No-Plastic Play Dough Play!

All-Natural Toys, Tools and Accessories for Play Dough

In our efforts to go plastic-free, we took a hard look at one of our favourite activities to see what it would take to have plastic-free play dough play-time.

It turns out this is really easy to do! We’ve found all sorts of alternatives to plastic right here in our own home, as well as out in the garden. And it is amazing what you can find in charity shops or thrift stores once you start looking.

Replacing our mountain of plastic play dough stuff with an all-natural kit was really easy, and what we’ve got now is far more open ended and even more fun to play with! So read on to see how we play with play dough without without a single bit of plastic…

Plastic-Free Playdough Play Kit — *Playing with play dough needn’t mean getting out a pile of plastic toys!*

This post uses affiliate links, meaning I receive a small amount when you click through and buy. You can find out more on my ‘about affiliate links’ page.

The benefits of playing with play dough

Play dough is such a great material for even very young babies and toddlers (under supervision, of course) to explore.

It provides kids with the opportunity to investigate sensory stimulus such as texture, temperature, colour, and scent as the dough is pulled apart, crumbled, squashed, and moulded back together.

And this simple play is great for building muscles in little hands, that are later used for fine motor control and tasks such as writing and drawing.

When you start adding tools, toys and craft materials to the play, a whole world of imaginative possibilities open up as well.

Child playing with play dough tools and accessories made from natural materials. — *Home-made play dough and a plastic-free box of accessories and tools.*

Plastic not-so-fantastic

It seemed a shame that the toys designed to go with this very organic material were so unforgivingly plastic. They are also often very specific (and therefore limiting) in their designated purpose.

So, while the kids did have lots of fun with these, I wanted to give them accessories and tools that were more complementary to the organic nature of the play dough, more geared towards open-ended play, and at the same time helped us towards our goal of reducing down our plastic use.

And all this without spending a fortune.

The best play dough accessories and tools are open-ended and made from natural materials like wood or metal. — *Practicing fine motor skills*

Ditching plastic toys for all natural tools and accessories makes for even better play dough play. — *Roll it, shape it, stamp it…*

Raiding the Kitchen Drawer

If you have ever put together a treasure basket for your babies, then you’ll have a good idea of how you can create a collection of great play dough accessories from everyday objects found around the home.

When you are hunting down items, start by thinking about the basics of how kids interact with the dough and go from there. So look for things that could help them cut, mould, print, shape or decorate the dough.

The kitchen drawer is always a treasure trove of items. And as home-made dough is made out of ordinary edible store-cupboard ingredients, a quick wash after play is all anything will need to go back into normal kitchen duty.

A vintage wooden butter pat has great texture for printing onto play dough. — *A vintage butter pat from the kitchen makes great play dough patterns.*

Play Kitchen tools for play dough

I also raided the kids’ own kitchen supplies. Those wooden and metal mini pizza cutters, spatulas, spoons and knives that came with their pretend-play food works just as well (possibly even better) when carving up or making prints on play dough, and are sized perfectly for little hands.

And of course it can go back into their kitchen once done with as well.

If you don’t want to use your own kitchenware, though, you can easily pick up cheap bits and pieces from charity shops and jumble sales.

A pile of different tools for rolling, stamping and shaping play dough — *Creative chaos! Play dough is great for practicing fine motor skills.*

Charity Shop / Thrift Store Finds

I love a good trawl through my local charity shops, and have picked up some great bits and bobs from there over the years.

These patterned rolling pins were a particularly great find, and the kids love using them to print onto the dough, and also trying to guess what their original purpose was (I’m still struggling to figure out that for one of them myself!).

Patterned pastry rollers are great for play dough marking — *Patterned rollers print just as well in play dough as real dough!*

They are quite pricey to buy new, but you can make your own unique patterned rollers by wrapping a smooth roller in elastic bands or by sticking on wooden craft shapes or buttons.

As a bonus, home-made textured rollers are also great for painting with!

Patterned rollers for play dough — *Charity shop finds are the best!*

Oversized tools can be even more fun than child sized ones. — *Bigger than me!*

Massage and foot rollers

Massage rollers of all shapes and sizes are another rolling tool that often end up in charity shops and jumble sales.

I found two of these spiked acupuncture rollers (yes, I did have to Google them!) in shops right next door to each other, and they are perfect for making patterns in dough.

Foot rollers and massagers are always turning up on the shelves. Their original purpose means they are usually made with deep textures carved into them that work brilliantly at making imprints in the play dough.

An acupuncture massager being used to make marks on play dough — *This acupuncture massager works wonders on play dough!*

Moulds and Cake Tins

My all-time favourite find is this amazing wooden moon cake mould. This is so satisfying to use, as pushing a ball of dough into each hole creates a completely different shape and pattern.

Moon cake moulds like this come in all different shapes and sizes. I found one identical to ours on Amazon, along with a whole host of others.

Obviously, buying them new is not the cheapest option, but then again you’ll be able to make lovely moon cakes with them too!

A wooden moon cake mould, being used for play dough — *Wooden moon cake mould*

Pressing play dough into aChinese wooden mooncake mould — *Pressing dough into the mould*

A play dough mooncake! — *Perfect moon cake!*

Lids

Lids of all sorts work really well with play dough too. They can be used as cutters, dishes, props and even for pattern making.

These daisy pattern mason jar lids, for example, can be used for all of these purposes. And they also make fun extruders when the dough is pushed through the pattern holes.

But children will find a use for any shape or size of lid. Variety makes things interesting and increases their options too, so give them a few to play with.

Using a mason jar lid to cut circles out of play dough. — *Lid, cutter, print maker…*

Shaping play dough using non-plastic tools — *Play dough cake!*

Sculpting tools for play dough

Whatever it is that my kids are doing with their play dough, at some point there will come the need for a ‘precision tool.

A cheap set of these wooden pottery sculpting tools has replaced the plastic versions we had, that often come with play dough sets. They are far more tactile and satisfying to use, and offer a much greater variety of tool shapes.

In the pot with them are random items like whisks, dolly pegs, lemon reamer, honey dipper, plant marker and garden dibber…. Just to name a few.

Wooden pottery tools are just as good for using with play dough — *Wooden pottery tools instead of plastic kid versions.*

Using a wooden garden plant marker to write on play dough — *Using a garden marker as a dough marker!*

Decorations and Embellishments

As well as pattern making and moulding items, keep an eye out for things that can be used to decorate and embellish their play dough creations too.

This could be as simple as a handful of dried spaghetti, rice or pasta shapes. Or maybe some paper straws, feathers, pebbles, buttons or marbles.

Another of the kids’ favourite items for playing with is my necklace of wooden and metal patterned beads.

This was one of the regulars in their treasure basket as it has great textures for little hands to explore.

Using a necklace with textured beads to print patterns on play dough — *No jewellery box is safe once the kids discover bead printing…*

It works equally well pressing patterns into the dough. And unlike many of the other things they use, it’s flexible so can be arranged into all sorts of shapes.

Any type of necklace works well for this – you don’t have to use textured or patterned beads.

Textured beads used to make imprints in play dough — *Necklace imprints can be different every time.*

Elements from Nature

Playing with natural materials like wood and metal rather than plastic is great. Not only for the environment but also gives the kids a richer sensory experience as they play.

But don’t stick to manufactured items, head outside to find more. You can find some great nature-made play dough accessories too.

Once again the kitchen is a great place to find things to use with the play dough. Dried pulses and spices, pasta of all shapes and sizes, and even fruit and vegetables can all make great tools for marking and moulding.

Natural materials - pinecones, cinnamon sticks, shells, acorns, star anise. — *Natural materials like nuts, seed, spices and shells are all great to use with playdough.*

Foraging for play dough tools

The natural world is a great store cupboard of play dough tools. We bring back all sorts of treasures from our adventures out and about. As long as they are clean or cleanable, many natural objects can be used with the dough.

Pinecones, acorns, conkers (and their spiky shells), shells, stones, sticks, seeds and nuts of all sorts are great because they are hard enough to be easy to print with.

But don’t overlook leaves, herbs and flowers for scent, colour and more subtle pattern making and decorating.

Stamping in play dough using acorns. — *Acorn stamping!*

Using star anise to make patterns in play dough. — *Pattern making.*

Using a pinecone to imprint patterns in play dough. — *Pinecone printing.*

The vast majority of things in our plastic-free play dough box are things that we have repurposed for play. So their original uses were often very, very different!

But of course there are a some non-plastic tools, accessories and toys made specifically for play dough.

Our favourites are probably these lovely wooden pattern stampers. But I also have my eye on a set of little textured rollers for the kids too.

See the supplies list below for details and (affiliate) links on where to buy these.

You don't need plastic toys to play with play dough. Click through to check out all the alternatives we've found! — *Wooden play dough stampers and roller that make great patterns.*

Supplies List

You and the kids can have great fun hunting down different everyday objects to use with your playdough. So many things found around the house (and out in the garden) can be used to cut, stamp and shape your dough.

However if you want to buy a few tools and toys to get you started or add a bit of variety, it is possible to get non-plastic play dough accessories to supplement those ‘found objects’ you’ve gathered.

Here are some examples from Amazon of the types of things we use. These are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy, I will receive a small amount without costing you a penny extra.
Thank you for your support!

Most of our more unusual items have been charity and junk-shop finds. But if you’re looking for some items to get your collection going straight away, then Amazon has some great bits and pieces. The kids will have great fun with:

Quick and Easy Play Dough Recipe

Looking for a quick and easy play dough recipe that the kids can help you make? Then look no further than our DIY Play Dough for Lazy Parents.

It’s so simple, you can whip up a batch in minutes. Yet it will keep (stored correctly) for months!

A recipe for kid-made and no-cook play dough — *Making play dough is as much fun as playing with it!*

More from Rhubarb and Wren

Looking with more plastic-free activities to do with the kids? Check out some of my nature craft posts. You’ll find lots of ideas that are fun, frugal and stuffed full of natural materials!

scissor skills practice with leaves and plants — *All-natural snip box for practicing scissor skills!*

DIY spiderweb stamp made with string and cardboard! — *Make sparkly spiderwebs with this DIY stamp*

Painting leaves with bright coloured paint. — *Leaf painting!*

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