The farm animal playdough mats allow children to practice their fine motor skills as they learn all about farm animals. If your students enjoy this hands-on activity, check out our other playdough mats to decide where they’ll fit into your preschool curriculum.
The free printable mats are also quite simple to set up. So easy, in fact, that you can grab the printable at the bottom of this post and have them ready to use in the classroom by tomorrow. Within just a few minutes, they are ready to go.
An added bonus? The farm printable play dough mats are versatile! By incorporating literacy, math, and fine motor skills, there are a variety of ways to use the animal mats.
Related: Free Preschool Printables
Easy set-up, versatile, and durable? The farm animal play dough mats are one of those preschool learning materials that you’ll keep coming back to year after year.
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post to get your own copy of the animal mats.
Farm Animal Playdough Mats
Whether children have heard about them in nursery rhymes or have learned how to “moo,” “neigh,” and “cock-a-doodle-doo,” farm animals are normally introduced by age two. So, by the time they get to preschool, many children are pretty well-acquainted with the topic of farm animals.
These farm animal playdough mats are a great way to add a fun twist to a familiar topic. And if some of your students aren’t familiar with farm animals, the mats can help introduce the topic. Read below for some prepping tips and ideas for using the free printable farm animal mats with your students.
How to Prep the Farm Printable Playdough Mats
First thing’s first: gather all of the necessary materials. As a preschool teacher, I’m willing to bet you might already have everything you need on-hand. Here are a few ideas (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):
- Printer
- Dry-erase pockets
- Laminator (optional)
- Playdough
- Small manipulatives (like glass gems or Unifix cubes)
Related: Farm Math Games
Once you’ve gathered all of the materials, it’s time to prep the farm animal playdough mats. It’s a pretty simple set up:
- First, scroll to the bottom of this post to request your copy of the free printable playdough mats.
- Next, save it to your computer.
- Then, print the mats you’d like to use.
- Finally, laminate the pages or place them in dry erase pockets.
And there you have it! The farm animal printable mats are all set for the preschoolers to use.
Using the Farm Animal Playdough Mats
The most conventional use of the playdough mats are as follows:
- First, place the mats on a table.
- Then, set out some play dough next to the mats.
- Finally, let the kids have at it!
Yep, that’s it! Now just sit back and let the children build and play as they see fit. It might be fun to give the kids some open-ended prompts as they’re “working” (playing!) to spark up some conversation about life on a farm.
This activity is such a great way for kids to strengthen their fine-motor skills, along with their hand and finger muscles. These are super-important pre-writing skills for preschoolers to practice.
Other Ideas for the Farm-Themed Fine Motor Mats
While using the playdough mats with . . . playdough might be the most common use of the free printable, there are so many other ways to use them! Here are a few ideas:
- Set the farm animals mats out with a set of small manipulatives, like glass gems. The children can use the gems to outline the images on the mats.
- Instead of using the play dough to sculpt the animal shapes, guide students in forming the letters that correspond with the beginning sound of each animal.
- Let children use dry erase markers to trace, add silly faces, or even color the animals!
- Get out the farm animal toys and have students match the toy animals to the correct mats. Then have them use the toys to make tracks along their playdough creations.
- Use the mats as a model for the students to build their own version of the farm animals. Let the children use the play dough, craft supplies, and loose parts from around the classroom.
These are just a few ideas for the animals on the farm printable mats. You might be pleasantly surprised with all of the new and unique ways the children choose to interact with them.
Regardless of how you choose to incorporate the farm animal mats in your classroom, the preschoolers are sure to have a ton of fun with them!
What Comes in the Printable Farm Play Dough Mats
The free printable farm mats include 9 mats. Each of the mats has a farm animal, as well as consistent text that reads, “The (animal) lives on the farm.” Here are the animals included in the free printable:
- Cat
- Hen
- Cow
- Dog
- Goat
- Horse
- Pig
- Rooster
- Sheep
Don’t forget to request your own copy of the farm play dough mats at the bottom of this post.
More Farm Activities for Kids
The farm animal mats are a great start to any preschool farm theme. But, perhaps, you are looking for some additional printable resources to use with your students. If so, I’ve got you covered! Here are some other free printables for a farm theme:
Literacy, math, fine motor skills, sensory play, and more! Printable resources can be super versatile! And each of these freebies are perfect for supplementing a preschool farm theme.
Grab some farm toys to keep in the classroom. They’re perfect for a farm theme, but I have a feeling they’ll get a lot of use throughout the entire school year. Check out some of my favorites:
What is your favorite way to teach the kids all about life on the farm? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!
Preschool Playdough Mats
Lesson planning can be a very tedious and time-consuming task. But we can help! With a wide variety of product offerings covering a multitude of themes and topics, Preschool Teacher 101 is here to help you plan your preschool or kindergarten year, every step of the way. Consider joining The Pack, our membership program, for even more resources (and at a steep discount!).
If your kids love the farm animal mats, be sure to check out our bundle of play dough mats. Click on the image below for more information about the product.
Preschool Teacher 101 has such a wide variety of product offerings, including lesson plans, dramatic play activities, art activities, and more! Click on the images below for more information on these fun resources.
You can also find us on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Get the Free Printable Farm Animal Playdough Mats
This free printable is available to members of Fun-A-Day’s free email community. If you’re a member, fill out the form below and the download links will be sent to your inbox. If you’re not a member, you can join us by entering your information in the form. Then you’ll receive the printable as a welcome gift!
Be sure to check out my printing FAQ page if you run into any issues.
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