9 Easy and Engaging Play-Doh Activities for Fine Motor Skills

Play-doh activities are an easy way to build your child’s fine motor skills. All you need is a container of play dough. If you prefer to make your own, check out my video on how to make your own play-doh using common items you have at the house.

Play-doh activities are an amazing tool to have in your toy box at home.

First, kids love play-doh a lot and are motivated to do tasks with it because they get to play!

Second, play-doh encourages bilateral coordination. This means as we are molding shapes and manipulating the play-doh with our hands in a coordinated fashion we are building coordination. This is an essential skills for our children to master.

Third, play-doh is amazing because it builds hand strength as our kids are molding and squeezing the play-doh.

1. Make a Pancake– create a ball and squish it onto the table. This is a great sensory experience for your kids.
2. Make a Snake– Roll the smooshed pancake into a work. Tell them to push, push, push the play-doh into a worm shape. This will build hand and shoulder strength as they make the worm.
3. Make a Ball– Model how to create a ball for you child by holding your hand out straight and flat with the play-doh between them. Then move your hands in a circular fashion to create the ball shape. This build coordination and
4. Cut the Play-doh– Use play-doh as a medium to practice using scissors. Check out my video for more tips on this!
5. Use Cookie Cutters– Use Cookie cutters to cut shapes out of the play-doh.
6. Use Beads– Build hand coordinating by placing small beads into the play-doh. Make sure you supervise this activity if the beads are a choking hazard to your child. Have them use their hand of other utensils to find the hidden beads and pick them out!
7. Draw Shapes– Use a stick or knife to create shapes and letters into the play-doh.
8. Make a Face– Draw a face in the in the play-doh or se small bits of play-doh to build a face.
9. Feed their Favorite Toy– Use a spoon or kitchen tongs to tear bits of play-doh off and pretend feed it to their favorite toy. This will build hand strength as they squeezing the tongs.

If you enjoyed these play-doh activities check out some more of my play-doh activities on my YouTube Channel or read more of my BetterMe BLOGS.