Play Dough Bird Invitation

Build a Bird Play Dough Invitation for Preschoolers

Spring is in the air and so are our favorite flying friends! Invite your preschoolers to create their own birds with a fun and engaging fine motor invitation to build with play dough activity.

Preschoolers love creating with play dough! An invitation to play encourages preschoolers to participate in open-ended play to explore materials and create. These activities are highly beneficial because there is no expectation of a specific outcome.

For this invitation set out materials that children could use to create a bird if they like, or they could create something else of their choosing, or simply enjoy the sensory experiences of the fun new accessories!
You can find more fine motor and other learning activities on our Free Bird Theme Planning Page.

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Materials 

​Foam paper-various colors
Pipe cleaners-various colors 
Assorted Play-dough colors 
Craft feathers
Craft Googly-eyes
Scissors 

Teacher tip: Plastic vegetable trays are great for organizing materials. Fill each section with materials and then place on the table for preschoolers to grab. You can also make your own play-dough. Here is a tutorial for spring play-dough.

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Let's Get Started

Depending on the skill level of your little learners this may be an excellent opportunity for practicing making small cuts with scissors!
Otherwise, cut triangle shapes out of the foam paper for the beaks in preparation for this invitation.

After the beaks are completed, cut pipe cleaners to varying lengths for the bird's legs.

Support your preschoolers in learning to manipulate the dough between their palms to make two balls, one slightly smaller than the other for the body and head of the bird.

​After the play-dough balls are crafted, pipe cleaners can be added as legs under the body portion. Then add a googly-eye to the head and place play dough wing on the body. 

Invite preschoolers to complete their birds by adding a foam beak to the head. Invitation to play allows preschoolers to express creativity by using their imagination and constructing something to call their own. Birds may look similar or completely different!

Put the finishing touches on your feathery friends and display with pride!
*this little feathered friend on the left reminds me of one of my favorite preschool book series! Any of the pigeon books would be a great lead into this activity.

Invitations to build with play dough truly offer your preschoolers the chance to follow directions, use pincer grasp, and construct their own unique creation. A super simple yet engaging activity for your preschoolers during the spring season. 

You May Also Like:

Spring Science and Discovery Ideas 
Bird Activity Pack
Black Play-dough Recipe