Back to School Gift – Playdough Name Mat

A few years ago (pre-pandemic) I created these simple playdough name mats as a back to school gift. Let me preface this post by saying that, Back to School gifts are not a requirement or necessary. I’m a firm believer in doing what YOU want as a teacher. If you want to give a little gift, do it. If you DON’T want to give a gift, don’t. Either choice does not define you as a teacher. So in every situation…do you and don’t bend to what ever pressures you may be feeling. 😉

I happen to be a teacher that likes to give little gifts. Consider that my teacher love language! Every year I always try and find a little gift to give each new little learner. In the years past, I have given bubbles and even googly eye glasses.

I came up with this idea for playdough name mats when I found a pack 50 mini playdoh containers at Costco for cheap! Costco usually has them 1-2 times a year, but if you can’t find them, here is a pack of 80 and there is a coupon for $5 off!! Also, with a pack of 80, you can use them as birthday or holiday gifts or add them to your treasure chest or classroom store!

At the beginning of the school year, we always spend at least the first 2 weeks working on our names. I love this name poem and we use it in our pocket chart. I thought that I would make the name poem a printable and use it as a ‘tag’ and include the mini playdough container. After I shared my idea on Instagram, I had a lot of interest in teachers wanting this for their students, so I’ve now made this available and it’s editable to add your students names, teacher name and teacher message!