Chocolate Play Dough – Preschool Valentine’s Day Activity

Whip up an easy batch of chocolate play dough and transform empty candy boxes into adorable pretend Valentine’s Day “boxes of chocolate.” This no-cook play dough recipe is a preschool Valentine activity bursting with fun.

Table of Contents:

1. Chocolate play dough was MADE for Valentine’s Day
2. Why you’ll love chocolate play dough
3. Materials
4. How to make chocolate play dough
5. More fun ways to use your chocolate play dough
6. Fun chocolate facts for kids
7. Frequently Asked Questions

View more

Chocolate play dough was MADE for Valentine’s Day

Chocolate play dough + empty chocolate boxes = the ultimate way to add a sensory twist to Valentine’s Day.

And guess what? Chocolate play dough is just regular play dough with some cocoa mixed in. BUT WAIT. If you don’t have cocoa, a touch of food coloring works, too.

Grab some chocolate boxes, eat the chocolate (it’s “for the children” because you are selfless and only doing this so they can learn and play, you angel), and you have the perfect props for endless fun.

Why you’ll love chocolate play dough

First of all, let’s talk about the smell.

Cocoa powder mixed into regular play dough ingredients makes your dough drool-worthy. It smells DIVINE. Aaaabsoutely divine.

The empty candy boxes make it feel extra festive and make for the cutest pretend play.

It’s also a great way to explore textures and fine motor skills while creating something adorable.

We have so many fun Valentine’s Day activities for kids:

• Rose Petal Play Dough
• Heart Printmaking with Foam Shapes (aka DIY Collagraphs)
• Scribble Art Hearts
• Learning Colors Hunt with Hearts

Materials

Friends Art Lab is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.

• Homemade play dough with cocoa powder mixed in – start with 1 tablespoon at a time
• Empty candy boxes
• Rolling pins, plastic knives, or cookie cutters for shaping

How to make chocolate play dough

Whip up a fresh batch of no-cook play dough, adding in cocoa powder one tablespoon at a time.

No cocoa powder? No problem. Dye your dough brown with brown coloring (tip: red and green are complimentary colors and make a good brown if you don’t have brown on-hand).

Provide your kids with empty candy boxes and tools for shaping pretend “chocolates.”

💡 Teacher Tip: Keep the chocolate candy boxes and use them year after year!

More fun ways to use your chocolate play dough

One batch of chocolate play dough has so many possibilities, even when it’s not the Valentine’s Day season.

Chocolate Bakery: Set up a pretend bakery and make chocolate cookies, cupcakes, or truffles. Adding in baking tools you have on-hand (ex: cookie sheets, spatulas, silicone cupcake liners, etc.) makes this an absolute blast.

Mud Pies: Use the dough to create pretend mud pies and other messy desserts.

Stamping Fun: Press various objects like leaves or cookie cutters into the dough for unique patterns.

Imaginative Storytelling: Create characters and use them for storytelling with a chocolate-themed adventure.

Fun chocolate facts for kids

Some fun conversation starters while playing with your chocolate play dough:

1. Chocolate comes from trees! It’s made from cacao beans that grow on cacao trees in warm places.
2. Cacao beans are seeds. They live inside big pods that look like footballs.
3. Chocolate was a drink first. Long ago, people didn’t eat chocolate bars—they drank it like hot cocoa.
4. White chocolate isn’t real chocolate. It doesn’t have the same cacao beans as regular chocolate.
5. Chocolate can melt. If you leave it in the sun, it turns into gooey liquid!
6. Some animals can’t eat chocolate. It’s safe for people but not for dogs or cats.
7. Cacao beans used to be money. A long time ago, people traded cacao beans like coins.

Chocolate play dough is a STEAM activity

STEAM learning is such a hot-topic and play dough fits perfectly to support all letters in the acronym.

• Science: Mixing ingredients like flour, cocoa powder, and water demonstrates chemical reactions and material transformations. Kids observe how different materials interact and change.
• Technology: While simple, tools like rolling pins, cookie cutters, and molds introduce basic concepts of tools and technology used to manipulate materials.
• Engineering: Kneading the dough and constructing shapes allows children to explore how force and structure interact, fostering problem-solving and design skills.
• Arts: Play dough encourages creativity as children sculpt, design, and use colors to express their ideas and imagination.
• Mathematics: Measuring ingredients, dividing dough into portions, and comparing sizes help children engage in early math skills through hands-on practice.

Frequently Asked Questions