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Playdough Letter Formation

A companion sheet — print it, scribble on it, keep it or recycle it

Voleio

What we're doing

Roll, shape and trace letters before a pencil is ever involved.

  • About 20 minutes
  • English
  • Hands-on

Gather these

  • Playdough
  • A tray
  • Letter cards (optional)

Step by step

  • Roll long sausages of dough.
  • Form the letter in the child's name first.
  • Say the sound as you shape it.
  • Trace the finished letter with a finger.

Worth talking about

Letter shapes and sounds
Fine motor strength
Pre-writing skills
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Draw what you found

There's no wrong way to fill this in

Voleio

Two things worth drawing

Tick what you did

Letter formation
Phonics
Fine motor
Tried something new
Asked a question
Finished happy

A grown-up's note

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Take it further

Three doors out of the same activity

Voleio

If it felt tricky

Start with straight-line letters only.

If it felt easy

Build whole CVC words and read them back.

If you'd rather do it differently

Use sand, shaving foam or sticks outdoors.

Next time, we could

  • Try it outdoors
  • Invite a friend or sibling
  • Stretch it over a whole week

Our own ideas