Say goodbye to the frustration of mixed-up play dough batches and hello to extended playtime fun with our innovative Play Dough Storage Hack! Are you tired of your kids blending all the colors into one big mess, leaving you with a mound of unusable dough? Fear not! In this post, we unveil a brilliant solution for preserving the integrity of your play dough by storing it in stackable ice cube trays with lids. 

Play Dough Storage with Stackable Ice Cube Trays

While making a batch of ice one day, it suddenly occurred to me that this container would be the perfect way to store play dough – either homemade or store bought! These trays truly provide a comprehensive solution for maximizing play dough longevity and convenience, including the perfect 1-ounce portions, effortless push-out with silicone bottoms, and freshness preservation with lids, while their stackable design saves space and facilitates organization. 

Benefits of Storing Play Dough in This Ice Cube Tray!

The advantages of using this ice cube tray for play dough storage are numerous and game-changing. Firstly, these trays allow you to portion out your play dough into convenient 1-ounce servings, a significant reduction from the typical 4-ounce containers. This not only ensures that your child has just the right amount of play dough for their creations but also minimizes the risk of mixing up entire batches.

Additionally, the silicone bottoms of these trays make it incredibly easy to push out the play dough once it’s been stored, ensuring effortless cleanup and a hassle-free playtime experience.

Moreover, the inclusion of a lid with these trays keeps the play dough fresh and pliable for longer periods, preventing it from drying out or becoming unusable.

Lastly, the stackable design of the trays saves valuable storage space, allowing you to neatly organize and store multiple colors or batches without cluttering your play area. With these benefits combined, ice cube trays prove to be the ultimate solution for maximizing the longevity and enjoyment of your play dough. 

Where Can I Get This Ice Cube Tray?

To see the exact ice cube tray that we use – click HERE. It comes in a pack of 4 with lids that make each tray stackable. Each portion is only 1 ounce, which is the perfect amount to play with!

If you are making homemade play dough, keep in mind that the salt in the dough may crystalize at the top. You can prevent this by covering the play dough even further with plastic wrap. However, it is not necessary. Even if the play dough crystalizes slightly, just knead the play dough for a few minutes and the salt will be mixed back in no time!

All activities should be supervised by an adult. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links.

How to Make Homemade Play Dough

Our play dough recipe is super easy to do and results in the silkiest, smoothiest play dough!

Find the full step by step instructions HERE.

While you can do this storage hack with store bought play dough as well, if you’ve never made homemade play dough before you will be shocked at how easy it is to do!

Opting to make homemade play dough brings with it a multitude of benefits. Firstly, homemade play dough is cost-effective, utilizing simple kitchen ingredients like flour, salt, water, and food coloring, saving you money in the long run compared to store-bought alternatives. Additionally, homemade play dough offers customization options, allowing you to tailor the texture, color, and scent according to your child’s preferences or any specific sensory needs. 

The Benefits of Playing with Play Dough

Engaging in play with play dough offers numerous developmental benefits for kids.

Firstly, it stimulates sensory exploration, allowing children to experience different textures, colors, and shapes, which in turn enhances their cognitive development and fine motor skills.

Moreover, playing with dough encourages creativity and imagination, as children can mold, sculpt, and manipulate the dough to create a wide variety of objects, fostering their artistic expression and problem-solving abilities.

Additionally, dough play provides a calming and therapeutic outlet for children, helping them to relax, unwind, and manage stress or anxiety. 

This Aladdin party idea will be a hit with the kids! It is such a fun activity to play with and also makes a great homemade gift! Keep on reading to find out how to make your own play dough and where to find all the items to include in the kit!

Unique Activity Makes a Great Aladdin Party Idea

Does your little one love all things Aladdin? Whether you are looking for Aladdin party ideas or gift ideas, this kit is an awesome thing to include!

One of my go-to activities for kids at parties is to have a play dough station with several colors of play dough and loose parts to spark their imaginations. It is so much fun to create a kit based on a party theme and this one, with the colorful gems and gold nuggets, did not disappoint!

This activity must be supervised. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links.

How To Make Play Dough

In this video you’ll see our favorite play dough recipe! It comes out so silky and smooth. You can use food coloring to make any color you’d like as well.

We use this play dough recipe in all of our play dough kits. It can last for several months, up to 6 months if stored properly!

For all the details on how you can make play dough, I’ve explained the step by step instructions and other tips for making the perfect batch.

How to Assemble This Aladdin Party Idea

Consider including the following items in your Aladdin themed play dough kit!

• Storage Container
• DIY Play Dough
• Individual Play Dough Containers (to preserve freshness)
• Rolling Pin
• Aladdin Figurines
• Genie Lamp
• Gemstones
• Golden Nuggets

For more fun sensory play activities, check out our comprehensive list!

Benefits of Creating a Play Dough Kit

Playing with play dough in general, is such a fantastic way to strengthen fine motor skills and provide a rich sensory experience.

I love that these play dough kits are a great way to keep everything neat in one simple storage case. This teaches the kids the importance of picking up after themselves, too, and keeps it all compiled in one easy and accessible location. 

The kits allow the kids to stay focused, be creative, and use their imaginations all at once. As a mom who is always busy, this is such a great bonus to have these kits on hand! When the kids need activity, they have their kits to turn to!

For more fun sensory play activities, check out our comprehensive list!

Looking for a Peppa Pig activity? This DIY play dough kit is adorable, so easy to make, and can be played with time and time again! 

The kids had a blast with the theme, and I could tell that their imagination was already working in overdrive from the moment that we started. When it comes to sensory fun and learning, you can’t go wrong with play dough kits.

Endless Hours of Imagination with Play Dough Kits

This Peppa Pig Activity, and play dough kits in general are one of those creations that are a win-win for everyone. Not only do they help to contain the mess, but they also keep everything together in one easy space so that the kids can open the lid and start to play. 

This activity must be supervised. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links.

How To Make a Homemade Play Dough 

Once you get started in making this simple kit, you’re going to love the process. It’s fun and easy to do, and all you need are a few easy supplies to get started. 

Keep in mind that these are not only handy to have in the house for play time for the kids, but they’re great to gift to others, too. These make perfect birthday gifts or even fun take-home gifts for kids that maybe attended a birthday party at your house.

How to Assemble This Peppa Pig Activity Kit 

Putting together this princess play dough kit is simple and fun! Here’s a list of materials you should consider including:

• Storage Container
• DIY Play Dough
• Individual Play Dough Containers (to preserve freshness)
• Cookie Cutters
• Rolling Pin
• Peppa Pig Figurines
• Mini Trees
• White Picket Fence
• Duck Figurines
• Glass Stones

Beyond Just a Peppa Pig Activity

Playing with play dough is so much more than just having playtime at home. The kids will use their hand muscles and dexterity to stretch and mold the play dough to create fun and new things.

This is great for sensory play and development and a simple way to have them think outside the box for creativity as well. Encourage independent playtime with play dough, too, as a fun way to work on that skill as well!

For more fun sensory play activities, check out our comprehensive list!

This stacking game made out of recycled paper tubes is toddler fun at its best! Super easy to set up and great for hand-eye coordination! 

Lots of Toddler Fun with This Paper Tube Stacker

Are you ready to see how simple it is to make toddler fun learning activities at home? The best part is that you don’t need a ton of supplies to make this happen. In fact, the next time that you use up all your paper towels, you’re just about ready to use them as a stacking activity. 

You can easily spend money on a stacker toy at the store but why would you when you can make one cheaply at home? It’s also a fun way to have older kids be involved in the creation process, too! They’ll be so proud that they helped make this!

This activity must be supervised. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links.

Toddler Fun in Action!

Watch this video to see how much fun my toddler is having with this DIY stacking toy made out of paper tubes!

She is having such a good time stacking, and it is wonderful to see her working on her fine motor skills and hand eye coordination!

This is such a simple way to have fun, use what you’ve got in terms of materials, and strengthen some skills in the process!

Tips for This Toddler Fun DIY Stacking Toy

Save all your paper tubes! These cardboard tubes are sturdy and such a great, free craft and play resource! So next time you finish a roll of paper towels, set it aside!

Cut it up! Big kids can work on their scissor skills by cutting up the pieces of cardboard. We made them about 2 inches wide, but you can mix it up based on your preference!

Make them colorful! A quick and fast way for adults to make paper towel tubes colorful is with spray paint. However, you can get the kids involved instead with non toxic paints and paint sticks!

Grab your paper towel holder! Borrowing a paper towel holder for this activity is best. However, if you don’t have one you could always glue a stick to a square of cardboard!

• Paint or Spray Paint
• Paper Towel Holder

• Paper Tubes
• Scissors
• Paint or Spray Paint
• Paper Towel Holder

Step 3

Use a paper towel holder or stand and task your kiddo with stacking the cut up paper roll pieces. Older kids can practice patterning as well.

Step 1

Cut up recycled paper towel tubes.

Step 2

Make the pieces colorful by using paint, paint sticks, or spray paint.

Step 3

Use a paper towel holder or stand and task your kiddo with stacking the cut up paper roll pieces. Older kids can practice patterning as well.

For more ways to strengthen fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, try this fun and free printable using dull toothpicks!

Toddler Fun For Learning

Not only is stacking fun but it’s also great hand-eye coordination for the kids. They’ll love being able to create a fun pattern out of the colors and stack them any way that they want. 

This activity is also great for teaching patterns as well. Challenge them to stack reds and yellows and then count home many of each color there are. This works well for color identification and counting skills, too. 

The last major benefit of this stacking activity is that it focuses on fine motor skills. Each time that they pick up a ring and stack it on the tube, they’re working their hand and finger muscles which is great for dexterity.

For more ways to strengthen fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, try this fun and free printable using dull toothpicks!

Candy Cane Oobleck is such a fun Christmas sensory activity. Plus, add tongs to pick out candy canes to strengthen hand muscles! Keep on reading to find out how to make it yourself in minutes!

Sensory Play During Holiday Time!

Oobleck is fun to play with anytime of year, but there is something extra special when you add some holiday twists! 

By making the oobleck look like candy cane colors, adding a peppermint scent, and small candy canes to be plucked out, this combination is sensory packed and great for fine motor skills too!

For more info about oobleck, check out this article where we share everything you need to know about it!

All activities should be supervised by an adult. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links.

Watch How to Make and Play With This Christmas Sensory Activity

It is super simple to make oobleck! At the very least, you just need corn starch and water. Mixing it together and then placing it in a tray will take all of a few minutes to do!

In the video, you’ll see how my kiddos loved exploring the texture, picking out the little candy canes, and then mixing up the white and red colors to make pink!

Tips to Make the Most of This Christmas Sensory Activity

A Bowl of Water. Have one nearby! Even kids who love to get messy will want to wash their hands off from time to time and this will really extend the play longer!

Tongs. Add some tongs to the set up to strengthen fine motor skills! Make sure you have a thin layer of oobleck, so that the candy canes don’t fully sink inside it! The texture of the oobleck when resting is hard, so this is a great challenge for kids to remove them using tongs or tweezers!

Add a scent! Peppermint makes the most sense for this set up! It really adds so much more to the sensory experience.

Dilute Before Disposing. When playtime is over, you can either dump the oobleck mixture straight into a trash can, or you can dilute it fully first with water and then flush it down the drain or throw it in the garden!

• Peppermint Extract
• Candy Canes
• Tongs

• Corn Starch
• Water
• Food Coloring
• Peppermint Extract
• Candy Canes
• Tongs

Step 3

Add a little bit of each color to a bin, alternating colors. Oobleck spreads quickly, so keep that in mind.

Optional: drop mini candy canes on top for an added fine motor challenge.

Step 1

White Oobleck: Combine 2 cups cornstarch with 1 cup water and a 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint flavoring.

Step 2

Red Oobleck: Same as the white oobleck, just add a nice squeeze of red food coloring. 

Step 3

Add a little bit of each color to a bin, alternating colors. Oobleck spreads quickly, so keep that in mind.

Optional: drop mini candy canes on top for an added fine motor challenge.

More Holiday Themed Activities!  

This Christmas Activity booklet includes 18 playful learning activities to promote early childhood skills including, alphabet recognition, color recognition, scissor skills, early math, writing, and so much more!

It is a fun bundle to have during the holiday break to keep the kiddos busy, learning, and having fun!

For more printable resources be sure to check out our full collection of worksheets! 

Kids can enjoy not one, but so many princesses in this fun kit! These boxes are easy to assemble and make such great play dough gifts! Keep on reading to find out about not only what materials we used in this kit, but also how to use these kits as gifts and beyond! 

A Play Dough Gift and More

Play dough kits can be simple, fast, and easy to make. Not only do they make the coolest play dough gifts, but they are great for little ones to learn independent play,  creativity, and strengthen fine motor skills.

I love that these kits literally have everything that they need in them so that kids can take over and dive into their imaginations princess-style! Kits give them a great way to express their creative freedom and create something truly on their own.

This activity must be supervised. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links.

How to Make Play Dough for Your Gift!

If you’ve never made play dough before, you may think it is going to be a lot of work! But, nope! Our simple recipe is super easy to make. There is no cooking involved, just using a microwave!

Making play dough together with kids is such a fun way to include them in the process. They can learn so much by just measuring and counting ingredients. Plus, if you’re like us, you’ll want to make it in every color!

How to Assemble A Princess Play Dough Kit

Putting together this princess play dough kit is simple and fun! Here’s a list of materials you should consider including:

• Storage Container
• DIY Play Dough
• Individual Play Dough Containers (to preserve freshness)
• Cookie Cutters
• Rolling Pin
• Princess Figurines
• Faux jewels
• Pipe cleaners

For more fun sensory play activities, check out our comprehensive list!

The Importance of Playing with This Play Dough Gift

Playing with play dough is one of those activities that can occupy your child for hours. When they want to play using their hands and minds, have them create with play dough! 

They’ll be able to pull, stretch, and mold and love having their kit to use. Plus, it’s so much fun to give them as gifts! Whether you make it as a gift, or for use at home or school, kids will love being able to have this kit to open and play with at any point in time. 

Having all of it stored neatly in a case means that you and the kids can have less mess and clean-up time and more time playing! This is a great way to motivate them to take care of their own personal kits.

For more fun sensory play activities, check out our comprehensive list!