DIY Playdough Kits for Toddlers | Gift Ideas

If you’ve been around here a while, you’ll know we love playdough! Little ones can have so much fun getting creative with playdough and it has so many benefits for a child’s development that I also think it makes an awesome gift!

DIY playdough kits for toddlers are easy to put together whether you want to go all out and make your own playdough, or just purchase the playdough tools and printables to make an awesome toddler gift!

As well as ideas for a generic DIY Playdough Kits for Toddlers, I’m going to share with you 3 different playdough kits based on some popular toddler themes!

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Why DIY a playdough kit for toddlers?

You can purchase plenty of playdough sets but the likelihood is that they are not quite what you are looking for. Our tray of playdough tools is made up of such an assortment of bits and bobs because it’s what work for us.

Making your own playdough kit to give as a gift is a really great way to make a practical present that is sure to get used, and it has a lovely personal touch!

DIY Playdough Kits for Toddlers are also a great way to focus on a theme that is really going to engage your toddler based on their interests. Children thrive on interest based play and so it is great to encourage those interests by learning through play.

What should I put in my DIY Playdough Kit?

The beauty of a homemade gift like a DIY Playdough Kits for Toddlers is that you can add anything you want! We love combining loose parts and playdough for lots of open ended fun play – pretty much anything goes!

There are however some staple things that I think you should start with:

• Safety Scissors / Plastic knife – Cutting playdough is really fun and is great for little ones to test their hand strength
• Cutters – using cutters for shapes or making prints in the playdough is a lot of fun and really helps little ones gain some independence as they create
• Playdough – Seems obvious but I didn’t want to leave it off the list in case it got forgotten! You can either make your own playdough (recipes are included in the printable packs) or purchase some pots to make up your kit
• Rolling Pin – It may take a little while for your toddler to get the hang of a rolling pin but it is a great skill to practice with them (and I have some alternative rollers in a couple of the packs further down)
• Loose Parts (aka bits and bobs!) – As I said earlier, you’ll want to add some loose parts to your playdough kit to allow lots of room for imagination! You might choose to use buttons, sequins, pine-cones, birthday candles – the opportunities are endless!
• Playdough Mats – Having a base for your little one to play on can really help to inspire them with both activities that focus on imaginative play, and some more learning focused play – you an see my whole range of printables here

Of course feel free to pick and choose what works for you from the above list, but it can be a great starting point to help you think about what you might want to add to your playdough kit!

Keeping in mind the above list, let’s take a look at some specific examples of playdough kits that you might want to make based on your little one’s interests.

Space DIY Playdough Kit for Toddlers

For this space themed playdough kit I chose:

1. Black Playdough – Black playdough is great for creating a night sky and you can easily add glitter to make it sparkle. You could add a few brighter colours to make planets with or some yellow for stars!
2. Star Print rolling pin – This beautiful embossed rolling pin makes a lovely star print in the dough and has a handle making it easier for little hands to roll
3. Space themed cutters – These beautiful cutters come in a pack of two, one astronaut and one rocket (you could add some basic start cutters too)
4. Glow in the dark stars – Playing with playdough in the dark is a lot of fun with these glow in the dark stars – you also get planets and moons in this pack
5. Wooden star buttons – These are a great addition to any playdough kit for making impressions and decorations in the dough
6. Space Themed Printable Playdough Pack – A themed printable pack is the perfect way to finish off your playdough kit:

Snowy Playdough Gift for Toddlers

For this snowy playdough kit I chose to include the following:

1. White Playdough – White playdough is little bit different (and even better if you add a touch a glitter!) It’s so much fun making snow indoors and toddlers will love this set!
2. Snowflake roller – Again this is a beautiful embossed rolling pin with a snowflake print with handle to make rolling easier for little ones
3. Snowman Cutter – This snowman cutter is part of a set and I love how it prints detail into the dough as well!
4. Snowflake shaped buttons – I chose to add these white snowflake buttons for some extra winter fun and for making lovely prints in the playdough
5. Iridescent Confetti Snowflakes – I chose these for the sparkle they add, it finishes the frosty winter theme perfectly
6. Snow Themed Printable Playdough Pack – This pack is full of winter themed fun and activities to encourage creativity!

Ocean Beach Themed Playdough Kit For Toddlers

This DIY playdough kit is perfect for any little one who loves the ocean or exploring at the beach! Here’s what’s in this playdough kit:

1. Blue Sparkly Playdough – This playdough sparkle compound collection from Play Doh is one of my favourite and it makes for lovely ocean play!
2. Ocean Wave Embossed Rolling Pin – This sea wave effect rolling pin creates the most beautiful patterns in the dough and is so much fun for toddlers and grown ups alike!
3. Ocean themed cutters – This pack of plastic cutters comes with an octopus, starfish, sea horse and fish and are designed to be pushed to imprint the design (great for little hands!)
4. Fun Beach Themed Buttons – A great loose part to add to your playdough kit, these printed buttons are lovely and can be used for all sorts of creative play!
5. Sea Shells – Using shells to make prints in playdough is one of or favourite ways to play – if you can get some from your local beach the great, if not you can pick these up on Amazon
6. Beach Themed Printable Playdough Pack – This playdough printable pack is another great accompaniment to your playdough kit and finishes off the playdough kit nicely – it’s packed with lots of ideas for play and sheets to get you started!

All you need to know about making a playdough kit gift for a toddler

So there you have it, 3 awesome playdough kits to have a go at making yourself, whether that be for your own little one or as a gift for a toddler!

These are just suggested ideas to get you started, use the list at the beginning of this post to gather the basics and then add extras depending on your theme!

If you want lots more ideas on Loose Parts Ideas for Playdough then check out ’77 Creative Ideas for Playdough’

Have fun getting creative and I’d love to know what you come up with!

Louisa | Mum’s Creative Cupboard x