How to Make Playdough Trays for Every Season of the Year

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Find LOTS of ideas to put together play dough trays for the whole year. Your kids will love the unique materials in these playdough invitations to play.

I love gathering materials to create a playdough invitation to play.  When you create a playdough tray for your kids you will encourage open-ended creative play.  Your little artists and scientists will have a blast exploring, creating, and experimenting with a variety of materials.

You can also use play dough trays as fun and motivational fine motor activities for your kids.

Playdough trays for the whole year.

Here are some ideas for playdough trays for the whole year.

In the age of COVID, you may not be able to put out a tray for all of your kids to share.  Don’t Worry!  You can use all of the playdough tray ideas below to easily create individual playdough kits for your kids.

Spring & Summer Themed Playdough Trays

Spring and Summer themed trays have to be my favorite because I love the colorful thematic materials that fill the divided trays.

Flower Theme

Your kids will love planting a garden of flowers with a flower-themed playdough tray. 

Spring and Summer Playdough tray

Butterfly Theme

There are soooo many fun materials that you can add to a tray to create a butterfly-themed invitation to play.

Butterfly theme playdough tray.

Bug & Insect Theme

Are you interested in a playdough tray with insects of the creepy-crawly variety?  How about a bug-themed playdough invitation to play?

Butterfly playdough tray.

Plants & Garden Theme

Get out some garden soil playdough and put together this fun plant theme playdough invitation…..complete with worms!

Plants and garden theme playdough tray.

Easter Theme

Easter egg and flower vase fillers, pastel straws, googly eyes, and buttons will spark some Easter-themed creativity.

Easter theme playdough tray.

Bunny Theme

Bunny tails, ears, and even some carrot number cards make a fun bunny playdough tray.

Bunny theme playdough tray.

Autumn Playdough Trays

Apple Theme

Assemble an apple invitation to play with a few simple materials.  Kids can pretend that they are at the apple orchard or in the kitchen making apple creations.

Apple theme playdough tray.

Scarecrow Theme

Some wood sticks, tiny straw hats, and a little bit of straw will help kids get creative with this scarecrow-themed invitation to play.

Scarecrow theme playdough tray.

Autumn Theme

When it’s pumpkin spice time, a fall playdough invitation with pumpkins, leaves, and acorns is perfect.

playdough activities for fall - a playdough tray with orange playdough, pumpkins, pine cones, sticks, plastic acorns, wood cookies, and silk fall leaves.

Spider Theme

A spider theme playdough tray is perfect for Halloween.

spider theme playdough tray.

Monster Theme

Here is another Halloween idea.  A monster theme invitation to play will be sooo much fun.

Monster theme playdough tray.

Turkey Theme

November is the perfect time to bring out a turkey playdough tray.  You can easily use this for a farm theme too.

turkey made from playdough, feathers, beads, googly eyes, popcorn and toothpicks

Winter Themed Playdough Trays

Christmas Tree Theme

Mix up a batch of Christmas tree playdough and put together a Christmas tree invitation to play with a few fun materials.

Christmas tree theme playdough tray.

Gingerbread Theme

Gingerbread playdough will make your whole room will smell amazing.  Here are material ideas to help you put together a gingerbread playdough tray.

Christmas tree themed playdough tray.

Winter Theme

Gather some icy materials and some bright white playdough to create a beautiful snow themed playdough tray.

Winter theme playdough tray.

Snowman Theme

Switch up the materials a bit and you will have a snowman playdough tray.

Snowman theme playdough tray.

Valentine Theme

Red hearts, red cups, and some bottlecaps will make a simple Valentine playdough tray.

Valentine theme playdough tray.

Fun Playdough Trays for Any Time of Year

Construction Theme

A little construction playdough, construction vehicles, and even some tools will work as a great playdough tray for your construction theme.

Construction theme playdough tray.

All About Me Theme

Kids can make self-portraits with the materials in this fun all about me theme playdough tray.  This is perfect for the beginning of the school year or any time of year.

All About Me playdough theme tray

Space Theme

I had fun finding some inexpensive materials for this tray in the aisles of my home improvement store for this space theme playdough tray.  This is great for a space theme or a transportation theme unit.

Space theme playdough tray.

As I put together more thematic and seasonal play dough trays, I’ll keep adding to this post.  Be sure to pin this post so that you can easily find it later.

More Playdough Ideas

For more playdough activity ideas and information, check out the following posts:

More playdough tray ideas.
Make individual playdough kits for kids
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