The winter playdough mats are a great tool to practice fine motor skills this winter. Be sure to add them to your list of winter activities for preschoolers and kindergarten kids.
Students practice fine motor skills, sensory play, and literacy with these winter-themed play dough mats. Not only are these mats full of a variety of learning activities, but they’re also just plain fun! Tons of learning and fun – all wrapped up in one free printable!
As a teacher, you have to balance your workload. So having some low prep activities in your back pocket is crucial. And these winter mats certainly fit that bill! Just a few quick steps and they’re ready for the kids to use!
Related: Free Preschool Printables
Not the biggest fan of play dough? Not to worry! There’s more than one way to use the winter play dough mats. And be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post to get your own copy of the winter mats.
Winter Playdough Mats
Read below for some prepping tips, as well as a few ideas for using the winter play dough printables with your students.
I hope the versatile mats make your winter lesson planning a lot easier! Since they’re so low-prep, at least you know you can have them ready for the kids in a snap.
How to Prep the Winter Mats
First, let’s take a look at supplies. The list of materials for the winter playdough mats is minimal. You likely already have everything you need in your classroom supply closet.
This is what you will need (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):
- Printer and copy paper
- Dry erase pockets
- Playdough
But maybe you aren’t going to use the mats for playdough. Instead, you’re choosing one of the other activity ideas listed below. That’s great! But, in that case, you might need a few other materials. Here are some ideas:
- Winter mini erasers
- Colorful pom poms
- Unifix cubes
- Dry erase markers
So, as I mentioned, the list of materials will change based on your choice of activity. Maybe you have an activity idea of your own. That’s great! Just make sure to adjust your list of materials as needed.
Now that you’ve got all of the materials lined up, it’s time to prep. First, scroll to the bottom of this post to get your copy of the printable winter mats. Next, print them off. Finally, slide them into the dry-erase pockets. Or, if you’d prefer, you can laminate the mats instead.
And that’s it! Now the play dough printables are ready for the kids to use!
How to Use the Winter Playdough Mats
The most common way to use the winter play dough mats is by pairing them with . . . well, playdough, of course! Here’s how to use the mats based on their namesake:
- First, place the mats (inside the dry erase pockets) on the table.
- Next, set out some playdough by the mats.
- Finally, let the kids play!
At this point, all you have to do is sit back, and watch as the kids interact with the winter images. Some will use the mats as you might expect – by using playdough to outline the shapes of each winter item. They might roll the dough into snakes and loop them over the pictures. Or they may just smoosh the playdough into place.
Others will use playdough to build 3D objects, using the mats as inspiration. I would also suggest reading the sentences on each mat with your students. Encourage them to practice tapping each word, moving from left to right, as you recite the sentences.
Playdough has always been a huge hit with my preschool students. So, I am certain that this activity will be a hit in any preschool classroom!
More Ideas for the Winter Playdough Mats
So, we’ve talked about how to use the winter mats with playdough. But they can be used in so many other ways, too! Here are some ideas:
- Use dry-erase markers to trace the sentences and shapes on each page.
- Pair the mats with some winter books. Then have students search through the books for the items on each mat, checking them off as they go.
- Set out winter-themed sticker sheets. Have students peel stickers and place them over the shapes on each mat.
- Print and cut out a plethora of winter illustrations or real photos. Students can sort the images by placing them on corresponding mats.
Your students might even come up with their own unique way to use the winter playdough mats. The possibilities are endless. And you might be surprised with how creative your students get!
There are so many different ways to use the winter mats in the classroom, even if they’re just used for inspiration!
What’s Included with the Free Printable Playdough Mats
The free printable winter playdough mats come with 7 pages for the kids to use. Here are the winter-related objects included:
- Earmuffs
- Hat
- Hot chocolate
- Mitten
- Snowball
- Snowflake
- Snowman
How would you use the playdough winter mats in your classroom? Do you have any ideas not mentioned here? Make sure to let us know in the comments below!
Remember: scroll to the bottom of this post for your copy of the winter playdough mats!
More Winter Printables for Kids
You can extend the life of the winter playdough mats by using them multiple times and for a variety of preschool activities. But you’ll still need a few other printable resources to supplement them. Here are some of my favorite free winter printables:
- I Like Winter Printable Book
- Winter Counting Printables
- Winter Read It Build It Write It Printable Letters
- Hot Chocolate Cutting Strips
- Snowman Shape Puzzles
- Snowman Roll and Cover
- Ice and Penguin Shape Sorting Mats
There are so many great winter printables to choose from, covering several early learning concepts. You could probably even create an entire week’s worth of lesson plans with just the printables listed above!
Winter Lesson Plans
Teaching preschool is such a fun and rewarding career. But it’s certainly not without its fair share of challenges. Lesson planning is one such challenge, mostly because it can be so time consuming. But that’s where Preschool Teacher 101 comes in! Our mission is to save you time and money with a huge selection of preschool lesson plans and products.
Our winter lesson plans is a favorite for this time of year. With it, you will be able to incorporate reading, math, science, and more as you explore the signs of winter with your students. Click on the image below to learn more about this product.
Looking for even more hands-on activities for the students this winter? These lesson plans are full of them. Click on each image to learn more.
If you think these lesson plans and activity packs will fit both your teaching style and the needs of your students, consider becoming a member of Preschool Teacher 101. Members get exclusive access to hundreds of our preschool resources at a steeply discounted rate.
Get the Free Printable Winter Playdough mats
The winter-themed play dough mats are 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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