Toddler Playdough Smash and Poke

Playdough — homemade or store-bought, non-toxic

Wooden spoon

Fork for poking

Small rolling pin or a water bottle for flattening

Set out a portion of playdough on a clean tray or directly on the table. Give your toddler enough to fill both hands.

Offer a few simple tools alongside the dough — a wooden spoon, a fork, and a rolling pin. Start with just the dough and add tools one at a time.

Show your toddler how to smash the dough flat with their palm. Use your whole hand and press down hard.

Demonstrate poking holes with a finger or the fork. Toddlers love the satisfaction of poking patterns.

Let your toddler squeeze, pull apart, roll into snakes, and smash the dough however they want. This is entirely open-ended.

Narrate their actions — "You are squishing it flat! Now you are poking holes!" This vocabulary building happens naturally during play.

When they are finished, roll the dough back into a ball together and store it in a sealed container for next time.

At this age, toddlers still mouth things. If you are concerned, use a taste-safe dough recipe — mix 1 cup flour, half cup salt, 1 tablespoon oil, and water until it forms a dough.

Bigger is better. Give them a softball-sized chunk. Tiny pieces are frustrating for toddler hands.

Press cookie cutters into the flattened dough for a satisfying stamping variation.

Add dried pasta shapes for your toddler to push into the dough. The in-and-out motion is great for finger strength.

Playdough play strengthens the small muscles in the hands that your toddler will eventually use for writing. It is genuinely developmental.