How to Make Playdough Animals with Kids

Play doh animals are so easy to make! Seriously, these play dough animals are a fun craft for kids of all ages! Not only does it work on fine motor skills, but promotes pretend play as well. Younger children and older children will love making playdough animals. Perfect for at home or in the classroom.

Playdough Animals are Fun to Make

Playdough is a favorite with most kids. There is just so much to do with it! Squish it, mix it, and there are so many playdough games.

Here is a great project to keep kids entertained with playdough as they make animals using playdough and other crafting items.  

Related: Use homemade edible play dough

Kids Activities Blog hopes your little one (and you) enjoy this fun indoor activity.

Supplies Needed to Make Playdough Animals

Related: This homemade playdough would be perfect for this animal play doh activity.

Directions to Make Playdough Animals

Step 1

To set up our preschool activities, I have started using a method that I saw on The Iowa Farmer’s Wife. I have been placing them on inexpensive baking sheets from the dollar store.

Not only do they help keep small items from rolling off of the table, they also allow me to group materials in a way that is appealing and inviting to my little learner.

It’s rare that I actually do my own projects alongside Bear because he tries to imitate me and gets frustrated. Usually I just watch, comment, and ask questions.  But this activity was just too much for me to pass up and we each did our own thing.

Step 2

Roll up your playdough in a long oblong shape to make the body.

Step 3

Roll a ball about half the size or a little smaller than the body and add it to one end of the body. That’s the head of your animal.

Step 4

Now make small triangles and add them to the top of the head. Those are your playdough animal’s ears.

Optional: You can also add a snoot as well.

Step 5

Decorate! Add googly eyes! A pipe cleaner tail! Stripes, horns, whatever you want, make this play doh animal unique!

More Playdough Animal Ideas To Make

Need inspiration to make cute playdough animals? Check out these play doh animals!

1. Super Cute Playdough Turtle

This playdough turtle is so easy to make. Give it a body, and roll out little numbs for lets and a tail, don’t forget a long head! Decorate his shell anyway you want.

2. Adorable Small Playdough Snail

This is the easiest playdough animal to make. Roll out a long body and fold it up. Then roll and swirl up some colorful playdough and add it to the snails back. Don’t forget to add eyes and a mouth. You can use googly eyes.

3. Super Duper Playdough Dinosaur

This playdough dinosaur is more challenging to make. Do you think you can do it? You need to roll out a body and head and make a cone tail. Don’t forget about the spikes and legs!

Our Experience With This Play Doh Animal Activity

Our preschool lesson themes are based on books and topics that Bear {4 yrs} has chosen to make sure that he is interested and invested in learning. His latest choice was jungle animals.

Due to the freezing weather outside, we can’t go to the zoo to see animals that reside in the jungle. So, we decided to bust out the Playdough and make our own!

Now, this craft works well with store bought playdough or you can make your own.

Rolling out the dough into balls, cutting the pipe cleaners, and manipulating the small eyes gave Bear some good small motor practice and a sensory experience all rolled into one.

This is one of those activities that it is okay to take your time and doesn’t make a huge mess and is perfect for hours of fun inside, especially with the colder weather coming.

After we were done with our jungle animal Playdough creations, Bear and I gave them fun names. He named his Cat-erfly because it was a cat that could fly {do you see the wings?}  

We worked together to name mine the Sniffer-ger because it had a huge nose and a tiger print tail.

A great literacy extension for this activity would be for your little learner to narrate or write their own story about their created animals to include: how they live, what they eat, their habitats, etc.

Perhaps you could even pair it up with some other activities or books. This would go great with these other Pete the Cat activities.

More Homemade Play Dough from Kids Activities Blog

How did you like the animal playdough sculptures turn out?