Our set of free printable emotions play dough mats includes 10 different play dough mats to use and re-use.

Playdough mats are a great sensory activity for kids and can be a calming activity too. Kids who are sensory seekers will love using playdough, and for those kids with tactile defensiveness, a playdough mat could be a great way to encourage them to give playdough a try. They each grabbed play dough and began adding facial features to the heads. My 5-year-old was very detailed and remembered to add things like the pupil of an eye, eyebrows and eyelashes. What makes you feel scared, and what do you do when you feel scared? What helps you feel better again?The aim of our open-ended play dough mats is to spark a child’s interest and creativity, without totally directing their play. They are a starting point, designed to invite kids to play and explore. There are no right or wrong way to use these mats, so if Santa wears green shorts and the snail has wings, that’s totally ok! Let your kids be creative! They are full of blank faces, empty plates, bare gardens, and more, just waiting to be filled with anything you can imagine! Why would you choose an open-ended playdough mat? If you have different coloured play dough, model the language as you make the face(s) (“I’m making a green nose and yellow eyebrows”) You can use home-made play dough, shop bought dough, modelling clay/plasticine, or any kind of dough. You don’t need anything other than the mats and the dough, but collecting a few accessories to go with the theme is loads of fun too. All of our free printable playdough mats are open-ended. That means that there is no one ‘correct’ way to use them. Extend the emotions further by seeing if they can copy them – using a mirror can help your child to make the facial expression.

Self laminating pouches are also great, and we have used these a few times. If you find that the play dough mats are being used over and over, and become one of your child’s favorite then I would recommend going with the self lamination pouches. There is so much benefit in children being able to identify and name their feelings, so that they can understand their own emotions in different circumstances. This skill will be vital all the way through their lives, as they grow. Here are our family’s play dough faces, mostly finished. See the play dough flower in the hair of the play dough person on the left? Maia came up with a special technique for making those with a garlic press. You can use poke-ins such as googly eyes, buttons, or beads to add detail to your play dough face if you like.

What does a worried face look like, and how do you create that shape from play dough? What kind of things make you feel worried? Silly Face Playdough Mat Choosing an open-ended playdough mat inspires creativity and imagination. They allow children to express their ideas and knowledge in any way they like, and encourages creative thinking, problem solving and ingenuity. If your child needs help then you could use a play dough mat to support their creativity. We like these from Sparkle Box here For my 3 year old I was able to make a model for him to visually see what to do and then gave him the verbal directions on how to make the eyes, nose, and mouth. My one year old was even able to join in on the fun! She was able to squish, pull, and poke the Playdough! It was a great opportunity for us to talk about different emotions. Steps on what to do Squeezing and squishing the play dough is an easy way to strengthen their little hand muscles all while having fun.

While making faces on these play dough mats, young children will develop the following skills will develop their fine motor muscles while learning about the human body – more specifically, the face. Note: The size of your bowl depends on how big of a face or portrait you want to make. You can do this with a small cereal bowl or with a large mixing bowl. It’s up to you. Play-Doh is the modelling toy that is perfect for kids because of its non-toxic features. It doesn’t stain clothes and walls. You don’t need to worry much if you are a parent! Language and social skills – including talking about what they are making with other children and adults, sharing ideas, sharing items etc. Then I invited my children to come see what I had set up. They immediately knew what to do and were very happy to get started.Rather than taking about emotions in an abstract way only, let them get involved with their hands and make something that they can see and touch. These are a few topics to explore while making some scared faces together with your playdough. Worried Face Playdough Mat Right now my daughter is loving these glitter play dough colors and of course you want to have some play dough tools like cutters and rollers. More Fun Hands On Printables for Preschoolers Playdough Mats are a fun way for kids to work with play dough at home or in the classroom, and bring in themes to their playdough exploration. If your child needs some help with emotions then see if they can copy some pictures – you can Google images or we like the Sparkle Box ones here