DIY Play-Doh and Creative Crafts for Kids
Encouraging kids to explore their creativity is always exciting, and Play-Doh (or any modeling clay) is one of the best tools for that. Playing with clay is not only fun, but it also helps develop fine motor skills, color recognition, and imagination. In this post, you’ll find plenty of simple ideas for making Play-Doh figures together, as well as other creative crafts at home. At the end, there’s even an easy homemade Play-Doh recipe!
Why Play-Doh is great for kids
Playing with clay has many benefits:
- Fine motor skills: Little fingers get stronger and more dexterous while shaping and molding.
- Color recognition: Using different colors helps kids learn them and see how they mix. (In our case, every batch usually ends up as one big brown blob because our little one loves mixing all the colors together!)
- Imagination and creativity: They can make animals, fruits, or favorite characters and invent their own stories around them.
- Learning through play: Kids can count, sort by color, shape, or size, all while having fun.
Simple Play-Doh figures to start with
If you’re just beginning, it’s best to start with easy figures:
Animals
Try small animals like a worm or snail at first. With simple templates and a little parental help, almost anything can be made.
Use different colors to separate body parts.
These figures are perfect for storytelling, letting kids invent their own little animal adventures.
Fruits and vegetables
Make apples, bananas, carrots, or broccoli.
Talk about colors, sizes, and shapes while shaping them.
This is a playful way for kids to learn about healthy foods.
Favorite characters
Create figures from popular cartoons or shows, like Masha or SpongeBob (there’s even a video tutorial on the site).
Kids love making their own versions of their favorite characters.
These figures are great for pretend play or just creative fun.
Creative crafts at home
You can combine Play-Doh activities with other crafts:
Mini worlds
Build a zoo, garden, or seaside scene for your figures.
Use cardboard, paper, ribbons, or buttons for decoration. Lego pieces work too if you don’t mind mixing toys.
Decoration and creative extras
Once the figures are done, decorate them with paper, ribbons, or small craft materials.
Kids can experiment with colors and textures, which boosts their creativity even more.
Learning through play
Count the figures together or group them by color, shape, or size.
It’s a fun way to introduce basic math and logic skills.
How to make Play-Doh even more fun
- Challenges and competitions: Who can make a figure the fastest or most creatively?
- Themed days: Animal day, fruit day, or favorite character day.
- Family involvement: Parents can join in, making it a shared experience.
- Photography and video: Take photos or record videos of the creations—it can motivate kids even more.
Tips for parents
- Safety: Make sure kids don’t put the clay in their mouths.
- Easy cleanup: Use a tray or mat to keep the play area tidy.
- Extra fun: If you have Play-Doh sets that come with molds and accessories, the play becomes even more engaging. We have an edible cookie monster figure (check the videos), and when other kids visit, this usually keeps them busy. They get to be creative and “feed” the monster together.
Homemade Play-Doh recipe (4 ingredients)
- 250 g flour
- 130 g salt
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 300 ml water
Mix the ingredients and cook while stirring continuously. Don’t worry if it seems sticky or lumpy at first—once it cools and you knead it, the texture will be perfect. Divide into 4 portions and add food coloring, cocoa powder (for brown), or turmeric (for yellow) while kneading. Once completely cooled, it won’t stick to the kids’ hands. Wearing gloves during coloring is recommended.
