When the weather cools down and the leaves start to change, it’s the perfect time to bring some fall fun into playtime with these easy and seasonal playdough recipes. Not only do these recipes capture the cozy feeling of autumn, but they also offer a hands-on way for kids to explore textures, colors, and scents. Whether you’re crafting with apple-scented dough, experimenting with pumpkin spice, or making a batch that looks like a pile of colorful leaves, these recipes are simple to make and a hit with little ones.
The beauty of fall playdough is that it’s more than just a craft—it’s a sensory experience that can spark creativity and help with fine motor skills. Plus, making the playdough together is an activity in itself, giving kids the chance to measure, mix, and knead while learning a bit about how ingredients come together. Below are four fun fall-themed playdough recipes that will bring the season’s magic right to your kitchen table.
Why You’ll Love These Fall Playdough Activities
You’ll love these fall playdough activities because they combine the fun of crafting with the wonderful scents and colors of the season. Each recipe is easy to make and can be customized with different colors or add-ins to make the experience even more exciting. These playdough activities not only keep kids entertained but also provide a great opportunity to explore the themes of fall through touch, smell, and creativity.
4 Easy Fall Playdough Recipes for Kids
1
Pumpkin Spice Playdough
This playdough brings the classic scent of pumpkin spice into playtime with a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Kids can shape the dough into little pumpkins or roll it out to create leaf impressions. It’s like baking without the oven!
2
Apple Pie Playdough
Apple-scented playdough is perfect for little hands to squish and mold while enjoying the crisp scent of fresh apples. Add a touch of red or green food coloring for a fun visual effect, and throw in some cinnamon sticks or small plastic apples for extra playtime props.
3
Maple Playdough
Maple Playdough captures the scent of a pancake breakfast, making it a fun addition to fall playtime. With a smooth texture and inviting aroma, this recipe is perfect for pretending to make pancakes or waffles. It’s a great way to enjoy the season’s coziness without even stepping outside.
4
Cinnamon Swirl Playdough
The scent of cinnamon is synonymous with fall, and this playdough adds a special touch with a swirling effect of ground cinnamon throughout. Kids can roll it into logs, twist it into cinnamon rolls, or simply enjoy the warm, comforting smell as they play.
These recipes make it easy to bring a touch of autumn indoors, giving kids the chance to explore seasonal scents and textures while using their imagination.
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
