60 Play Dough Trays for Preschool, Pre-k, and Kindergarten

Play dough trays are always a huge hit in my preschool classroom, so I have been making them for all my themes, holidays, and seasons. Keep reading for over 50 play dough tray ideas that will engage your students in a hands-on activity. I love play dough trays to help students build fine motor strength, develop creativity, grow verbal skills, encourage sensory play, and more.

Grab the Play Dough Tray Guide here for all this information in a printable format for ease of use!

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Literacy Play Dough Trays

Literacy Play Dough Tray! Use this literacy play dough tray to practice letter recognition, letter sounds, name practice, and more.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• School mini erasers
• Cookie cutters
• Letter tiles
• Rolling pin

Letter Play Dough Tray! Explore letters and their formation with this fun letter play dough tray. This would a good thing for a back-to-school theme or can be used anytime during the year.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Letter cookie cutters
• Mini erasers or loose parts
• Pony beads
• Magnet letters
• Rolling pins
• Trays

Math Play Dough Trays

2D Shapes Play Dough Tray! Your students will love learning about shapes with this engaging play dough tray! They can build, decorate, and explore shapes with various math materials.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Shape cookie cutters
• Shape chain links
• Toothpicks
• Googly eyes
• Mini popsicle sticks
• Rolling pin

Counting Play Dough Tray! Make number monsters with this fun counting play dough tray! Students will practice one-to-one correspondence, numerical order, fine motor skills, and more. This tray would be great for a back-to-school theme or used anytime during the year.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Matchsticks
• Buttons
• Pony beads
• Magnet numbers
• Googly eyes
• Number cards
• Ten frame mats

>>Get the number card freebie here!<<

Seasonal Play Dough Trays

Fall Play Dough Tray! Create a fall play dough tray to bring the seasons indoors. I love to add cinnamon or nutmeg to the play dough to make it scented for another sensory option. Be sure to check your allergies first. This tray would be great for a fall, apple, pumpkin, orchard, or leaf theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough (optional play dough add-ins: add spices)
• Fake sticks
• Fake leaves
• Fall gems
• Fall cookie cutters
• Rolling pin
• Scissors
• Spatula
• Scraper

Winter Play Dough Tray! Bring the fun of winter to your classroom with a winter-themed play dough tray. I like to add glitter to my winter play dough colors for a sparkle of extra fun! This tray would be great for a winter, polar animals, penguin, snow and ice, snowman, Christmas, or gingerbread theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough (add glitter)
• Gems
• Snowflake mini erasers
• Winter color rhinestones or jewels
• Snowflake cookie cutters
• Rolling pin

Spring Play Dough Tray! This colorful and cheerful playdough tray will be a hit in your classroom this spring. It would be great for a spring, plant and flowers, or Easter theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Pom poms
• Gems
• Buttons
• Flower cookie cutters
• Leaves and stems made with pipe cleaners
• Rolling pin

Summer Play Dough Tray! Bring the sunshine into your classroom with this bright summer play dough tray. This would be great for a summer or Hawaiian theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Glass gems
• Summer mini erasers
• Pineapple cupcake toppers
• Flamingo stir sticks
• People counters
• Rolling pin

Holiday Play Dough Trays

New Year’s Play Dough Tray! Ring in the new year with a festive play dough tray that is bright and colorful!

Supplies:

• Play dough with glitter
• Bead necklace pieces
• Pom poms
• Pipe cleaner fireworks
• Gold & silver disco ball table scatter
• Rolling pin
• Scissors
• Tongs
• Cutting tools

Valentine’s Play Dough Tray! Spread the love with this adorable Valentine’s play dough tray. Make some yummy smelling icing play dough to make it even more fun! Find the recipe here.

Supplies:

• Icing play dough
• Silicone cupcake liners
• Heart cookie cutters
• Candy boxes
• Letter beads
• Heart beads
• Plastic hearts
• Rolling pin
• Scissors

Love Monster Play Dough Tray! Create this adorable love monster play dough tray for a fun way to celebrate love.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Heart cookie cutters
• Pipe cleaners (cut up)
• Heart beads
• Googly eyes
• Bead necklaces (cut up)
• Rolling pin

St. Patrick’s Play Dough Tray! Your students will have so much fun with this St. Patrick’s Day play dough tray. They can make shamrocks, pots of gold, and more with a few materials and some play dough.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Gold coins
• Glass gems
• Shamrock cookie cutters
• Servers
• Rolling pin

Earth Day Play Dough Tray! Celebrate the Earth with this fun Earth Day play dough tray. A great way to teach your little learners about taking care of our Earth.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Plastic cups
• Glass gems (blue & green)
• Small rocks
• Sticks and tree rings
• Wooden cylinders (rolling pins)

Easter Play Dough Tray! Give your students an opportunity to create an Easter bunny or egg while they develop language skills and fine motor muscles.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Plastic eggs
• Rabbit cookie cutters
• Egg cookie cutters
• Buttons
• Pipe cleaner pieces
• Googly eyes
• Rolling pin

USA Play Dough Tray! Create this patriotic play dough tray for your little students to build their fine motor muscles, develop more language skills, and more! This would work for a Veteren’s, Fourth of July, election, or President’s Day theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Flag cookie cutter
• USA cookie cutter
• Star cookie cutters
• Flags
• Silicone cupcake liners
• Star beads
• Rolling pin
• Scissors
• Spatula
• Cutters

Halloween Play Dough Tray! Create a spooky Halloween play dough tray for your little learners. This would be great for a Halloween or fall theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Googly eyes
• Spider rings
• Halloween cookie cutters
• Mini erasers
• Silicone trays
• Rolling pin

Turkey Play Dough Tray! Celebrate Thanksgiving with a cute turkey play dough tray. Students create their own turkey with random items from around your classroom. This would be great for a Thanksgiving, farm, or bird theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Feathers
• Turkey cookie cutter
• Orange pipe cleaner pieces
• Pony beads
• Googly eyes

Christmas Play Dough Tray! Get festive with this Christmas play dough tray for your preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten students. Your students would love this for a winter, Christmas, or gingerbread theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Christmas cookie cutters
• Mini erasers
• Pom poms
• Pony beads
• Straw pieces
• Scissors
• Rolling pin
• Cooking utensils

Hanukkah Play Dough Tray! Use this holiday-themed play dough tray for a study on Hanukkah.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Candles
• Gelt 
• Small dreidel
• Hanukkah cookie cutters
• Hanukkah cupcake toppers
• Scissors
• Rolling pin

Themed or Anytime Play Dough Trays

Pop It Play Dough Tray! Grab some pop its, scissors, and play dough to make a great tray for curious kids to explore and practice scissor skills. This would work for any theme or time of the year.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Pop its
• Pony beads
• Silicone cupcake liners
• Scissors

All About Me Play Dough Tray! Teach your students about themselves and their peers with this all about me tray. I used varying shades of play dough for skin colors and lots of items from around my room. This would be a great tray for a family, kindness, or all about me theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• People cookie cutters
• Yarn pieces
• Googly eyes
• Foam rectangles
• Rolling pin

Back to School Play Dough Tray! Start the school year off right with this adorable Pete the Cat-themed play dough tray. This would be great for a colors, counting, or back-to-school theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Buttons
• Colored matchsticks
• Pony beads
• Magnet numbers
• T-shirt cookie cutters
• Rolling pin

Apple Pie Play Dough Tray! Your students will love making little pies during an apple or orchard study. I like to add cinnamon to my play dough for another sensory option.

Supplies:

• Play dough (optional add-in: cinnamon)
• Mini erasers
• Cinnamon sticks
• Black beans
• Apple cookie cutters
• Mini pie plates
• Rolling pins
• Server

Nocturnal Animals Play Dough Tray! Bring the nighttime into your classroom with a study on nocturnal animals. This tray would work for a nocturnal animal, fall, or Halloween theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Googly eyes
• Bat cookie cutters
• Web & spider cookie cutters
• White pipe cleaner pieces
• Plastic spiders
• Plastic bats
• Rolling pin

Pumpkin Play Dough Tray! I love this festive fall play dough tray. It has all the things to encourage students to explore the life cycle of a pumpkin. This would be great for a fall, pumpkin, plant, or life cycle theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Pipe cleaner vines
• Pumpkin cookie cutters
• Pumpkin seeds
• Plastic pumpkin table scatter
• Fake leaves
• Rolling pin
• Spatula
• Scissors

Pie Play Dough Tray! Give your little learners the opportunity to make their own pies. This would be great for a food, bakery, apple, fall, or Thanksgiving theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Plastic fruit counters
• Spice container with pom poms
• Rolling pin
• Pizza cutter
• Servers
• Spatulas
• Mini pie plates

Communtiy Helpers Play Dough Tray! Learn about community helpers with this x-ray-themed play dough tray. This would be great for a community helpers, doctor, vet, pet, or farm theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• White pipe cleaner pieces (straight & circular)
• Hand cookie cutter
• Person cookie cutter
• Dog cookie cutter
• Googly eyes
• Rolling pin

Gingerbread Play Dough Tray! Complete your gingerbread theme with this festive play dough tray for your preschool, per-k, and kindergarten students. This play dough tray would be wonderful for a gingerbread, bakery, Christmas, or Holidays around the world theme.

Supplies:

• Cinnamon play dough
• Shape buttons
• Pipe cleaner pieces
• Googly eyes
• Cookie cutters
• Pony beads
• Candy cane mini erasers
• Rolling pin
• Server

Sweets/ Bakery Play Dough Tray! This simple playdoh tray is a great way to allow your students to get creative in the kitchen. You will be delighted with their creations! This tray would go well with a bakery, sweets, cookie, Holiday, or food theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Mini erasers
• Pony beads
• Silicone cupcake liners
• Cookie cutters
• Mini pans
• Measuring spoons
• Rolling pins
• Cookie sheets
• Cooking utensils

Hibernation Play Dough Tray! Give your little scientists a chance to create a hibernation scene with this fun play dough tray.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Pom poms
• Small rocks
• Fake leaves
• Sticks
• Small animals
• Scissors
• Rolling pin

Polar Animals Play Dough Tray! Explore the frigid animals and create polar habitats with this cute play dough tray. This would also work for a winter, snow and ice, or Arctic theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Snowflake cookie cutters
• Glass gems (large & small)
• Plastic animals
• Rhinestones or jewels

Snowman Play Dough Tray! Let your little learners build snowman without the cold weather! You will have most or all of these supplies in your classroom for an easy activity. This would be great for a winter, snow and ice, or snowman theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Small rocks
• Foam hats
• Foam carrot noses
• Buttons
• Sticks
• Ribbon scarves
• Circle cookie cutters
• Rolling pin

Dental Health Play Dough Tray! Learn about taking care of our teeth with a hands-on learning experience. The yellow beads are cavities, and the silver washers can be fillings.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Plastic tooth savers
• Pony beads (silver & yellow)
• Floss

Weather Play Dough Tray! Learn about different kinds of weather with a fun sensory option. This would also work for a spring, colors, rainbow, or St. Patrick’s theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Pom poms
• Pony beads
• Buttons
• Pipe cleaner pieces
• Glass gems
• Matchsticks

Plant Play Dough Tray! Students can learn about life cycles and plant life while increasing their fine motor skills, language development, and so much more! This would be great for a spring, plant, life cycle, flower shop, farm, or garden theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Fake leaves
• Fake flowers
• Small rocks or seeds
• Flower signs
• Plastic pots

Pond Play Dough Tray! Have fun during your pond theme with this adorable play dough tray that lets students explore and learn through play. This would work for a pond, frog, or camping theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Glass gems
• Plastic frogs
• Plastic ducks
• Fake leaves
• Small rocks
• Mini popsicle sticks
• Rolling pin

Insect Play Dough Tray! Give your little scientists a fun way to explore and learn about insects in the classroom. This play dough tray would be great for an insect, camping, gardening, or nature theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Glass gems
• Small rocks
• Fake leaves
• Plastic bugs
• Rubber fishing worms (be sure to get ones with NO hooks)
• Rolling pin

Ocean Play Dough Tray! Explore the oceans with this cute play dough tray. Your students will build fine motor muscles, develop language skills, and foster creativity. This would be a great tray for an ocean, beach, shell, or summer theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Glass gems
• Small rocks
• Ocean animals
• Shells
• Rolling pin

Sports Play Dough Tray! Learn about sports in your classroom and utilize this play dough tray for a fine motor activity. The tray would be great for a sports, summer, ball, or force and motion theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Sports-themed plastic eggs
• Mini erasers
• Sports cupcake toppers
• Sports cookie cutters
• Rolling pins
• Scissors

Pirate Play Dough Tray! Ahoy matey! Make this pirate play dough tray to complete the theme in your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten classroom. This tray would work for a pirate, beach, summer, or ocean theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Gold coins
• Bead necklaces (cut up)
• Shells & starfish
• Plastic gems
• Treasure box
• Pirate flags
• Palm tree stir sticks
• Silicone shell tray
• Rolling pin
• Scissors
• Spatula
• Servers

Ice Cream Play Dough Tray! Spark some creativity with this ice cream play dough tray for your young children. It will be so much fun to create ice cream cones! This would be a nice tray for an ice cream, summer, vacation, or carnival theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Small spoons
• Ice cream cups
• Pony beads
• Mini erasers
• Plastic ice cream cones
• Ice cream scoop
• Spoon
• Tongs
• Rolling pin

Farm Play Dough Tray! Moo, oink, cluck! This play dough tray is much fun and will make an adorable addition to your preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten classroom.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Craft sticks
• Veggie counters/mini erasers
• Farm animal figures
• Small tractors
• Rolling pin

Construction Play Dough Tray! Watch your little learners build a construction site with play dough and the other supplies you have in your room. This would be great for a study on construction, community helpers, or large equipment.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Small rocks
• Wooden sticks
• Plastic equipment

Pizza Play Dough Tray! This pizza-themed play dough tray will be a huge hit in your classroom! I add some oregano to my play dough to make it scented and give students another sensory experience. This would work for a pizza, community helpers, or restaurant theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough (add oregano)
• Pom poms
• Pipe cleaner pieces (yellow & green)
• Foam mushrooms
• Foam pepperonis
• Foam crust
• Pizza cutter
• Spatula
• Server

Nursery Rhyme Play Dough Tray! This pat-a-cake play dough tray would be great for a nursery rhyme theme in your classroom. Add some sprinkles to the play dough for new textures.

Supplies:

• Play dough (add sprinkles)
• Number candles
• Silicone cupcake liners
• Candles
• Mini pans
• Pony beads
• Rolling pin
• Scissors
• Servers
• Spatulas

Fairy Tales Play Dough Tray! Create this fairy tale play dough tray with some supplies you may already have in your classroom.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Glass gems
• Diamonds or jewels
• Bead necklace pieces
• Small rocks
• Plastic animals (unicorns, ponies, dragons)
• Fairy tale cookie cutters

My Body Play Dough Tray! Let your students make x-rays and bones with this fun my body themed play dough tray. This would also work for a community helpers, vet, pet, or doctor theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• White pipe cleaner pieces (straight & circular)
• Hand cookie cutter
• Person cookie cutter
• Dog cookie cutter
• Googly eyes
• Rolling pin

Space Play Dough Tray! Your students are going to love this space-themed play dough tray! This lends itself to so much creativity and learning!

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Alien mini erasers or figures
• Star beads
• Marbles or small planets
• Foil balls (asteroids)
• Star cookie cutters
• Server
• Rolling pin

Olympics Play Dough Tray! Make a play dough tray for a study on the winter games or the summer games. This will complete your theme in no time.

Supplies:

• Play dough (add glitter)
• Medals
• Star confetti
• Cookie cutters
• Net bags
• Pipe cleaner circles
• Rolling pin
• Server
• Scissors

Transportation Play Dough Tray! Learn about transportation and build fine motor skills with this fun play dough tray.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Mini popsicle sticks
• Glass gems
• Transportation counters

Birthday Play Dough Tray! Have a birthday theme in your classroom! This is a perfect theme for back-to-school time to create a classroom community.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Number candles
• Silicone cupcake liners
• Candles
• Pony beads
• Cookie cutters
• Rolling pin
• Server

Pet Play Dough Tray! Your students will enjoy learning about pets with this fun play dough tray. It would also be great for an animal, vet, or home study.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Dog cookie cutter
• Bone cookie cutters
• Silicone cupcake liners
• Pony beads
• Servers

Zoo Play Dough Tray! Head to the zoo in your classroom and incorporate this play dough tray. Your students will strengthen their fine motor muscles and develop language skills.

Supplies:

• Play dough in different colors
  • Blue play dough: water
  • Green play dough: grass
• Glass gems (blue & green)
• Large glass gems (clear)
• Plastic zoo animals

Bird Play Dough Tray! Give students nature sensory materials and see them create bird nests and learn so much! This is a wonderful activity for your fine motor area or your science center for little hands.

Supplies:

• Play dough (plain or brown play dough)
• Rocks
• Real leaves of various colors and textures
• Sticks
• Photographs of real birds’ nests
• Scissors
• Sculpting tool

Dinosaur Play Dough Tray! Little learners love dinosaurs, and this playdough tray is just what you need to complete your theme. It will be a hit, for sure!

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Medium rocks
• Fake leaves
• Small rocks
• Plastic dinosaurs
• Plastic fossils or dinosaur skeletons
• Rolling pin

Camping Play Dough Tray! Have fun during a camping theme with this play dough tray! Students can create a camping scene while building their fine motor muscles. This would also work for a pond, insect, or summer theme.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Small rocks
• Glass gems
• Plastic snakes
• Plastic frogs
• Plastic bugs

Clothing Play Dough Tray! A clothing theme can provide so many learning opportunities for little learners. Use this play dough tray for fine motor development, language skill improvement, and more.

Supplies:

• Play dough
• Clothing cookie cutters
• Felt or foam clothing pieces
• Different shapes of buttons
• People counters
• Ribbon pieces
• Rolling pin
• Cutters
• Scissors
• Sculpting tools

As you can see, there are tons of ways to create a play dough tray that matches your theme or students’ interests. I hope you found some that your little learners would love and boost brain development with. I make themed play dough trays for every unit and set it in my center area. The students know it is always there and can go there if they want. Some years there is always someone at the play dough tray, and some years it doesn’t get used as much.

Check out my FREE play dough tray guide to get all this information in an easy-to-read and printable resource!

Grab the play dough activities set for routines, task cards, math, literacy, and SEL activities.

Need some letter mats for play dough play? Check these out!

These number play dough mats will be great for your little learners!

See all my favorite play dough tools here.

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