5 Steps to Make the Perfect Playdough Elephant

Looking for a fun activity to do this weekend? Pull out some playdough and create some animals! Sometimes the best learning experiences happen when you don’t know you’re learning. Playdough is a great activity to help with shape recognition and sensory issues.

If I were to ask you if you could make an elephant out of playdough, I’d likely get a wide range of responses! For some, it’s a piece of cake while for others (myself included) would struggle to think about how to make one that looks half-way decent. If you’re in the second category, then today is your lucky day as I break down how I learned to make elephants out of playdough. I always thought it was more complicated than it really is, but it is actually quite simple.

Understanding three basic shapes will help you build endless creations, and luckily, these three shapes are usually the first shapes a child will make when playing with playdough. If you can make the following shapes, then anything is possible!

1) snake

2) ball

3) pancakes

You can make any animal out of these three shapes, including the perfect elephant! So, to make this elephant, you’ll:

1.       Roll two balls: one for the body and one for the head.

2.       Next, use pancake shapes to make the ears.

3.       Then make a snake for the trunk and a smaller one for the tail.

4.       For the legs, make four fat snakes.

5.      Put it all together and you have a good-looking elephant!

(I also learned that elephants don't travel too well and mine fell apart--it's missing a leg in this picture!)

Not quite ready to tackle the 3D animals? Try rolling out the playdough and using cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Either way, playdough is a great activity to spend time together.

Want a great recipe to make your own?

Are you ready to tackle making your own elephant? What other animals will you make?

Enjoy!