The human body anatomy printable play-dough mats let children combine science with art while building 3D versions of body systems.

Play-dough is fun! Both my kids started playing with it when they were barely toddlers, and they don’t seem to plan on stopping any time soon, so we’ve started incorporating it into our learning activities.

The purpose of play dough mats is to spark children’s curiosity and creativity, prompting them to build something that they may not ordinarily think of. The mats act as starting points, inviting children to play and create. The anatomy play-dough mats in particular show children how to build various human body systems, inspiring them to make their own three-dimensional models of various organs. They would entertain kids who are curious about the insides of their bodies. They would also go along well with anatomy units!

Anatomy Play-Dough Mats Feature:

13 play-dough mats (respiratory system, lungs, digestive system, digestive system close-up, circulatory system, heart, urinary system, kidneys and bladder close-up, nervous system, brain, muscular system, skeletal system, skull)
8 information sheets on human body systems (if you want more information, take a look at our list of 10 best anatomy books for kids, where we have selected our favourites for different ages and levels of interest)

The anatomy play-dough mats consist of two parts: the bigger area designated for building and the smaller area in the top right corner that showcases a mini-version of the relevant system, in colour.

Some pages prompt to build an entire system…

and other pages feature large scale version of organs.

Tips & Tricks for Building Body Systems

Some of the parts looked so fine or so repetitive that we doubted that we would manage to replicate them… But then we employed a tool that allowed us to make some pretty impressive details! Play-dough extruders are great for play-dough fun, and they proved indispensable for making bones, intestines and other tubes. Our blue extruder below turns play-dough into spaghetti-like tubes, and we used it for making bones.

Our red extruder has only four holes, but they’re considerably thicker. Those were great for making esophagus and small intestines.

Of course, the final results will depend on the age of children, but the process is great fun! And it’s never too early to start learning. After my son built his second digestive system, his two-year-old sister demanded that she needs to “make intestines”! The project impressed really her. Especially the final addition to the digestive system that my son built. Well… You can’t really study the digestive system without talking about poop! And once you’ve talked, you might as well build.

All in all, we had a blast with our anatomy play-dough mats!

Get the Anatomy Play-Dough Mats!

Want more anatomy activities? Try our bundle – Anatomy for Kids! Following this hands-on anatomy unit study, children get to build life-size anatomy models of themselves, play with anatomy dress-up dolls, complete anatomy puzzles, build organs from play-dough, colour, draw and play games! The anatomy bundle is full of creative activities for young scientists.