Hanukkah Playdough Mats

What would be a holiday without some themed playdough fun with special Hanukkah Playdough Mats? All three of my kids (yes, even the big kid although he says he doesn’t!) love playing with playdough. Who doesn’t? It’s a great sensory activity and also great for physical development of those cute little hands.

We first made these Hanukkah Playdough Mats last year but I never got around to posting them on the blog because … life! Hope you can enjoy them this Hanukkah! We just brought them out again for a great activity for the kids to do while the parents meal prep. We also used these Hanukkah Playdough Mats as part of a Five Senses Hanukkah Exploration Activity last week.

What You’ll Need

• Playdough (dyed blue if you want!)
• Hanukkah Playdough Mats free printable
• Laminator, contact paper, or plastic sleeve
• Hanukkah symbols: dreidels, candles, plastic gelt, cookie cutters, confetti, whatever you have!

Putting It Together

1. Make your favorite playdough recipe and dye it Hanukkah blue if you want! You can also add some Hanukkah confetti if you’d like. We love the playdough recipe from @weneedmoreglitter.
2. Print out these simple Hanukkah playdough mats and laminate them. If you don’t have a laminator, you can cover them in contact paper or slip them in a plastic sleeve. But … I LOVE my cheap little laminator and use it so much so if you’re looking for a little gift for yourself, I recommend it 😉
3. Set up a playdough tray with the mats and whatever Hanukkah items you have on hand. We found some dreidels, candles, plastic gelt and our trusty Hanukkah cookie cutters.
4. Invite your kids to play and explore!

Finished and Loving It!

Last year the kids had so much fun playing with the playdough and creating different Hanukkah scenes using their Hanukkah Playdough Mats. I just brought them out this year for some independent play time while I clean up after last night’s Hanukkah mess … I mean dinner and first night theme of opening presents 😉

You can use the same Hanukkah symbols for both years; in fact, I just bag everything up and store it in my Hanukkah bin with the decorations for each year.

These Hanukkah objects have been used again and again but since they are with different activities—and textures (rice sensory bin, cotton ball sensory bin and crepe paper sensory bin)—the kids totally feel like they are playing with something new. Which they are! But each new activity reviews these important Hanukkah symbols making this play not only fun, but a meaningful Jewish learning experience 🕎❤️🕎

Also, playdough is such a great activity to make together with your kids. It’s fast and easy and they love it so much!

Are you a playdough fan? Do you use playdough mats in your play?

For Hanukkah 2020 resources, crafts and activities, check out our Hanukkah Round Up 2020 page!

Chag Sameach!!

And for general information about Hanukkah, check out these amazing resources:

PJ Library: Hanukkah

ReformJudaism.org: Hanukkah

Custom and Craft

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