Kids love playing with Play-Doh. And for little ones, the squishier, the better.
Once the dough starts to dry out, it just gets too hard for little ones to work with. So, what do you do, pitch it?
Don’t toss that can yet!
You can turn that old play dough into colorful homemade Play Doh ornaments.
Yes, you can still use it to make some fun Homemade Ornaments Kids Can Make.
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This play dough craft is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. You may also love these other play dough ornaments.
Older kids will have fun making these beaded Christmas ornaments.
Play Doh Ornaments
You can use any of your child’s favorite colors of Play Doh to make your own play dough Christmas ornaments. For a quicker drying time, use a can that is starting to dry out.
Our playdough was particularly stiff, so I rolled it out for the kids.
Once the dough is rolled out to 1/4 inch thickness (6 mm), have your child use cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
You can use Christmas shapes, or to personalize them even more, let your child cut whatever shapes they want.
We wound up with a few pink and lavendar kitty cats and a blue car. Years later I still treasure these ornaments because that’s what my kids were in to when they made them as preschoolers.
Want to add a little sparkle to your play doh decorations?
My daughter had so much fun adding glitter to our pine cone ornaments, that I decided to get out the glitter to add to these. She had fun pressing the glitter onto the surface of the dough.
Once your child is finished with their creations, use a toothpick to poke a hole at the top of each one so you can add a ribbon to it later for hanging.
Then set the Play Doh in a safe place to air dry.
Depending on how old the dough is that you used, it should only take a couple days. Flip them over after a day or two to speed up the process.
Can You Bake Play Doh
If you want the playdough ornaments ready sooner you can bake them in the oven.
Set the oven to 200 degreees Fahrenheit and bake them 5-10 minutes.
Once they are dry, add ribbons to each ornament for easy hanging.
You can also use permanent marker to personalize ornaments if desired. We added names and the year to several of ours.
Got some old cans of Play Doh hanging around?
Give this easy playdough craft a try, and make a few Play Doh ornaments for the tree.
You could also tie them on packages for a simple addition to any gift.
You may also like:
- Craft Stick Ornaments — Easy homemade ornaments kids can make
- Jingle Bell Bracelets — Preschoolers will love this simple Christmas craft.
- Playdough Monsters — Kids will have fun making these silly monsters.
Originally published December 19, 2011.
Kristen says
I love this idea. Gift tags out of playdoh…how clever! We’ve had a ton of dry playdoh in this house and I’ve just pitched it. I’m feeling very wasteful now. I’ve gotta get better at this crafting stuff 🙂
admin says
I don’t know why I kept it, I just tucked a few cans away, thinking one day I’d find a use of it. And as it got closer to Christmas, I thought, hey – I bet they’d have fun making ornaments! (But I might not let it get so dry next time – it was pretty hard to roll ours out!)
heather @ http://itsyummytomytummy.blogspot.com/ says
How cute! My kids and I just made cinnamon-applesauce ornaments but these are equally fun. I bet it would work well with the homemade playdough we make too! This is my recipe for easy playdough, http://itsyummytomytummy.blogspot.com/2010/03/playdough.html
admin says
I bet it would work with homemade play-doh as well. Can’t wait to check out your recipe! I made homemade play-doh when my oldest was a baby, but once she was out of putting it in her mouth we started buying Play-doh in all the bright colors.
Fawn says
So cute! Love this. Who would have ever thought to use play-dough for Christmas tree ornaments. It’s amazing how some of the things we played with as kids have been passed down to this new generation. Pretty cool. I loved playing with play-doh.
admin says
I love the smell of Play-doh. I actually got a can and brought it to the hospital with me when we had our first child as a “comforting scent” to help me through labor!
Kim says
I didn’t know old playdoh could be reused like this–good to know as I think we still have some tubs of it in our craft stash. Thanks for sharing!
admin says
Yeah, I just tossed it in our craft stuff thinking one day…
Sophia says
It is a great idea and thank you for sharing. I think it would be a good time together with your children for making gifts by ourselves. Merry Christmas!
JDaniel4's Mom says
These came out so cute!
admin says
Thanks! I wasn’t really sure how they would turn out (but, that’s like any craft with little ones…). I’m thinking next year we might try gluing google eyes on and adding a little paint once they’re dry. Maybe.
Robin says
This is SUCH a good idea! Thanks for sharing!
admin says
You’re welcome! I have to say, they did turn out cute and the kids had fun making them!
Angel Collins says
Cute idea. Aside from saving time and money in going out shopping for decorations, you can also have some bonding time with your kids. Thanks for sharing. That’s a wacky picture of yours. 🙂
Kelley says
I have a ton of new playdoh. can you use that and bake it to harden it? My daughter got a case of it ans some sets one year for Christmas and I still have a lot left.
OneMommy says
I have heard that you can bake Play-Doh in a very low temperature oven. Of course, if you leave it out to dry, that will work, too, it will just take a little longer than if it was old Play-Doh.