Grab your copy of these alphabet play dough mats for your preschool curriculum. These alphabet cards turn into a fun play dough activity for preschool and kindergarten, that helps them learn letter formation, letter recognition and beginning sounds.
Kids will love using play doh for alphabet tracing. This homeschool printable makes handwriting practice easy using a play based learning approach.
Disclosure: Adult supervision is required for all activities at all times. Some of the links provided in this blog are affiliate links. I will be paid a small commission if you use this link to make a purchase.
Materials Needed
- Alphabet Playdough Mats pdf file
- Printer and paper
- Laminating machine and laminating sheets
- Playdough
- Other manipulatives, such as buttons or mini erasers (optional)
How to Prepare the Playdough Letter Mats
1. Download and print the playdough mats.
To get your copy, head to the bottom of the post and click the large blue button.
2. Laminate each of the abc playdough mats.
Laminating the mats is optional. It makes the mats more sturdy and easy to clean. However you can also just slip them into a dry erase pocket or regular page protectors if you prefer.
3. Make your playdough.
I prefer to use these amazing playdough recipes to make my own homemade playdough. Not only are they so easy to make, but the playdough turns out softer and lasts longer when compared to store bought play doh.
The Alphabet Mats Learning Areas
1. Letter formation
In the top left section of each mat there are both upper case and lower case letters. Each letter of the alphabet has numbered arrows to help children learn the correct formation of the letter. This is a great way for young children to practice writing letters in a hands-on way.
2. Letter recognition
In the bottom section of each mat there is a collection of circles. Each circle contains a different letter (both lower and uppercase letters). Some of the letters will match the featured letter, others will not. Identify the correct letter and cover it with a small ball of playdough.
For example, with the “Aa” abc mat, cover all of the A’s and a’s. Do not cover the g or E.
3. Beginning sound
To the right hand side of the abc play dough mats you’ll find several pictures. These items all start with the sound of the focus letter.
For example, the “Aa” abc mat has an image of an apple and an astronaut on it.
This is a fun way to help kindergarten students to practice recognizing letter sounds at the beginning of common words.
Different Ways to Play with the Alphabet Mats
1. Playdough
Roll the playdough into small balls and snakes, using them to follow the instructions above.
2. Manipulatives
Small items, like buttons or mini erasers can be used to turn these playdough mats into regular fine motor mats. Following the same instructions, trace and cover the letters on the mat.
3. Dry erase markers
Use a dry-erase marker to trace each letter and fill in the circles.
Each of these different play options also help to develop important fine motor skills. From pencil grip, to hand-eye coordination to strengthening the hand muscles. This is an easy way to make literacy centers engaging through a play based learning approach.
More Alphabet Activities for Kids
Terms of Use
Please note that because all products are digital, Taming Little Monsters has a No Refund Policy.
This electronic file is for classroom and personal use only. It is not for commercial purposes. By using it, you agree that you will not copy or reproduce the file except for your own personal, non-commercial use.
If you are unclear about our Terms of Use or your intended use is not covered here, then please email us at [email protected] and ask before making a purchase or downloading an electronic file. We will try to respond as quickly as possible.
Artwork by ClipArtisan – https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ClipArtisan