🎉 Worked for us
The tools make wonderful prints
A fellow blogger noted how well the toy tools worked as playdough stamps.
“The tools made really wonderful prints.”
The story behind it
By TurkeyMom · January 2013
Ages2–5 yrs
Prep5 min
Activity—
Leveleasy
MessLow
Works for1:1 · Small group · Class
Kids hammer, drill, saw and press pretend tools into play dough to make sun, flower and line prints. It's an easy fine-motor and hand-eye activity that turns into a math game when kids count prints and make patterns.
⚠️ Safety first
- Use pretend (toy) tools only. The post uses a toy tool set and a battery-operated toy drill, not real tools.
- Toy nails, small tool parts and the little dough pieces left on the drill bit are choking-size. Watch toddlers closely for mouthing.
- Play dough is not food. Many store-bought and homemade doughs contain wheat, so check the label for kids with wheat or gluten allergies.
- Toothpicks are sharp. An adult hands them out and supervises the cleanup.
Steps
Give each child a hunk of play dough and flatten it into a thick circle.
Lay out the pretend tools: hammer, nails, saw, screwdriver and power drill.
Hammer a toy nail into the play dough.
Hold a circle of play dough and drill right through it with the toy power drill.
Look at the drill bit: it comes out with a nail-shaped play dough piece on it.
Press the drill bit into the dough over and over to make sun prints.
Press the toy nails into the dough to make flower prints.
Press the saw and screwdriver into the dough to make line prints.
Swap colors and tools and keep printing. Count the prints or make them in a pattern.
Clean up: gently push the stuck play dough out of the nails and drill bit with a toothpick.
Tips
- Using the power drill was the best! Our drill was low on battery, so it took a while to drill through, and THAT made it more fun.from the author
- Once I laid out the tools, both girls went straight for the hammer and there was a skirmish right there. Have other tools ready to hand out.from the author
- Play dough gets stuck inside the 'nails' and the ridges of the drill bit. Push it out gently with a toothpick. Kids get a kick out of cleaning this one, and it's great for hand-eye coordination.from the author
- Clean the tools right away. Don't let the play dough dry in them.from the author
- We printed with different color and tool combinations over and over until they actually said "I'm done with playdough."from the author
Make it your own
- Turn it into a math activity: observe the patterns, count the prints, or make prints in a pattern.
- Mix and match dough colors and tools for a set of different prints.
What readers say
💬 5 comments
🎉 Worked for us
Appeals to a 4-year-old
A reader thought her 4-year-old son would love combining playdough with tools.
“My 4 year old son would dig this for sure!”
Read all 5 comments
grok78 · Jan 2013
Love it! Play dough AND tools!! Where can you go wrong? Thanks so much for sharing this. :)
Play Create Explore · Jan 2013
This looks so fun! My 4 year old son would dig this for sure!
JDaniel4's Mom · Jan 2013
The tools made really wonderful prints.