10 Best Play-Doh Sets for Kids Reviewed in 2024
Ana
Play-doh is a classic medium for playtime. It is a soft dough that can be cut, smashed, twisted, molded, and so much more. When playing with play-doh the benefits are amazing and that’s why it is a timeless classic that you will find in many playrooms and classrooms across the world. Over the years play-doh has come up with a wide variety of themed playsets to go along with their product.
The playsets range anywhere from a container full of cut out tools to a detailed dentist themed set of tools. Whatever your kids are interested in there is sure to be a set out there for them. We have created a list for the inspiration of the best play doh sets. These sets are great for the development of physical and emotional skills.
This is the best product on our list that is currently in stock:
Open play-inspired Play-doh set
Set includes six cans of different colored Play-doh
Features more than 30 pieces including a fun factory press
Offers hours of open-ended play time
Promotes fine-motor-skill development
10 Best Play-Doh Sets for Kids Reviewed
1. Kitchen Creations Sizzlin' Stovetop
5 containers of compound
Multiple accessories
Realistic sounds
Cooking utensils
Batteries not included
May not be big enough for multi-child play
For the little cooks in your life, this set brings the fun of stovetop kitchen to Play-Doh play sessions. The stovetop has two burners designed to be used with the included pans. As your kid “cooks” their creation the realistic sizzling sounds signal that the meal is ready. Also included in the set are the dishes and utensils needed to plate a meal.
Read moreDesign
It’s a complete cooking adventure all in one set. Even though this set is small in size, it’s big on fun.
Ease of Use
Experts agree that children learn through play. That’s why it’s important to provide toys that allow real-life roleplaying. This toy accomplishes that while also including food molds that encourage healthy food choices.
Value
We appreciate that play doh sets are designed with features that are fun while still being a more open-ended type of play. This set has a feature where the sizzling sound becomes more intense when a pan is placed on the burner. We think this exciting realistic effect will be a big hit with your kid.
2. Fun Factory Deluxe 6 Tubs
Open play-inspired Play-doh set
Set includes six cans of different colored Play-doh
Features more than 30 pieces including a fun factory press
Offers hours of open-ended play time
Promotes fine-motor-skill development
Fun Factory press is hard for little ones to press down on
Can be messy for kids under the age of 3 years old
Take Play-doh and add fun to make smiles and hours of endless entertainment. This set of Play-doh takes every kid and turns them into an explorer, a leader, and a creative creator. Inside the set, they will find six cans of different colors of Play-doh and then all the tools that they need to unleash their imaginations.
Read moreDesign
Most play doh sets have a theme with tools that only go with that set, but what is great about these tools is they are completely inspiring to engage children in open-ended Play-doh play time. The set includes more than 30 different pieces and will not disappoint.
Ease of Use
Play-doh is a compound that was invented to allow kids to create with their hands. When creating with their hands or using the tools, they are working their fine-motor skills. Creating their masterpiece not only takes creative skill, but it works the muscles in the hands and fingers nurturing their dexterity.
Value
Giving your children a product that lets them explore their creativity is always fun. It is amazing the things that they create and come up with. This set features lots of tools to help inspire and create their own works of art.
3. My Little Pony Make 'N Style
Encourages creative play
Useful tools included
Multiple styles of pony
A large amount of Play-Doh included
Doesn’t include instructions
Young children may require assistance
If your kid is a My Little Pony fan they’ll love this Play-Doh set. It takes pony play to a whole new level actually allowing kids to design their own ponies. The creations are made using the pony mold. Along with the mold, there are four bases. The bases all differ slightly in style.
Read moreDesign
They allow your kid to choose whether their pony will have the wings of a pegasus or the horn of a unicorn. Once the shape is decided the mold is used to press the Play-Doh onto the base. From there you’re free to add elements using the included palette. When it’s time to give the pony a mane and tail, the 2-piece extruder makes it simple. This creative set is a fantastic choice for the pony fan in your life.
Ease of Use
This play doh set was designed for fans of the pony franchise. Instead of a traditional figure that can be played with it encourages children to use their creativity. Kids start out with an idea of how they want their pony to look and when they realize they can achieve that goal, they gain self-confidence.
Value
My Little Ponies are known for their pretty colors. All the ponies have multiple colors which is also possible to create in this set thanks to the 9 different Play-Doh containers included. The extra colors give fans the chance to truly experience pony creation.
4. Doctor Drill 'n Fill
Durable
Activities for hours of play
Realistic powered drill
Encourages dentist role play
Comes with small containers of Play-Doh
Drill battery compartment requires a small screwdriver to remove
Doctor Drill ‘n Fill is one of the classic Play-Doh sets that is still popular today. In fact, it’s so popular that it has been updated and re-released as this retro set. With this toy, your kid gets to play dentist as they care for the teeth belonging to the head.
Read moreDesign
The play starts out with an empty head that your kid fills with Play-Doh teeth. Then they’re able to use the tools included making it possible for them to complete tasks like; toothbrushing, braces, and fillings. It’s no surprise to us that this set is still popular and we think it’d make a great choice for any Play-Doh loving kid.
Ease of Use
Play doh sets play have many benefits that we discuss throughout this list including allowing kids to strengthen their fine motor skills and encouraging imaginative play. One benefit that is specific to this set is that it provides a chance for kids to role-play the work a dentist does. It takes a topic that is relatively unknown to most kids and gives it a fun experience to relate it with.
Value
One of the few battery powered accessories on this entire list belongs to this set. The drill is powered to vibrate as your kid uses it. We think this adds an extra element of realism that kids enjoy without taking away from the opportunity for more open ended play.
5. Kitchen Creations Frozen Treats
7 tubs of multi-color play doh
Sprinkle making machine
Fun molds for ice cream pop shapes
Includes instruction cards
Includes stands to display finished ice cream products
The most abundant play-doh colors are not the ones you’d typically use to make ice cream so you may need to buy additional material
Like they are endowed with a sixth sense, children come running from all nooks and crannies when they hear the ice cream truck approaching. The Play Doh Kitchen Creation Frozen Treats allows children to shape and imitate some of the fun, whacky designs you find on specialty ice cream products. Use the molds and tools to create imaginary ice cream sandwiches, sprinkle-covered fudge bars, animal-shaped ice cream treats, and more. And since kids can’t eat these delightful ice cream toys, there’s no impending sugar rush for parents to weather.
Read moreDesign
This set of play doh toys includes tools to make a variety of different kinds of ice cream treats, as well as step-by-step instructions. You’ll find a sprinkle-crank, two cones, two cookie stampers, two stands, two creation cards, an ice-pop book mold, whipped cream tool, textured roller, cat-face stamper, and seven cans of colorful play doh.
Ease of Use
Designed for ages 3 years and up, this set challenges dexterity and motor skills but presents completely achievable artistic tasks for young children. The step-by-step guides on the cards will help kids to master these ice cream machines!
Value
The Frozen Treats set sits right in the middle of the price range for these kinds of Play Doh sets. It includes a lot of fun accessories but you might want to invest in some extra play doh, as most of the tubs included in this kit are pretty small.
6. Burger Barbecue B5521
Many shaped molds
Comes with utensils
Kid-powered
Encourages real-life role-playing
The extruder may be difficult for young kids
Only two plates included
As one of the food-related playsets of the list, this one is designed to allow your kid to pretend they’re in charge of the barbecue grill. It’s complete with everything they’ll need to create the foods you find at an outdoor meal from hot dogs to hamburgers and all the fixings. The entire set is battery free which makes it perfect for young kids to use independently.
Read moreDesign
The grill operates as a press to create the shapes of patty, bun, and fixings. Since no cookout would be complete without french fries, there’s an extruder designed to make them. The extruder comes with a variety of shapes so your kid will have no shortage of chances to use their creativity.
Ease of Use
Like most sets, this one has a large variety of molds. This variety works as a great catalyst for creative play. Experts agree that the more we allow young children to have access to open-ended play the better for their brain development.
Value
The width of the main component is only about 5 inches. This entire set plus cans of modeling compound can be fit into a small container. It makes a great alternative for families that are looking for play sets that can travel or for use in small spaces.
7. Fun Factory Shape Making Machine
Includes two cans of play doh
Kids can squeeze out ten different shapes
Easy to use
Lots of room for creativity
Lots of little spaces for play doh to get caught in the press
Play Doh masterpieces come in all shapes and sizes and this Fun Factory Shape Making Machine proves it! This machine offers a lot of open-ended creativity for kids to explore. They simply load it up and squeeze their play doh into one of ten different shapes, then roll, mold, and shape their own creations however they see fit. Though updated, this model is based on the original 1970 design and holds up as one of Play Doh’s most popular accessories!
Read moreDesign
Kids will love getting to load their play doh up and squeeze it out. They can even combine two colors into one shape! The kit comes with ten different shape options and kids can continue to expand and create from there.
Ease of Use
If your little one can pack the play doh in and press down, they’ll be good to go! From there, it’s up their imaginations what kind of fun sculpture they want to make. The Play Doh Fun Factory is intended for children ages 3 and up.
Value
Ranked as a median price for this kind of set, you’re going to get a few accessories and a few tubs of play doh, like most similar kits. This one is fun because it’s a classic design that has been around for roughly five decades and still holds up as a top-seller today.
8. Crazy Cuts
Easy-to-use handle
Working kid-safe scissors
Book molds for additional styles
Six containers of Play-Doh included
Some assembly required
Takes extra cleaning after use
This set is one of the first designs ever released and it’s still popular. It uses three separate figures that sit on the chair for magical hair growth. Once the hair is grown, your kid can add accessories or cut it into a new style.
Read moreDesign
There are additional molds for bows, hats, and more. Once they’re done with a hairstyle, the figure can be cleaned out and used again. The ability to “cut” hair is so intriguing for kids that your little one will enjoy playing salon.
Ease of Use
Play-Doh gives kids the chance to create with a sensory-stimulating medium. The set requires that children choose a hairstyle then use tools to create it. This gives them a great opportunity to practice problem-solving skills and build confidence.
Value
We know that it’s important to remove any unnecessary frustrations for play to be fun. While other salon-themed sets require your child to push down for hair to grow, this one has a crank handle. It’s far easier to use and makes it possible for them to have fun on their own.
9. Buzzsaw Logging Truck
Logging themed play-doh set
Features buzzsaw that cuts and has two removable and interchangeable blades
Each blade has a different cutting pattern
Set features four cans of 3-ounce play doh
Increases hand eye coordination
Molds on the truck are hard to work with
Extending the arm of the buzzsaw makes the truck off balance
Move on over, the buzzsaw is coming through. This a logging themed play-doh set that features a logging truck with a pretend saw in the front. The kids can create pretend logs and trees and have the buzzsaw chop, slice, and roll over them.
Read moreDesign
The buzzsaw features two removable and interchangeable blades that both have different patterns. On the body of the truck, there are molds that allow kids to make hard hats, axes, and much more fun playful shapes. Included with the set are four cans of play-doh. Each can is 3 ounces of the soft pliable dough. The set is wonderful for the little lumberjack inspired kid in your life.
Ease of Use
Using the buzzsaw and shape molders on the truck is a great way to increase hand-eye coordination. Using the variety of tools to mold, shape, and cut the play-doh improves the coordination between the hand and eyes. Like anything else the more you do it the better the skill set will become.
Value
Neat theme, nice amount of play-doh, and fun patterns. This is a differently themed play-doh set that we are all not used to seeing. It is super fun to play with and the interactive blade on the buzzsaw is a great addition to the play-doh cutting tool set.
10. Playful Pies Set
Pie making themed play-doh set
Set includes everything kids need to make perfect pretend pies
Features 4 cans of play-doh
Included; a plate for pie, basket for fruit, and a set of five pie making tools
Enhances social development skill set
Fruit molds are large and present a challenge when making a small pie in the plate
Set includes a very limited amount of play doh
Pies, oh yummy Pies! Just when you thought playsets could get much sweeter the makers of play-doh released a pie making set. The set allows kids to dish up and serves their very own pies.
Read moreDesign
The set includes; a plate for pie, a basket for fruit, and five play-doh tools with pie making a theme. Before you know it your little one will be opening their first pretend pie shop with this wonderful set. As you watch them roll out the dough to create the crust, use the molds to create the fruit filling, and then use the tool to create a creamed top you will know why they love it so much. It is a great set for those little ones that love getting their hands dirty in the kitchen.
Ease of Use
Children that play together with play-doh sets like this pie making kit are encouraged to interact socially. As they pretend to make pies they will talk, work through recipes, and design works of art. The skill used in this interaction is a wonderful way to enhance their social development skill set.
Value
Great set for those little ones that are always wanting to help in the kitchen. It provides the tools, the medium, and display for them to create the most perfect pretend pies that they will just be so proud of.
Criteria Used for Evaluation
Design
Any parent who has guided play doh sets before knows that kids aren’t always great at understanding the need to clean small parts out of tools. The result is that colors can become mixed together and before long you’re left with a brown-colored compound. Another unfortunate result is that the dried pieces fall out of the toy when it’s brought out to be played with again and land on the ground.
Overall, we don’t ever want to make a parent's job more difficult so we chose sets that are as easy to clean after each use as possible. The idea was that your kid could be shown how to check out the set for remaining compound before it’s put away. That way it allows kids a chance to be the boss of clean up with minimal frustration for everyone.
Ease of Use
As your kid begins to shape their creations, they’re executing hand-eye coordination, spatial reasoning, and other skills. The list of positives for play doh sets is seemingly endless which is why it’s been a top choice of educators for decades. The sets on this list were chosen because they demonstrate an ability to use your child’s interest in a topic and bring it to creative activity. To help your child benefit from those brain-building moments, we encourage you to choose sets that match their personality and introduce some new topics as well.
Value
Play-Doh as a company makes an effort to design each set to include the accessories they think are essential for the experience. We know that when played with at home kids are going to mix tools together. It’s our opinion that this is a good thing and should be encouraged. One of the reasons is that if for some reason the main part is lost or broken the tools can still be useful. Open-ended play sessions are fantastic for your child’s brain development so we chose sets that include tools that can be played with separately from the main piece.
Design Ease of Use Value 
Play doh sets are a great tool for creativity and for developing those fine motor skills. When working the doh and creating kids really learn to manipulate the doh their hands.
If cleaning up after playtime is getting to messy. Try only allowing the kids to work for large pieces of Play-Doh. It really cuts down on the mess.
Other Factors to Consider
Creativity
The main goal of any playdoh sets is to spark your child’s own creativity. At the least, this can be accomplished with only the modeling compound and household items. The sets are just an extra tool for encouraging prolonged creative play. This kind of limitless play is a great way to strengthen the parts of the brain that help your child solve problems. It helps the brain make new connections that lead to the improved development of other skills. There are many benefits to creative play and that’s why you notice art is taught in school.
Safety
All Play-Doh materials are nontoxic and safe for children to handle! A few of these sets have places where tiny fingers might get pinched so make sure you supervise the first few times they use their new toys and teach them how to work carefully and safely. Lastly, play-doh is not meant to be consumed. Most of these products are meant for children ages 3 and up, who know better than to put it in their mouth. Just make sure you keep it away from younger siblings! If you’re worried about it breaking off and small pieces lying around, we suggest designating a play area for the play-doh so you can keep all the small pieces contained.
Frequently Asked Questions
q: Doesn’t Play-Doh end up in tiny pieces that are tough to clean up?
Sometimes. We suggest having kids play in an area that’s easy to clean. They can also use pieces of play doh toys to pick up the smaller pieces when cleaning up.
q: How do I clean the components of a playset?
Remove as much as you can after each play session. Then use water to clean any remaining out of places that are tough to reach.
q: If I lose a piece to a set can I order it separately?
Unfortunately not. Though we’ve found that many kids end up mixing accessories together from different playsets and enjoying them together.
q: How can I preserve a Play-Doh creation permanently?
You could allow it to dry but this might result in cracking. Instead, we suggest taking a picture so that you can treasure your child’s creation forever.
q: Is Play-Doh safe for all kids to play with?
It does not contain nuts or milk by-products but does include wheat as part of its recipe. The vast majority of kids aren’t so allergic to wheat that they’d have a reaction to touching it. If you’re concerned about your child we’d recommend asking their doctor.
q: Is Play-Doh really edible?
Play doh sets are non-toxic so won’t hurt your child if they DO eat some. Keep in mind though that it’s not meant to be eaten so that should be discouraged.
Sources
- , Play-Doh Teaching Tools, Informative Video
- , Information about Our Play Dough Toolbox, Informative Article
- , Fun Playdough Activities, Online Article
- , Benefits of Role Play in Early Years, Blog Post
- , Play Dough Fine Motor Skills & Proprioception Sensory Input, Online Article
