A Homemade Play Dough Activity that combines Play dough with Mr. Potato Head!
Homemade Play dough is one of those classic activities for kids. We almost always have several batches on hand here in my daycare; the hooligans never tire of it.
I love is how versatile play dough is when you make your own. You can colour it and scent it exactly how you want it, and you can taylor it to suit any holiday or theme.
I like to come up with fun and creative play dough activities, like our candy shop, ice cream shop and cookie decoration station.
I also like to use it for activities that will help develop fine motor skills.
This activity is a combination of both, and it also involves another favourite activity of kids – Mr. Potato Head.
We love to use our Mr. Potato Head parts in unusual and creative ways. They’re not just for sticking into their plastic potato counterparts, you know.
We have a large collection of potato heads and accessories, and when I set them out along side our homemade play dough, the hooligans know they’re in for a morning of fun.
2 classic kid’s activities come together
Kids just love the creative opportunities that this combo provides. This play dough activity even holds my 2 year olds’ attention for over an hour.
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And speaking of Mr. Potato Head
! Have you SEEN the Potato Heads they have out there now?
Oh my, Mr. Potato Head, how you’ve changed!
Gone are the days of the classic red-nosed, moustached spud!
You can get Super Hero Potato Heads, Star Wars characters, pirates and Kiss 
. You can even get Star Trek Potato Heads. I personally love our giant Giant “Super Spud”
. It holds most of our accessories, and the huge features are great for our play dough activities. Not to mention, it comes with a pretty cute cat.
Provide a few basic play dough tools:
Along with the Potato Head accessories, I always provide a few basic tools like pate knives, small spoons and a bowl of flat glass beads. The glass beads are a favourite when we’re playing with play dough. They’re perfect for embellishing all kinds of play dough creations. Today they’re being used to decorate this googley eyed serpent.
My favourite homemade play dough recipe:
One of my favourite recipes for homemade play dough is the Imagination Tree’s 4 minute, no-cook play dough.
For more homemade play recipes, check out our:
Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
Shirin
Brilliant, Jackie. As always. I am doing this tomorrow with the kids. Too bad they are in bed already. 🙂 Thank you very much.
Angelia
Whoa!!!! Am blown away by this combi! Am so gonna try them!! I am a mr & mrs potato head fan myself! Thanks for this added dimension of creative fum!
Sandra Bevins
Hello Jackie, I would just like to say that the ideas you have come up with have helped me so much in my business. I moved from a town to a village in England and as such found it very hard to get my day care business going again. Then I found your site and I started to use and advertise the crafts and activities I could provide for the children. I even set them up, took photos and used them on my face book site, I made them and took them to local toddler groups for messy play as my contribution. Now I would just like to say a massive thankyou. All that work paid off and now I am well know in the area and full once again. Thank You Very Very Much xxxxxxx
happyhooligans
Congratulations, Sandra! That is fantastic!! Good for you for rolling up your sleeves, and doing what you had to do to get your business running at full tilt! Proof, once again, that when we do what’s required of us at our end, the Universe will take care of the rest: “if you build it, they will come”. Oooh, I have goosebumps just thinking about it! Well done, Sandra. I’m so thrilled to know that in some small way, I’ve played a part in your success! Best wishes for your continued prosperity! xx
Vivian McDermott
It is so great to know that you have a passion for the care and education of children in the early years.
I am an Early Child Care Educator myself and after 22years in the field I never stop learning.
Vivian McDermott
Brisbane.Queensland.
Australia.
happyhooligans
It’s true, isn’t it, Vivian – when you choose a career that you’re passionate about, it never feels like “work”!