My kids got a couple of play dough sets for Christmas and I found a great way for them to play and not make a mess. I bought a large size plastic tablecloth and put it on the floor. They stay on the plastic and the mess is contained. I'm not sure why this works so much better than the kitchen table, but for some reason even my 2 year old keeps all the playdough on the tablecloth. I just folded up the plastic when they were done and shook all the tiny left over pieces in the garbage. I would only recommend this for kitchen or other hard floors. I still wouldn't trust them on carpet.
