Alphabet Play Dough Puzzle

Table of Contents:

1. Grab your letters – let’s make a play dough puzzle
2. An easy play dough puzzle to set up
3. You can totally do this activity today!
4. A little bit of parent prep
5. This was an instant hit.
6. So many other options with this activity!
7. Think you’ll try this play dough puzzle with your kids?

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Grab your letters – let’s make a play dough puzzle

I have a little bit of a “thing” for DIY puzzles. I celebrate everything about them: the simplicity, the re-purposing of something old, and the fun. Mostly the fun.

DIY puzzles are just plain awesome. I decided we needed one with an alphabet twist so we made a play dough puzzle that was insanely cool.

Don’t believe me? Well, the pictures speak for themselves.

An easy play dough puzzle to set up

Look, this play dough puzzle wasn’t exactly rocket science to put together but then again, most toddler activities aren’t.

The best toddler activities are the quick and easy, “so simple it’s shocking” kind of fun.

That’s the kind of fun I’m always look for with my kids and this easy play dough puzzle was perfect.

You can totally do this activity today!

Materials:

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• Play dough (here’s an awesome homemade recipe for extra fun)
• Alphabet magnets

How’s that for a quick and easy supply list? I love activities where I have everything on hand and this play dough puzzle fits the bill.

I set the play dough in a tray just to keep things tidy. This could easily have been done on the kitchen table, but if we’re being honest with each other (and I hope we are), that’s just not a great place for me to take photos. So, in the name of good blog pictures, the tray is what we used.

A little bit of parent prep

I rolled the play dough flat using a rolling pin and then carefully pressed alphabet magnets into the dough. Then I pulled them out and set them in a small plastic bowl.

The goal: match up the magnet to the magnet’s outline.

Easy peasy and my kids LOVED IT.

This was an instant hit.

This was absolutely an instant hit for my kids (ages 4 years old and 29 months old) and something that they have asked to do on repeat. There’s so much value in this easy activity:

•  There’s letter identification
• Fine motor skills working with the magnets
• Visual discrimination to find the right outline
• Spatial awareness to correctly line up the magnets

All that in an easy play dough puzzle? How awesome is that?!

So many other options with this activity!

This activity really lends itself to extensions: you could press in other materials (like buttons) to make a not-alphabet puzzle. For sight word learners, consider stamping words into the play dough for them to find.

There are so many fun DIY puzzle ideas out there, like this Lego Letter Puzzle.

This alphabet play dough puzzles was perfect for me and my kids, and it only made me love DIY puzzles even more.

Think you’ll try this play dough puzzle with your kids?