Free Printable Ocean Playdough Mats

Strengthen fine motor skills while learning about the ocean with your preschoolers this summer using these Free Printable Ocean Playdough Mats. Grab yours today! 

collage of Ocean Playdough Mats with text: Ocean Theme Fine Motor MatsI’m so excited to share these new free printable ocean playdough mats with you! They pair really well with preschool ocean crafts and books about the deep blue sea. This ocean playdough mat printable bundle is the perfect way to entertain your little learners this summer!

This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if an item is purchased through one of these links.  For more information, please see my full disclosures.

Playdough mats make it easy to say yes to playdough time with your little learners. Plus, there are so many wonderful skills kids can practice with dough. For starters, kneading dough gives kids an opportunity to build finger strength they’ll need for handwriting or tying shoes.

Playing with these playdough mats is a hands-on activity that will help your kids learn about the ocean through play this summer. As they create their very own fish, stingray, or jellyfish friends, you can take the opportunity to teach them about these fascinating sea creatures.

Keep reading to discover my favorite ocean learning activities, books about the ocean, and grab your own ocean playdough mats today.

Books and Songs About the Ocean

As you begin your ocean theme or unit study, add preschool songs, fingerplays, and fun picture books to your lessons. Check out some of my favorite ways to introduce little learners to the ocean below.

Ocean Songs & Finger Plays


Singing songs and participating in fingerplays get little learners up out of their seats and excited about learning. Plus, it’s a great way to practice gross motor skills and build hand-eye coordination.

An Orca Whale: Storytime Song from Jbrary
Baby Shark Dance from Pink Fong
Down in the Deep Blue Sea from Super Simple Songs

Picture Books About the Ocean

Reading aloud to my little learners is probably my favorite bonding activity ever! It’s not just a great way to spend quality time with your kiddos, it’s also the very best way to help them fall in love with books.

Kids build vocabulary, print awareness, and more while listening to great books. Here are some of our favorite ocean picture books to share with your kids this summer:

The Blue Whale* by Jenni Desmond
Flotsam* by David Wiesner
Hello, Lighthouse* by Sophie Blackall
Swimmy* by Leo Lionni
The Pout-Pout Fish* by Deborah Diesen

Ocean Playdough Mat Activities

These ocean playdough mats are a great learning resource. Not only is playdough fun to mold and stretch, but it’s the perfect medium for lots of fun educational activities too. Combining education and fun with the excitement of these ocean playdough mats is the perfect way to learn about the ocean through play this summer.

I’ve included seven playdough mats in this ocean bundle that you can print and use with your kids. Explore jellyfish, stingrays, and more. Just print and laminate to prevent the playdough from sticking.

Here’s some of the best playdough you can grab for your ocean playdough mat activities:

Play-Doh Undersea Tools*
Aroma Dough Gluten-Free Modeling Dough*
Arteza Kids Play Dough*

On each printable ocean playdough mat, I’ve included the word that corresponds with each ocean animal in large letters for your preschoolers. Your little learners can practice saying and spelling the names of each ocean animal as they trace the letters with their fingers. For more learning fun, give kids dry erase markers and let them practice tracing the letters that way too.

Ocean Printables and Activities


There’s so much to explore and learn about our oceans! You can spend all summer exploring and learning with your kids this year. I’ve got tons of ocean printables and ocean activities for you to explore.

Plus, there are so many great field trip opportunities! Plan a trip to the beach, a nearby aquarium, or even a tropical fish store to learn more about the animals that live in our oceans with your little learners.

Want to check out more ocean activities, resources, and printables from my blog? Here are some of our favorites!

Sea Sponge Activity
Ocean Directed Drawing
Submarine Activity
Jellyfish Activity for Preschoolers
Fish Activity for Kids

What’s your favorite way to explore and learn about the ocean with kids? Share your favorite activities and resources in the comment section so we can all try them with our kids this summer. I can’t wait to read them and learn more about the ocean with my kiddos too!

Ocean Fine Motor Mats


There are seven ocean printables included with this Free Printable Ocean Playdough Mats set.

  • Coral
  • Crab
  • Fish
  • Jellyfish
  • Seaweed
  • Stingray
  • Wave

Get your free printable ocean activities today!

Keep in mind that all preschoolers do things in their own time and on their own terms. What one is ready for, another might not be. Please use your best mama judgement when planning activities for your little kids.

This is a digital product. You will receive a PDF only.

Don’t forget to stop by next week if you’re interested in seeing what we’re up to with our Bubbles, Boats, & Floats preschool theme!