Magic Playdough Recipe for Back to School

Ah, the back-to-school season! A time filled with excitement and first week of school activities. One of my favorite ways to kick off the school year is by showing my preschoolers how to make playdough, specifically magic playdough.

Magic playdough captivates preschoolers from the moment they get their hands on it, and it’s a surefire way to ensure your preschooler is going to have an amazing preschool year.

Ah, the back-to-school season! A time filled with excitement and first week of school activities.

One back to school activity I do every year with my preschoolers is to make magic playdough. It captivates preschoolers immediately, encouraging an enthusiasm for coming to school is unmatched by any other preschool activity.

You see, magic playdough really is magical, and it’s a predictor of how amazing your preschool year is going to be. I even do this activity with my preschoolers, so the magic playdough will also reveal that I, the teacher, am also going to have wonderful time in preschool.

If you haven’t already pinned or bookmarked this page, then do it now! This is a must-do back to school activity for preschoolers. And pair this activity with our back-to-school playdough name practice.

What is Magic Playdough?

Magic playdough is a fun twist on traditional playdough. The idea is to create balls of white playdough that conceal a hidden core of brightly colored playdough.

When kids squish, squeeze, and knead the dough, the playdough color changes.

Here’s the kicker – if the color changes (which, of course it will), it means that preschooler is going to have an incredible preschool year full of fun activities and loads of learning!

The more teachers hype up the process, the more the children will buy into it. And that is certain to create excitement for the upcoming school year.

Benefits of Magic Playdough for Preschoolers

By integrating magic playdough into your classroom during the first week of school, you set the stage for a year filled with all the best things – creativity, sensory exploration, and foundational skill-building.

Here are even more advantages of using magic playdough for back to school.

Educational Benefits

1. Fine Motor Skills: Squishing and molding playdough helps children develop hand strength and fine motor skills. Teachers can easily see how children handle playdough and identify what kinds of fine motor skills their students gravitate to.
   1. Check out these playdough hand strengthening activities.
2. Sensory Exploration: The tactile experience of playing with playdough engages children’s senses and encourages exploration. This can also calm children who are anxious about the upcoming school year.
3. Assessment Tool: Teachers can use magic playdough to observe children’s hand strength and fine motor skills at the beginning of the school year.
4. Positive Reinforcement: The color-changing aspect of the playdough can be used to assure children that they are going to have an amazing year ahead.

Recipe for Magic Playdough

Creating magic playdough is simple and can be done using any basic playdough recipe. Here’s a step-by-step guide to make your own:

Materials

• Your favorite playdough recipe (white playdough)
• Food coloring (bright colors work best)

This is our favorite white playdough recipe that can be used for making magic playdough.

How to Make Magic Playdough

Before you begin, it’s important to complete all the prep work in advance to ensure smooth execution. The playdough won’t be nearly as magical if it isn’t prepared in advance.

Here’s how you can get started:

Prepare the Playdough:

• Make a batch of white playdough. This will be the outer layer of your magic playdough.
• Separately, make a batch of brightly colored playdough.

Form the Playdough Pancakes:

• Flatten small portions of the white playdough into pancake shapes.

Create the Magic Core:

• Roll small balls of the brightly colored playdough.
• Place each ball of colored playdough onto a white playdough pancake.
• You may want to experiment a bit in advance to determine the perfect proportion of white playdough to colored playdough. You want the magic playdough to be obvious when it turns a different color.
• It’s most fun when multiple colors are used and students really have no idea what color their playdough will change.

Wrap It Up:

• Wrap the white playdough around the colored playdough, ensuring the colored playdough is completely hidden inside.
• Roll the wrapped playdough into a smooth ball.

Ready to Use:

• Your magic playdough is ready! Give it to the preschoolers and watch their faces light up as the colors magically appear.

What to Do with Magic Playdough

The fun doesn’t have to stop here! Here are some simple playdough activities to do during the first week of school that will also help teachers determine skill level.

These activities can also be used as a form of assessment or documentation for portfolios.

Shape Sculpting:

• Encourage students to use their magic playdough to make different shapes such as circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles. Use these playdough shape mats for that!
• You can also incorporate color recognition by having them make shapes in specific colors.

Letter Formation:

• Have students use the playdough to form letters of the alphabet. This is a great way to practice letter recognition and handwriting skills. We love these letter formation mats.
• For older children, you can have them spell out simple words using the playdough.

Counting and Math Skills:

• Use the playdough to form numbers and have students practice counting and number recognition. Try these playdough counting mats for that!
• For more advanced students, you can use the playdough as a visual aid for addition, subtraction, or even multiplication problems.

Imaginative Play:

• Let children’s imaginations run wild with their magic playdough. They can create animals, food, people, buildings, and anything else they can think of!
• Check out this list of 30 printable playdough mats.
• Encourage dramatic play by providing props such as toy cars or miniature figures to use with their playdough creations.
• Set up invitations to play with playdough. This encourages children to engage in creative and structured play scenarios.

And if you really want to level up your playdough game, look at this list of 20+ cool ways to change up your playdough.

Fun Playdough Recipes

From vibrant colors and delightful scents to unique textures, these fun playdough recipes are designed to add some intense fun to your sensory playdough.

Let’s dive into some exciting recipes that will surely become classroom favorites!

• Herb Playdough Recipe
• Fluffy Playdough Recipe
• Cinnamon Playdough Recipe
• Playdough Recipe Cooked in Tea
• Edible Funfetti Playdough Recipe

Magic playdough is an excellent way to make the first week of preschool memorable. Not only does it provide endless fun, but it also serves as a subtle assessment tool for teachers. Plus, the promise that the changing colors signify an amazing year ahead can be a comforting thought for little ones embarking on their educational journey.

Sarah Punkoney, MAT

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.

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