Dough Days — Step-by-Step Play Dough Activities for Ages 3 to 8

A photograph of every single step, so your child can follow the screen instead of following you.

Everyone has play dough ideas. What nobody has is a picture of what the dough is supposed to look like halfway through — which is the exact moment a child gives up and comes to find you. That is what this is.

What you get

• 216 photographs — six for every build, one for each stage, shot on the same bench in the same light
• 36 guided builds across three age bands, made from ordinary play dough
• 144 facts for the older bands — six about the real thing behind every build, from why lightning travels upward to why the Earth’s crust is thinner than the deepest part of the sea
• 12 short stories for the youngest band, written in short sentences to be read aloud to a three-year-old
• 72 notes for the grown-up — one thing that is true and one thing to say out loud, on every build
• A read-aloud button on every story and fact page, for when your hands are covered in dough

Which age is it actually for?

It is organised into three age bands, and how much of it you use depends on how old your child is now. We would rather be straight about that than let you work it out afterwards.

• Buying for a 3 or 4 year old? You get all three bands as they grow into them — about five years of use from one purchase. This is the best value in the whole product.
• Buying for a 5 or 6 year old? Two bands are live for you now, and the third arrives in a year or two.
• Buying for a 7 or 8 year old? The Earth band is the one you will use. Twelve cross-section builds and 72 facts about rock, ice, rivers and volcanoes — closer to a first geology book with models in it than a craft pack. If that is what you want, it is very good. If you wanted a big pile of craft ideas, twelve is thin, and you should know that before you pay.
• More than one child? Two or three bands are live at the same time, which is where this earns its keep.

How it works

1. Buy once. Your link arrives by email.
2. Open it on any phone or tablet and add it to your home screen. It behaves like an app.
3. Pick an age, pick a build, tap through one step at a time. Nothing to print, nothing to install, no account to make.

What is inside

Ages 3 and 4 — Bakery. Balls, snakes and squashes: one simple move repeated, then a very short story. Pancake Stack, Apple, Biscuit, Spaghetti, Meatballs, Bread Roll, Donut, Sausage Roll, Ice Cream Cone, Cupcake, Pizza, Birthday Cake.

Ages 5 and 6 — Weather. Counting, matching pairs and getting two things the same size, then six facts about the real weather. The Sun, Rain Cloud, Lightning Bolt, Snowman, Umbrella, Puddle and Boots, Kite, Icicles, Rainbow, Tornado, Snowflake, The Water Cycle.

Ages 7 and 8 — Earth. Cross-sections and layers, each followed by six facts about the ground under your feet. Rock Layers, Folded Mountain, Sand Dune, Fossil, River Meander, Geode, Impact Crater, Stalactite Cave, Volcano, Glacier, Fault Line, Cut-Open Earth.

What you need at home

Any play dough. Any brand, any colours, including the half-dried tub at the back of the cupboard. No cutters, no rolling pin, no special tools — every build is done with hands, except the ice cream cone, which asks for a fork to press the waffle pattern.

Who it is not for

If you are after printable worksheets, this is not that. There is nothing to print. It is a screen the child glances at once per step and then puts down.

Questions

My child is eight. Do I only get twelve builds? Effectively, yes. The Earth band is the one they will use. It is also the meatiest — twelve cross-section models and 72 facts about geology. If you want a hands-on geology primer, twelve is plenty. If you want a big craft pack, it is not, and we would rather you knew now.

Do I need to print anything? No. Nothing at all.

What kind of play dough do I need? Any brand of modelling dough. The colour lists in each build are suggestions, not requirements — a green cupcake is still a cupcake.

Why do the older ages get facts instead of stories? Because a seven-year-old who has just built a volcano wants to know how far down the magma actually is. The 3 and 4 band keeps the stories.

Is this a subscription? No. One payment. The link is yours to keep.

Which devices does it work on? Any phone, tablet or computer with a web browser. Use it on as many of your own devices as you like.

How long does each build take? Around twenty minutes for the older bands. The 3 and 4 builds are quicker — often ten.

If it does not land

Email us within 30 days and we will refund you in full. You keep the link. We would rather you tell us what did not work than quietly regret it.