Free Alphabet Playdough Mats That Teach Letters In 4 Ways

Teach your preschooler their letters in 4 unique ways with this giant packet of alphabet playdough mats! No email subscription required. Just print and play!

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What makes these printable alphabet playdough mats so much better than others?

The MAJOR difference is that they promote letter learning in 4 different modalities catering to many learning styles:

• shape letters in playdough
• find and smoosh alphabet letters
• tracing letters
• writing letters

By playing to learn with these alphabet mats kids are exposed to letters through art, reading, and writing.

The more exposure a child has with letters the more likely they are to remember the letter. But we aren't just going to practice letter recognition; we are also building their ability to independently write each letter!

Also (updated version!), there is a little picture of a word that begins with that letter in the top right hand corner. So there is a phonics element to each mat as well!

Side note: it drives me crazy to see uncommon sounds for each letter like giraffe for G when we teach that G says /g/ as in golf. All the pictures on these printable alphabet mats match the most common phonetic sound for each letter!

What's the benefit to using playdough with these alphabet mats?

The benefits are HUGE and three fold.

Using playdough:

1. Builds fine motor skills - skills we use everyday to manipulate small objects with our hands.
2. Provides sensory input that children find pleasurable and often relaxing
3. Is a great opportunity to see if your child benefits from tactile learning. That means learning using touch.

Wait, why would building fine motor skills be helpful for all children?

As children learn to write, they don't just need to memorize the strokes it takes to form letters. There is so much more.

Writing requires:

• proper grip
• ability to maneuver pencil
• putting pressure on a pencil so that lines are visible

With the alphabet playdough mats, kids will roll and shape playdough as well as make it into small balls to smush onto the correct letter in the "Read and Cover" section.

This very intentional kind of play strengthens hands, finger, and wrist muscles required to write properly!

How to best use your free and complete set of alphabet playdough mats:

These beautiful letter learning mats are super easy to use!

1. Print in black and white OR color, making sure to select fit to printable area on some computers.
2. Laminate OR place in a sheet protector
3. Ready, set, play to learn!

When writing on the mats, you can use any dry erase markers. Provide your preschooler or kindergartner with a tissue or small cloth to erase once they are done.

I find that laminating the alphabet playdough mats works makes them last longer, and I found a very affordable and effective laminator on Amazon (stays between $25-$30). I've used it for 3 years and it's still works perfectly. I'll also link the laminating sheets and dry erase markers I love best.

Download your free printable playdough alphabet letter mats now!

Want more incredible play to learn activities to promote kindergarten readiness activities?

A KinderReady Summer is your one stop shop for fun activities that target the exact skills kids need as they enter kindergarten. 

Each week for 8 weeks, you'll get 5 simple pre-planned activities sent to your inbox. All you have to do is read the instructions.

What skills will my child be learning?

The focus of A KinderReady Summer is to target the very important skills that come just before reading, writing, and doing arithmetic.

-letter identification, capital and lowercase
-letter sounds
-beginning sounds
-shape names and attributes
-number identification to 10
-counting with one to one correspondence
-pattern completion and creation
-name writing
-fine motor development