Creative Autumn Playdough Ideas for Preschool
Fall is full of inspiration for the best autumn playdough ideas for preschool. It is a season of warm spices and vibrant colors, and what better way to celebrate it than through fall scented playdough? Be sure to check out all our tips and tricks for how to make playdough, too.
This is a playdough recipe that’s not only soft and moldable but infused with the warm scents of the season. You’ll also get a list of autumn playdough mats and easy fall playdough activities that are sure to keep your preschoolers working their fine motor skills all season long.
With its warm spices like cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and cardamom, this season sets the stage for sensory-rich fall playdough ideas. Dive into our fall-scented playdough recipe, ensuring it’s not just soft and moldable but also infused with the delightful aromas of autumn.
Plus, we’ve curated a collection of autumn playdough mats and easy fall playdough activities that promise to engage your little ones’ fine motor skills and their creativity.
Get ready for some creative, fragrant, and hands-on learning with our autumn playdough ideas for preschoolers.
This is our favorite playdough recipe to use with our Printable Autumn Preschool Centers.
o make autumn-scented playdough, you’ll need basic playdough ingredients like flour, salt, cream of tartar, water, and oil. For the seasonal scent, add spices such as cinnamon, allspice, cloves, cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg.
Yes! Encourage children to use textured rollers and stamps to create patterns and imprints. They can also use acrylic leaves or mini pumpkins to make impressions. Another idea is to create a “playdough forest” by sticking plastic leaves upright in the dough, fostering imaginative play.
Absolutely. Store the playdough in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag to keep it fresh. It can last for a few weeks if kept in a cool, dry place. If it starts to dry out, add a few drops of water and knead it back to its original consistency.
Fall Playdough Recipe
Our fall playdough recipe isn’t just about soft, moldable dough; it’s infused with the familiar scents of the season, thanks to aromatic spices like cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and cardamom.
To make our playdough, we relied on our trusty, fool-proof, easy, perfect every time, classic cooked playdough recipe.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that at no cost to you, I may earn a small sum if you click through and make a purchase.
How to Make Fall Scented Playdough
It is super easy to make playdough that smells like all the familiar and comforting scents of fall. In this case, we used various kitchen spices.
Here’s how to do it:
- Make a playdough base, like our classic cooked playdough recipe, or our playdough recipe without cream of tartar or lemon juice.
- Allow to cool.
- Knead in a few teaspoons of spices to each batch.
Spices to Use
This time of year, cinnamon is always the first spice that comes to mind. But don’t forget about these other fall spices!
- cinnamon
- allspice
- cloves
- cardamon
- ginger
- nutmeg
And of course, blends like apple pie spice of pumpkin spice makes amazing scented playdough for fall, too!
For this recipe, we used cinnamon (orange playdough), allspice (brown playdough), and cardamon (yellow playdough). We also added a little food dye to create bright fall colors.
Fall Playdough Ideas
Using playdough is a daily staple in my preschool classroom. We are huge advocates for using playdough to develop hand strength and fine motor skills.
Whenever I make a new batch of homemade playdough, like this fall scented playdough recipe, we start with an invitation to play.
In our preschool class, kids really enjoy using different types of tools and gadgets with their playdough.
One of their top activities involves using special rolling pins for playdough that create cool patterns on the dough. (You can also use them for paint).
Some kids like squishing and shaping the dough with their hands, while others prefer using small tools like mini rolling pins, cookie cutters, and spatulas.
We also have these neat playdough stamps. They have fun shapes and pictures that you can press into the dough, leaving cool imprints.
Besides being lots of fun, these tools also help us get better at using our fingers and hands for more precise tasks.
- 4 DIFFERENT PATTERNS — This set includes textured rollers with multi-sized dots, wavy lines, zigzag…
- KID-FRIENDLY DESIGN — At 7″L and 1.6″W, these mini paint and doh rollers are easy for children to…
- CREATE ARTISTIC EFFECTS — Use this set of kids rolling pins to add DIY patterns to paper borders,…
- 6 DIFFERENT TOOLS: This set offers 6 essential tools for shaping, molding, and crafting with…
- MADE TO LAST: Crafted with durability in mind, these Play dough tools are designed to withstand…
- SAFE AND CHILD-FRIENDLY: Constructed from non-toxic materials, our playdough accessories ensure a…
Of course, to make our fall playdough session even more exciting, we add some wonderful autumn-themed items to the mix!
During our playtime, the preschoolers often reach for acrylic leaves to press into the soft playdough. They eagerly examine the imprints these leaves create, and some enjoy going a step further by sticking the plastic leaves upright in the dough, creating their mini autumn forest.
Fall Playdough Manipulatives
Our favorite playdough manipulatives are acrylic table scatter. These are some examples of what I have in my fall theme preschool box.
- Package includes: 48PCS Acrylic Pumpkin Ornaments (NO Holes)
- Material: high quality acrylic; Colors: 3 colors, 16pcs for each
- Diameter: 2.3cm/0.91inch; Height: 1.5cm/0.6inch
- PMLAND “Acrylic Season- Autumn” Series Products feature beautiful acrylic decoration to light up…
- Package includes approximately 325 pieces of mini corns made of high quality acryic and in very…
- Suitable for indoor and outdoor usage, scatter these onto tables, add them as part of your festive…
- Quantity: Package includes 21 pcs assorted small artificial pumpkins and gourds in different sizes…
- Color: Fall artificial pumpkins come in a variety of shapes and boast a range of speckled orange,…
- Size: Small artificial pumpkins and gourds measure about 1.1″-2.5″ wide and 1.7″-2.7″ tall. Faux…
- PACKAGE INCLUDES: You will get 6 colors 105 pieces mini acrylic gems fall decor.Total of 10…
- PERFECT DECORATION:These acrylic gemstones are translucent and, when illuminated by light, will…
- EXQUISITE DESIGN:The appearance is in the shape of maple leaves and pumpkins, and the colors are…
Fall Playdough Recipes
Looking for even more fall playdough recipes? I’ve got you covered. Try some of these recipes that are perfect for the fall season.
Here is an article about how to make scented playdough that is really helpful for making any kind of seasonal playdough.
Autumn Playdough Activities
Fall-scented playdough opens up a so many fun fall activities!
They can practice forming letters and numbers, enhancing their early literacy and numeracy skills.
Plus, rolling, squeezing, and pinching the dough helps build those essential fine motor skills, setting a strong foundation for future writing. Here are some amazing autumn playdough ideas to add to your fall preschool lesson plans.
- Fall Playdough Invitation to Play
- Textured Playdough for Fall
- Fall Leaf Impressions
- Pumpkin Jello Pudding Playdough
- Apple Playdough Activities
Autumn Playdough Mats
In our preschool class, using fall-themed playdough mats in our fine motor skills center is a real treat.
These mats not only make learning fun with their seasonal designs, but they also help preschoolers develop important skills.
When we press, squeeze, and mold playdough to fill in the autumn-themed pictures on these mats, we’re actually getting better at using our fingers and hands. It’s like a fun workout for our small muscles!
Here are some of our favorite free autumn playdough mats.
- Fall Playdough Cards
- Build a ___ Fall Playdough Mats
- Autumn Playdough Pack
- “I Can Make” Playdough Mats for Fall
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
Achillea filipendulina ‘Cloth of Gold’ Cultivation Guide
Achillea filipendulina ‘Cloth of Gold’ is known for its attractive, feathery dark green foliage and tall, golden-yellow flower stalks that bloom in early summer. This perennial is ideal for attracting pollinators, and its flowers work well in fresh or dried arrangements. It’s also resilient, tolerating poor soil and some heat.
Sowing and Growing Instructions
Best Time to Sow:
February to June or September to October.
Method:
Sowing Indoors: Sow seeds under glass in pots or trays filled with fine seed compost.
Sowing Technique: Scatter seeds thinly and evenly on the surface. Cover them with a light dusting of compost or vermiculite to allow adequate light for germination.
Germination: Expect germination within 7-14 days at a temperature of 15-20°C (59-68°F).
After Germination:
Once seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out and transfer them to individual pots.
Gradually acclimate seedlings to outdoor conditions after the last frost in spring.
Planting Out:
In their second season, transplant seedlings outdoors, spacing them 30-40 cm (12-16 inches) apart in well-drained soil in a sunny location.
By following these steps, you’ll be able to enjoy the vibrant blooms of Achillea ‘Cloth of Gold’ in your garden.
Achillea filipendulina ‘Cloth of Gold’ Cultivation Guide
Achillea filipendulina ‘Cloth of Gold’ is known for its attractive, feathery dark green foliage and tall, golden-yellow flower stalks that bloom in early summer. This perennial is ideal for attracting pollinators, and its flowers work well in fresh or dried arrangements. It’s also resilient, tolerating poor soil and some heat.
Sowing and Growing Instructions
Best Time to Sow:
February to June or September to October.
Method:
Sowing Indoors: Sow seeds under glass in pots or trays filled with fine seed compost.
Sowing Technique: Scatter seeds thinly and evenly on the surface. Cover them with a light dusting of compost or vermiculite to allow adequate light for germination.
Germination: Expect germination within 7-14 days at a temperature of 15-20°C (59-68°F).
After Germination:
Once seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out and transfer them to individual pots.
Gradually acclimate seedlings to outdoor conditions after the last frost in spring.
Planting Out:
In their second season, transplant seedlings outdoors, spacing them 30-40 cm (12-16 inches) apart in well-drained soil in a sunny location.
By following these steps, you’ll be able to enjoy the vibrant blooms of Achillea ‘Cloth of Gold’ in your garden.