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Friends Art Lab / Blog / Play Dough Monsters

Play Dough Monsters

Author: Kristian Klebofski    Published: 10/17/2023     Updated: 04/18/2024

Play dough monsters are everything: they’re easy, fun, open-ended, and loaded with opportunities for imagination and creativity! Let’s have a play dough monster mash.

A blue table is covered in seven play dough monsters made of play dough, googly eyes, and pipe cleaners. A small child's hand reaches for one of the monsters.
Table of Contents:
  1. Your kids will LOVE making play dough monsters
  2. Play dough monsters are perfect for Halloween and birthday parties
  3. Materials
  4. How do you make a play dough monster?
  5. Why play dough is the best
  6. FAQ

Your kids will LOVE making play dough monsters

Play dough invitations are always a fun idea, but PLAY DOUGH MONSTERS?

A league of their own.

They’re 28% adorable, 17% the-cutest-ever, 39% I-can’t-even handle them, and 16% someone-get-me-a-paper-bag-to-breath-into precious.

What’s not to love about silly, goofy little monsters that are not scary and ONLY fun and happy?

PLUS, setting them up takes minutes.

RELATED: Our GIANT 10-foot Monster coloring banner is the ultimate activity for monster fun!

A rainbow play dough monster sits on a blue table.

Play dough monsters are perfect for Halloween and birthday parties

Many families have a “This Little Monster is 1” (or another age) party, and this would be an easy, adorable, inexpensive station at a party.

Play dough monsters are also perfect for Halloween festivities.

Honestly, they’re perfect any time of year and kids will love them in October just as much as they will in January and June.

Looking for more play dough activities? These are simply a-dough-able:

  • Mystery Play Dough Colors
  • 2-Ingredient Halloween Frosting Dough
  • Outer Space Play Dough
  • Play Dough Hide and Seek
The materials needed: pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and play dough.

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.

  • Play dough – I normally make homemade play dough, but here we used pre-made gluten-free dough
  • Googly eyes
  • Pipe cleaners

Add anything else that you think your kids might enjoy creating with!

A small, child's hand pushes a pink pipe cleaners into a flatted ball of red and orange play dough to make a play dough monster.

How do you make a play dough monster?

Set out your play dough and accessories.

Invite your kids to use their imagination to create adorable, happy, goofy play dough monsters.

Your kids will have a blast adding silly amounts of eyes, arms, and legs to their marvelous monsters.

How to clean up play dough monsters

Your child might want to keep their play dough creations, in which case you’ll only need to clean up the extra supplies.

In a preschool setting, our kids FLY through googly eyes and pipe cleaners, so at the end of play time, we have the kids deconstruct the monsters and put all the supplies together.

Then, the next day, we have the same amount of materials, and kids can make monsters all over again.

You might wonder, “Will they still want to make monsters if they’re just going to get taken apart at the end?” and the answer is yes. It’s like a block center: when done, the blocks get put back so they’re ready to be played with again the next day.

An outstretched hand holds five balls of play dough in yellow, red, green, blue, and purple.

Why play dough is the best

Play dough is one of my love languages (and I’ve never met a kid who didn’t love it just the same).

When kids are playing with play dough, they’re:

  • Building fine motor strength which is essential for building up the muscles used for handwriting
  • Using their imagination to build, shape, mold, and create
  • Exploring color theory by mixing colors together
  • Learning about measurement if following a homemade play dough recipe with you
  • Practicing vocabulary skills by narrating as they play
  • Using their tactile sense by exploring a new sensory material

Play dough is the best and I love any opportunity for kids to play with it and use their imaginations.

Have fun creating!

A yellow and orange play dough monster has two goggly eyes and two yellow pipe cleaner legs.

FAQ

What age is this activity recommended for?

Any age that can safely enjoy the materials.

Can I use pre-made play dough?

Of course! Pre-made play dough is typically more expensive than homemade, but sometimes it’s worth it for the quick and easy convenience.

Do you have a gluten-free dough recipe?

I do not have a gluten-free dough recipe, but I have used this pre-made gluten-free dough (it’s coincidentally what we used here!) and it’s OUTSTANDING. {affiliate link}

A blue and orange play dough monster is covered in googly eyes and pipe cleaners.

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Kristian

Hi, I’m Kristian!

I have spent over 15 years in the preschool classroom, I have a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education, and I was a college professor of education for eight years. My passion is sharing creative learning activities for children and I'm so happy you're here.

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