# 10 Pasta and Playdough Activities
> Ten ways to combine two versatile materials, playdough and colored pasta: build structures and rainbows, make sculptures and dinosaur skeletons, play matching games, thread and trace letters. Each idea is credited to the blog that shared it.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/playdough-play-ideas-10-pasta-and-playdough-kids-activities/
- Ages: 2–5 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: low
- Time: prep none, activity varies
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class
- Skills: fine-motor, engineering, colors, shapes, matching, letters, numbers, creativity
- Cautions: wheat-gluten, food-dye, ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- Playdough
- Dry pasta in assorted shapes, plain or dyed (household)

## Safety
- Dry pasta, beads and other small pieces are choking hazards. Supervise toddlers closely and keep small parts away from kids who still mouth things.
- Playdough and pasta are usually wheat-based. Check for gluten allergies.
- Twigs, spaghetti strands and pipe cleaner ends can poke. Supervise and check sticks for sharp points.
- Dyed pasta can transfer color to hands and surfaces.

## Before you start
- Dye pasta ahead of time if you want rainbow colors (see the author's "How to dye pasta" tutorial at /how-to-dye-pasta-for-art-projects/).

## Ideas
- **Build pasta structures**: Use balls of playdough as connectors to build houses and frames from tube pasta: engineering for kids.
- **Pasta sculptures on twigs**: Pair playdough, pasta and a bunch of twigs. Stand the twigs in playdough and stack pasta tubes on them for cool sculptures.
- **Build a pasta rainbow**: Build a rainbow arch with playdough, colored pasta and pipe cleaners.
- **Dinosaur skeleton**: Have fun creating a dinosaur skeleton by pressing pasta shapes into flattened playdough.
- **Pasta shape matching game**: A fun learning activity: press pasta shapes into playdough, then match each pasta to its print.
- **Toddler color matching**: A toddler friendly color matching game: stick pasta into the playdough of the same color.
- **Spaghetti and bead fine motor play**: Stand uncooked spaghetti in playdough and thread small beads onto the strands for fine motor fun.
- **Pasta threading**: Use colored pasta and playdough to set up a threading activity for fine motor skills.
- **Trace letters with pasta**: Roll playdough into letters and numbers, then trace them by pressing pasta along the shape.
- **Invitation to play**: A super fun and simple idea: set out playdough with a tray of colored pasta and let kids poke, press and create.

## Tips
- Playdough is versatile. So is colored pasta. Combine these two fab materials for a bunch of fantastic kids activities.
- The color matching game is toddler friendly. Perfect for toddlers.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2015)

Playdough is versatile. So is colored pasta. What if we combine these two fab materials for a bunch of fantastic kids activities? Here we have 10 of those amazing ideas. Before you go, here is a tutorial on ["How to dye pasta".](https://www.funlittles.com/how-to-dye-pasta-for-art-projects/)

### Pasta and playdough kids activities

Build pasta structures with playdough

[](https://www.funlittles.com/engineering-for-kids-build-with-pasta/) Pair play dough, pasta and a bunch of twigs for some cool pasta sculptures

 Build a rainbow with play dough pasta and pipe cleaners

[](https://www.funlittles.com/fine-motor-activities-rainbow-pasta-playdough/) Have fun creating a [dinosaur skeleton](http://www.prekinders.com/play-dough-ideas/) with playdough and pasta.

[](http://www.prekinders.com/play-dough-ideas/) How about a fun learning activity ? Create an exciting pasta shape matching game with play dough.

 Or a toddler friendly color matching game with pasta and playdough. Perfect for toddlers.

 Use pasta noodles in this fun fine motor activity

[](http://happyhooligans.ca/fine-motor-development-playdough-pasta/) Alternatively, use colored pasta and set up this threading activity Trace playdough letters and numbers with pasta.

 I adore this super fun and simple [pasta and play dough play idea](https://laughingkidslearn.com/invitation-to-play-with-pasta-and-playdough/).

[](https://laughingkidslearn.com/invitation-to-play-with-pasta-and-playdough/)

Thanks for reading

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