Chinese Zodiac Play Dough Mats

Get these Chinese Zodiac Play Dough Mats as a fun way for your young learners to celebrate Chinese New Year!

If your kids are working on learning the ABC’s, this activity will help them work on letter recognition, formation, and beginning sounds.

Not only are these play dough mats a great way for your students to practice literacy skills.

But, they can also be used as a fun sensory activity for fine motor development.

Play dough is one of my favorite sensory play tools because your kids can use their senses as they squeeze, roll, and squish it with their hands.

It’s a fun way for kids to develop their fine motor skills and hand muscle strength too.

These developmental skills are so important for pre-readers and pre-writers.

Getting Ready To Use The Chinese Zodiac Play Dough Mats:

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What’s Included:

12 Animal Play Dough Mats

The animal play dough pictures include a dragon, dog, goat, horse, monkey, ox, pig, rabbit, rat, rooster, snake, and tiger.

What’s Else Is Needed:

White Card Stock or Copy Paper
Laminator
Laminating Pouches
Play Dough
Dry Erase Marker

To prepare this fine motor activity, click on the button below to download and print the mats.

Then, laminate the mats or put them in reusable dry erase pockets.

If you don’t want to use store-bought play dough, try making our Kool-Aid Play Dough. This sensory-friendly recipe smells so sweet and is soft to touch.

How To Use The Chinese Zodiac Play Dough Mats:

After reading Chinese New Year books with your kids, they will create the Chinese Zodiac animals using these play dough mats.

First, your children will select a mat and identify the capital and lowercase letter on it. They will then read the name of the animal.

Next, your kids will use play dough to create the animal on the mat.

They can then trace over the capital and lowercase letters that the animal begins with and the name of the animal.

These Chinese Zodiac Play Dough Mats can be used as a fun sensory activity for preschoolers to practice letter recognition and develop their fine motor skills.