Seasons Playdough Mats {Free Printable}

Inside: free printable seasons playdough mats for preschoolers along with conversation starters to use with students.

Today I’m sharing playdough mats that you can use when you’re teaching about the seasons. This activity exercises those little fingers and reinforces the letters w, s, and f and their initial sounds.

Playdough is one of my all-time favorites. I know, some people complain about the mess, but I always think it’s worth the trouble. It keeps kids occupied for so long, and it’s great for their fine motor skills and their imagination.

You don’t need mats to play with dough, but they do add an educational element. Look at these as a starting point for your kids rather than something they need to follow strictly.

Seasons Playdough Mats

You can use these four seasons playdough mats all at once, or pull one out each season.

Materials & Prep

Once you print out the free playdough mats you will want to laminate them. If you don’t have access to a laminator clear contact paper also works well.

Of course, you’ll also want playdough, preferably in the following colors: brown, green, pink, white, and blue. If you don’t have brown (I didn’t), you can either make it from scratch with a recipe such as this gingerbread playdough, or sub in another color such as black.

How to Use the Playdough Mats

Think of these mats as a prompt to guide play and conversation. (and scroll down for some easy starters)

Encourage your kids to fill the shapes and letters with playdough. They can pat in small pieces and/or roll out “snakes” and bend them to fit. Then, read them the specific directions on each page.

It’s okay if they want to use different colors or be creative in how they work with their dough. There isn’t a single “right” way to play with playdough!

What to Talk About

You can use these mats as a way to talk with students about letters and sounds. You can also talk about the science concepts related to how trees change each season, and even bring in some math. Here are some ideas for each season:

Cleanup

You may want to show children how to pick up and put away one color at a time so that you don’t end up with the dreaded all-color dough.

For little ones reluctant to put away their creations, you can offer to take a photo of it for them.

More Four Seasons Activities

Here are a few more helpful resources for teaching children about the seasons of the year:

• Find some great read-alouds from this helpful book list about the four seasons.

• Print each child their own free personalized booklet about the seasons.

• Try this winter vs. summer sorting activity and talk about how clothing and activities vary by season.

Happy Teaching!