Here’s how to make a snowman playdough kit for either a small group of children or an entire classroom of students. Children can have fun creating all kinds of snowmen with this winter sensory activity using playdough and then bring the snowman kit home to enjoy with family and friends. It also makes a great playdate activity!
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Have you checked out our snowman factory activity? This center (or invitation to create) contains all the materials necessary for kids to create their very own playdough snowmen. It makes a great winter center for the classroom or easy invitation to create right at home. (The post even includes a free printable snowman factory sign to hang up right above the snowman playdough center!)
Our snowman factory post has been such a hit, I wanted to create a smaller version of the same snowman activity where kids create their own snowman playdough kits to use in the classroom or on a playdate and then take home for later enjoyment.
Here’s the method I used in my after school kindergarten class recently. The kids had so much fun creating all kinds of snowmen and other snow creatures, and I loved that they were able to take home all the materials to encourage even more creativity with their family.
How to Make a Snowman Playdough Kit
Materials for Snowman Playdough Kit
- White playdough (If I were doing this with just a few kids, I’d make my own playdough using my favorite playdough recipe. But making enough playdough for 20 or so kids to take home would be quite a workout, so we bought three 3 lb. tubs of this white playdough. Each tub contained enough playdough for about 6 kids.)
- Plastic Containers with compartments and lids
- Twigs (You could go out and search for your own, or, again, when doing this with a large group, I found it easier to just buy them. I bought a set of 100 twigs.)
- Googly eyes
- Scraps of ribbon and yarn
- Other small craft supplies like buttons, small pompoms, gems, etc.
- Black Sharpie
- Optional: Large rubberbands
- Optional: Drop Cloths– I love having these on hand to cover tables and reuse for other projects.
Directions for Making Snowman Playdough Kits
1. Place your twigs, googly eyes, scraps of ribbon and yarn, and other small craft items in containers.
2. Invite small groups of children at a time to come up to the table with the materials. Give each child a plastic compartment tray. Place white playdough in the large portion of the tray.
3. Allow the kids to select any craft supplies they’d like from among the assortment you have out on the table and place the materials in the smaller compartments.
4. Send that group of children back to their desks or table (preferably covered with a drop cloth) with their tray of playdough and supplies and invite them to get busy creating.
5. Call up another group of students and do the same as before. Do this until all students have their supplies.
6. Once it’s time to clean up, have small groups of students come up to pack up. I gave each child a clear, plastic lid and had them write their names on the lid with a Black Sharpie. I then placed the lid on their tray of playdough and supplies. (It’s a bit hard to snap in place for kids, so I did it myself.) I also wrapped a rubberband around the kit just to be sure it made it home safely.
7. Send your snowman kits home with your students and invite them to have fun creating at home with siblings, friends or their parents!
