Ocean Playdough Mats

If you’re looking for a playful way to teach ocean animals, these ocean playdough mats are a perfect hands-on learning activity! And the best part? You can pair it with your own homemade dough—yes, I’ll even show you how to make playdough that’s soft, safe, and lasts for weeks!

Whether you’re a teacher planning an ocean themed week or a parent gearing up for summer fun, this printable makes learning feel like play.With creatures like turtles, jellyfish, and sharks, this activity helps kids build fine motor skills while exploring fascinating sea life. Let’s dive into all the fun under the sea!

If your preschoolers are fascinated by sea creatures and sandcastles, ocean playdough mats can bring the beach to your classroom in an educational way. An ocean theme is always a crowd favorite, and we keep these mats with our other fun preschool theme ideas.

Kids will get to practice ocean animal vocabulary, explore shapes and textures, and use their imagination to create creatures out of dough right there on the printable playdough mats.

Playdough invites little hands to pinch, press, and shape—perfect actions for strengthening the fine motor muscles needed for writing. When paired with the alphabet, those same movements also build familiarity with letter shapes and sounds.

And if you’ve never made your own playdough before, don’t worry—I’ve got a super simple recipe to share with you, too. Let’s take a closer look at what your little ones will learn as they shape, squish, and explore the wonders of the sea!

Ready to grab your free ocean playdough mats?

Read this: Ocean Art for Preschoolers

What Kids Learn from Playdough Activities

These playdough mats teach through tactile play and simple writing prompts. Kids will strengthen core preschool skills in a relaxed and fun setting.

SKILL # 1: Fine Motor Skills

Manipulating playdough is like a workout for little hands, strengthening the fine motor skills they’ll need to master writing. Rolling, squishing, and shaping dough builds hand strength and coordination. These are key skills for writing readiness.

• Read this: Playdough Hand Strengthening Activities

SKILL # 2: Vocabulary and Letter Recognition

The hands-on experience of shaping letters with playdough creates a powerful connection that makes vocabulary and letter recognition more concrete and memorable. Each mat encourages kids to write the name of the sea creature. This builds vocabulary and reinforces early literacy.

• Read this: 6 Benefits of Playdough Activities During Early Childhood

Shop our Ocean Printables for Preschool

Make a splash in preschool learning with our engaging and educational ocean printable activities for preschoolers.

Explore the Ocean with Playdough Mats

This ocean playdough activity lets kids get creative while learning about sea animals in a tactile, engaging way. Plus, sensory play has so many benefits to learning.

What’s Included

These ocean playdough mats feature:

• 14 unique mats with ocean creatures (like shark, octopus, jellyfish, turtle, and more)
• Prompts for writing the animal’s name
• Open-ended space for playdough creation
• Clear and simple layout for easy use

Additional Materials

To make the most of your ocean playdough mats, gather:

• Homemade playdough or store-bought
• Laminator and laminating sheets (or plastic sleeves)
• Dry erase markers (for writing the animal names)
• A tray or mat to keep play surfaces clean

The Set Up

Print and laminate each mat for durability. If you don’t have a laminator, slide them into plastic sleeves. Set out the mats on a table with small containers of playdough and dry erase markers. If you made your own dough, like our classic cooked playdough recipe, let it cool completely before handing it over to the kids. Organize your space so little ones can move around and explore freely!

How to Teach Fine Motor Skills Using Ocean Playdough Mats

Playdough mats fantastic way to help kids strengthen the muscles in their hands and fingers, which are important for tasks like writing, buttoning, and using scissors. By rolling, pinching, and pressing playdough (and even adding tiny seashells or textured items), kids get a playful workout for their hands.

Let’s walk through how to use these mats to build strong, capable hands—step by step!

Step 1: Introduce the Activity

Begin by showing your child or class the playdough mats and pointing out the name of each sea animal. Say the name together, and ask them to repeat it. Explain that they’ll be using their fingers and hands to make sea animals out of playdough. Talk about how this helps make their hands strong for writing and drawing. Choose a mat and get ready to explore textures and shapes.

Step 2: Roll, Pinch, and Press the Playdough

Encourage kids to roll the playdough into balls, ropes, and flat shapes. Pinching and pressing with fingers builds fine motor control. Guide them to use both hands for shaping the playdough—this supports coordination. Add tools like plastic knives or scissors for cutting practice. Invite them to use the dough to “build muscles in their hands.”

Step 3: Add Texture with Loose Parts

Offer small items like tiny seashells, buttons, googly eyes, or aquarium gravel. Encourage kids to press these items into the dough to create textures and details. Pushing and placing small objects helps strengthen finger muscles and improves dexterity, and so does picking them out of the playdough! Just make sure all added items are safe and age-appropriate.

Step 4: Practice Name Writing

Once the playdough creation is complete, invite kids to trace or write the animal name on the mat using a dry erase marker. If kids aren’t ready to write the whole word, they can start by tracing the first letter. Celebrate all attempts—progress is more important than perfection!

Best Homemade Playdough to Use

When using playdough mats, the best kind of playdough is soft, pliable, and not too sticky. You want a dough that’s easy for kids to roll, squish, and press without crumbling or sticking to the mat. It should be firm enough to support fine motor work like pinching and pressing, but still smooth enough for younger hands to manage.

Here are some of our favorite playdough recipes to use alongside our playdough mats.

• The Easiest No Cook Playdough Recipe
• How to Make Playdough without Cream of Tartar
• How to Make Playdough with Lemon Juice
• Easy Microwave Playdough Recipe
• Quick Playdough Recipe with Vinegar

Ocean Activities for Preschoolers

If you’re working on an ocean theme for preschool, this section is for you! These ideas will keep your theme week fresh and exciting.

• Ocean Roll and Cover Counting Mats
• Free Ocean Preschool Lesson Plans
• 5 Super Fun Ocean Activities for Preschoolers
• Ocean Preschool Centers
• Ocean Discovery Bottle to Teach About Waves
• Educational Ocean Activities and Games
• Sensory Table: Ocean Small World Play
• Ocean Crafts for Kids
• Preschool Ocean Worksheets

Read this: 20+ Ocean Printables for Preschool

Get Your Free Ocean Playdough Mats Here

To grab your free Ocean Playdough Mats, simply enter your email address below. The download link will be sent straight to your inbox—easy peasy!

FAQs for Ocean Playdough Mats

Here are some frequently asked questions about the ocean playdough mats: