Learning & Teaching with Preschoolers
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Playdough Activities for Preschool

9/11/2022

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​Playdough is one of the preferred activities for a preschooler and teachers like playdough activities for fine motor skills.  The key to getting children actively engaged in activities is to provide learning and play together for the win.


Creating a variety of preschool playdough activities allow children to practice their skills in a fun way.  Below you will find 12 different playdough activities for preschoolers that you can use throughout the year.
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Setting Up A Playdough Routine
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When setting up playdough activities for preschoolers always start with teaching children about the expectation and routine for using playdough in the classroom.
  • Wash hands
  • Get playdough mat or tray
  • Keep playdough on table
  • Share
  • Put lids on tight
  • Clean up
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Learning to Use Playdough Tools
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Provide children with different types of tools to use with the playdough.  Children will develop their small muscles in their fingers and hands as they manipulate the playdough with the tools.  Through these manipulations children will also develop their eye-hand coordination with the ability to match hand movement with eye movement.  Children will gain strength and improve dexterity in their hands and fingers which is critical for children to learn to write and draw.
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List of tools
  • Rollers
  • Plastic knives
  • Mini tortilla
  • Garlic Press
  • Citrus press
  • Wheel cutters
  • Cookie cutters
  • Scissors
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Playdough Beginning Skills
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Children can learn how to use simple rolling techniques to form different things with playdough. All you need to do is provide children with beginning skill cards so that they can learn to form lines, balls, zig zags and spirals. 
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Playdough Shapes
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Bring out containers of playdough to get children talking about the differences between shapes. Children will begin to notice the differences as they roll out long lines to form different shapes.

Playdough Emotions
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It’s important for preschool children to learn how to label and learn about their emotions, playdough mats with emotional cards are the perfect way to get your children laughing and talking about their feelings.
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Playdough Picture Building
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To get children to build different things with playdough provide them with picture building cards to help them discover that they can make different objects with the playdough.
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Playdough is a great learning tool for children to learn about math concepts.
Playdough Numbers
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Children love to count things and playdough is no different, with these playdough number cards children will be able to learn to form numbers and count out amounts.
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Playdough 10 Frame Counting
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Step up the number game with 10 frame mats.  Children can identify numbers and make that amount on the 10 frame mats.
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Playdough Roll Count & Write
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Roll count and write mats have always been one of my go to activities to do with my preschoolers, but I have to say that the playdough roll count and write is my favorite because children have to make their own balls of playdough to count.  Which I feel is a lot more enjoyable for them to do.

Playdough Patterns
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With playdough you will only need a few things to set up an engaging activity for your preschoolers to practice and extend patterns.
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Playdough Measurement
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How long can you make your playdough snake?  Children will be fascinated to see how long they can make a playdough snake without breaking it. After they have rolled out their snake, they can measure it using counters or a simple inchworm ruler.
 
Playdough Letter Formation
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Playdough is a great medium to learn how to form letters.
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Playdough Syllable Smashing
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Grab some playdough, toy hammers and have children make some balls of playdough and smash out the sound segments in words.
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What to see more?
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Find all of this and more in the growing pack of playdough activities for preschoolers.
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6 Morning Activities for Preschoolers

8/28/2022

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Simple morning activities for preschoolers is a great way to provide children with a soft start to the day.  Children can pick and choose which morning activities they would like to work on during morning arrival as they wait for their classmates to arrive. 
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What activities should be placed out for morning arrival?

​Create a simple routine for children to move freely through certain tables and areas in the classroom.  Think of providing children with activities that are engaging but simple for them to clean up.  Morning activities for preschoolers need to be calm, engaging activities as they wait.  
  • Tray Activities
  • Scissor Skills
  • Stringing
  • Small Manipulatives
  • Puzzles
  • Books
  • Playdough Trays
  • Coloring
  • Lap Boards with Markers
  • ​Craft Stick Activities 
Grab FREEBIES for your morning work time.
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Lego Activities for Preschoolers 
During morning activities simple Lego challenges are perfect for the morning activities drawers.  Keep the activities fresh by changing out the challenges as children build their skills. 

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Pattern Block Activities for Preschoolers
Like the Legos pattern blocks are another way to provide simple pattern block challenges that fit perfectly in the morning activities drawers.

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Cutting Skills for Preschoolers
Preschool teachers are always looking for simple ways to build children cutting skills, by providing different activities in the morning activities drawers your preschoolers will develop into expert cutters.

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Color Dice Games for Preschoolers
All preschoolers love rolling dice, so the morning activities trays are the perfect way for children to develop color matching and sorting skills.  You can scaffold children's learning by adding a color dot dice for color recognition and counting skills. 

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Hole Punch Activities for Preschoolers
Children love using adult tools and hole punch falls into that category.  Provide children with different types of hole punch activities during your morning activities and they will be building their hand strength and finger control. 

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Magnetic Letters Activities for Preschoolers
Using magnetic letters in your morning activities will help children to begin to recognize and identify the letter shapes.  This will build alphabet fluency later on for future reading success.

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How to organize morning activities?

The 10-drawer rolling cart is the perfect storage for morning activities for preschoolers, everything needed for each activity can be found in each individual drawer.  Children are able to freely pick morning activities and cleanup is a snap. 
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Setting Up Preschool Journals for Preschoolers

8/14/2022

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Children love to put their marks on the world by scribbling and drawing. That is why we start everyday with morning journal time, it is our favorite morning activity to get the day started.  As children come in for the day it gives us an opportunity to have quality conversations with each child as they work on their daily writing prompt. 

​When thinking of starting a routine of journal prompts for preschoolers it needs to be easy to set up daily with little prep.  Teachers are busy and we don’t need one more thing that takes a lot of time. We have enough of those already.
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The simplest and neatest way I have found to setting up preschool journals for preschoolers is by using file folders with fasteners.

​Setting up the original preschool journals will take a little time, but after that children will be able to do the daily prep all by themselves and it’s so worth it.
  • Print the free preschool journal prompts cover and add inserts for each journal.  Printing instructions are included in the packet.  (Download available at bottom of post)​
  • Staple or tape cover to each journal.  Stapling is faster but taping lasts longer and takes longer.
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  • Use a ​clasp envelopes 5x7 for an inside pocket for preschool journals.  Cut the clap section off by cutting a half circle out of it.  Use a two-hole punch and tape the envelope to the inside left side of the file folder.​
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  • Add name cards.
  • Laminate pocket size ABC cards and Number cards so that children have the opportunity to use them during morning journal writing routine.
How do you write a daily journal for a preschooler?
We like to start with journal prompt sheets that are designed to actively engage children in the writing process to build their fine motor skills that will result in the progression of the penmanship skills.

Here are some journal prompt ideas
  • Rainbow Writing
  • Do-A-Dot Activities
  • Letter and Number Collages
  • Drawing Prompts
  • Sticker Activities 
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Grab the free printable to get your preschool journals set up. 
Download Now
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    I'm Tami Sanders creator of Learning and Teaching with Preschoolers, a blog to help teachers create magical moments for the young.

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