If your kids love anything ocean-themed, you need to try this playdough activity! This sparkly blue homemade playdough is so easy to make, and with a few ocean animals and little treasures added in, it turns into the cutest invitation to play.
This ocean playdough activity is perfect for a summer afternoon, and you probably already have most of what you need to make it. The playdough comes together with a few simple pantry ingredients, and then you can add whatever ocean-themed toys and tools you have at home.
I made this batch blue with a little glitter mixed in so it looks like sparkling ocean water. Then I added a few simple supplies and let my kids create their own underwater world.
Why You’ll Love This Ocean Playdough Activity
- Easy to make with simple ingredients
- No cooking required
- The blue color and glitter make it extra fun
- Great for sensory and imaginative play
- Easy to set up with things you already have
- Can be enjoyed by toddlers, preschoolers, and older kids
- Gives kids lots of ways to create and play
What You’ll Need for This Ocean Playdough Activity:
Playdough:
- Flour
- Salt
- Cream of tartar
- Coconut oil or vegetable oil
- Hot water
- Blue food coloring
- Glitter
For the ocean playdough activity:
- Playdough tools
- Craft sticks
- Googly eyes
- Colorful gems
- Pony beads
- Small ocean-themed toys
- Seashells
- Ocean animal figurines
- Cookie cutters
Use whatever you already have at home. I love activities like this because you don’t need to buy a whole new set of supplies.
Safety note: Small items such as beads, googly eyes, and gems can be choking hazards. Use age-appropriate materials and supervise younger children closely. This playdough is not edible, especially once glitter has been added.
Ocean Playdough Ideas:
There are so many ways to play with ocean playdough, and I love that there isn’t one right way to do it.
Create an Underwater World:
- Flatten the blue playdough and add ocean animals, shells, and little treasures to create an underwater scene.
- Kids can decide where everything goes and make up their own stories as they play.
Make Ocean Animal Prints
- Press ocean animals, shells, or other textured objects into the playdough.
- Pull them out and see what kind of prints they leave behind.
- Try different objects and compare the shapes and textures.
- Make Your Own Sea Creatures
- Use the playdough to create fish, jellyfish, crabs, starfish, or whatever your child comes up with.
- Add googly eyes or other pieces to give them personalities.
Hide Ocean Treasures
- Push a few larger gems, shells, or ocean pieces into the playdough and let your child dig around to find them.
- You can pretend you’ve discovered treasure at the bottom of the ocean and see what they come up with.
You don’t need a specific activity at all. Give kids a rolling pin, craft sticks, cookie cutters, or playdough tools and let their imagination guide them.
Ways to Make This Ocean Activity More Educational:
You don’t need to turn playtime into a lesson, but there are lots of easy ways to add learning while your kids play.
- Naming different ocean animals
- Counting shells or treasures
- Sorting pieces by color or size
- Talking about big and small
- Practicing words like under, above, beside, and inside
- Talking about which animals swim, crawl, or float
- Making up stories about the ocean animals
For younger kids, simply naming what they are doing is an easy way to build language into play. Older kids can create a more detailed underwater scene or make up stories about their sea creatures.
What Kids Practice With Playdough:
Playdough is one of my favorite simple activities because kids can use it in so many different ways.
Squeezing, rolling, pinching, poking, and flattening the dough all give kids opportunities to practice fine motor skills and hand strength. Adding little pieces to their creations also works on hand-eye coordination and concentration.
And then there is the imaginative play. A ball of blue playdough can become a fish, a treasure chest, an ocean, or an entire underwater world.
Tips for Making Homemade Playdough:
Add the water slowly. This is the biggest tip for getting the right consistency. You can always add more water, but it is much harder to fix dough that is too wet. Knead the dough well. It may look a little rough when it first comes together, but kneading gives it that soft, smooth texture. Let it cool before adding glitter. This makes it easier to mix in and keeps little hands away from the hot dough. Adjust the texture as needed. Add a little flour if it is sticky or a splash of warm water if it is too dry.
How to Store Homemade Playdough:
Store your homemade playdough in an airtight container or zip-top bag when you’re finished playing. Try to remove as much air as possible before sealing it. If the playdough starts to get a little dry, knead in a few drops of warm water to soften it back up.
Other Activities You May Enjoy:
- Easy Salt Dough Ornaments: DIY Keepsakes for Toddlers & Kids
Ocean Playdough
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ½ cup salt
- 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
- 1 ½ –2 tablespoons coconut oil or vegetable oil
- 1 –1 ¼ cups hot water added slowly
- Blue food coloring
- Glitter (optional)
Instructions
- Combine flour, salt, and cream of tartar in a large bowl.
- Add the oil and stir.
- Add blue food coloring to the hot water.
- Slowly pour the water into the dry ingredients while stirring.
- Continue adding water until a dough forms. You may not need all of the water.
- Let the dough cool enough to handle, then knead until smooth.
- If the dough feels sticky, add a little flour. If it is dry, add a splash of warm water.
- Once cooled, knead glitter into the playdough.
- Set out with ocean animals, shells, playdough tools, and other age-appropriate loose parts.
