turn the dough into play scenes and role play opportunities. Listen in and you will hear their language develop as they play. Play dough also helps to build vital fine motor skills and hand strength, so children can go on to write and draw well.
Older children can let their imaginations take flight, using the dough to mould models and create intricate play lands. They’ll be developing storytelling, problem-solving, and scientific thinking as they play.
Dough is even great for adults. Baking a loaf of bread is great therapy after a stressful day and play dough is also used in many physiotherapy practices to keep fingers nimble and maintain muscle strength.
Once you’ve made home made play dough using the recipes in this book, you won’t want to switch back to store-bought. Making your own dough is quick, easy, and very inexpensive. It allows you to add in lots of colour, scent and textures that you just can’t get from a shop. Plus, you know exactly what’s in it and you can keep it all plastic-free and compostable.
A DIY version also allows you to make bigger quantities of the dough, giving your children a generous amount of material to play with so they can really go for it and imagine, create, and enjoy.
With every knead, squash, and moulding of dough your children are working on their fine motor skills; developing strength, control, and flexibility in their fingers, hands, and wrists. This paves the way for
successfully holding a pencil to write, fastening buttons, tying shoe laces or playing piano.
The Homemade Play Dough Recipe Book is also full of activity ideas that show you how to include counting, sums, fractions and size in your play. The variety of materials we use brings lots of extra vocabulary into play, and you will see how play dough small worlds and imaginative role-playing burst into lots of chat, questions, and speech development.
Combine the recipe book with The Amazing Play Dough Printables Pack and you have the perfect beginner’s guide to play dough and you’ll never run out of engaging play dough ideas.
A beginner’s complete guide to play dough
- The Homemade Play Dough Recipe Book
- The Amazing Play Dough Printables Pack
- Tried-and-true recipes including classic, no-cook, gluten-free, salt dough, cloud dough, real bread dough, and modelling dough
- 52 play dough activities for sensory play, fine motor skills, language, math, and imaginary play, for every week of the year
- PLUS 180 play dough mats, including math, literacy, animals, festivals and themes – you’ll never be short of a brilliant play dough idea
- for ages 2-ish to 8+
Get your beginner’s guide to play dough here:
$34.98 $24.98
Click here to get only The Homemade Play Dough Recipe Book for $14.99
Click here to get only The Amazing Play Dough Printables Pack for $19.99
Click here to get BOTH for only $34.98 $24.98. You save $10!
Salt dough candle holders Diwali craft for kids
Use this recipe for salt dough to make simple candle holders, a pretty and easy Diwali crafts for children.
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Cinnamon autumn playdough recipe: play dough leaf prints
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Garden flower play dough
Here’s how we combined the garden’s ingredients with some sensory and imaginary play this week: garden flower play dough.
Garden flower play dough recipe
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