How to Make Play Dough for Kids – 5 Easy Recipes to Try at Home

One of the best ways to keep those little hands busy and the minds engaged is through this beautiful sensory play. It is a wonderful development tool for fine motor skills. Play dough is easy to make and is much better than the store-bought containers.

What Does Play Dough Teach Children? 

 Looking at those chubby hands joyfully playing with play dough is a sight to behold! Some benefits of playing with play dough for children during their growing years are:

1 .  Fine motor skills

When a child squishes and squashes the play dough, all the muscles of the hand get exercised. This strengthens their fingers and tones their muscles.

2. Calming effect

 Next time, when you see your child throwing a tantrum, give him play dough and watch how he calms down. The play dough can help him manage his emotions better.

3. Encourages creativity

You can use play dough to make hundreds of different shapes. Thus, play dough brings our creativity in your kids as they create numerous shapes and structures using it.

4. Excellent for developing hand-eye coordination skills 

You can use a variety of objects and materials as props when playing with play dough. Thus, play dough enhances and encourages hand-eye coordination

5. Improves social skills

When kids play with play dough along with other kids or adults, they learn to be more sociable.

6. Literacy and Numbering

Play dough can be used imaginatively to teach little ones numbers and letters. You can help them form letter and number shapes. Thus, play dough can help improve your children’s literacy and numbering skills.

7. Promotes Play

The play dough texture is soft and pliable, and the different colours can be used to create various shapes likes animals, flowers, letters, etc. Thus, it brings out your child’s imagination and encourages kids to play together.

8. Helps in decision making

Give your child the task of adding his favourite colour to the dough. Watch him improve on his decision-making abilities by deciding on which colour he wants!

Homemade Play Dough Recipes

When you make the play dough yourself, you will know what materials go into making them. If you are wondering what flour to use for play dough, you can use plain flour or whatever is available at your home. You can even include essential oils while making it.

1. DIY no-cook play dough

One of the best and quickest play dough for toddlers.

Image Credit : Pinterest

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Ingredients:

• Refined flour: 2 cups
• Extra virgin coconut oil: 2 tbsp
• Salt: ½ cup
• Cream of tartar: 2 tbsp
• Boiling water: 1 to 1.5 cups
• Food colouring: 1 drop
• Glycerine: 6 drops

How to Make:

1. Add salt and oil to the flour and then mix the cream of tartar with it.
2. Add the food colouring to the boiling water and add this water to the dry mixture.
3. Knead into a soft dough until all the stickiness has gone.
4. Add the glycerine to it and knead it further.
5. Store it in an airtight container.

2. Play dough cooked over heat 

This play dough can be cooked and kept for a long time in the fridge.

Ingredients

• Salt: ½ cup
• Refined flour: 1 cup
• Cream of tartar: 2 tbsp
• Water: 1 cup
• Vegetable oil: 1 tbsp
• Food colouring: 5 drops (any colour)

How to Make:

1. Mix all the ingredients nicely in a saucepan.
2. Put the saucepan on the stove and let it heat at a medium temperature.
3. Keep stirring the mixture till a pliable consistency is reached.
4. Remove it and let it cool.
5. Store it in an airtight container.

3. Play dough with lemon juice

This play dough for kids uses pure lemon juice.

Image Credit : Pinterest

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 Ingredients:

• Refined flour- 1 cup
• Salt: ¼ cup
• Warm water: ¾ cup
• Lemon juice: 3 tbsp
• Vegetable oil: 1 tbsp
• Food colouring: 5 drops
• Essential oil: 2-3 drops – optional as per your choice (such as Lavender, chamomile, rose etc.)

 How to Make:

1. Mix water, vegetable oil, the essential oil, and lemon juice in a saucepan and place it on the gas. Heat it on a medium flame.
2. Once the water starts to heat up, add the food colouring.
3. In a different bowl, combine the flour and salt.
4. Once the water is hot, add the dry mixture slowly and stir it in until it forms a lumpy texture.
5. Keep on stirring it till you get a non-sticky dough.
6. Quickly remove from fire and spread it on a wax paper.
7. Let it dry out partially.
8. Once it has cooled down a bit, knead it with your hands to get a smooth dough.
9. Store it in an airtight container.

4. Playdough made in a microwave

Long-lasting play dough for pre-schoolers.

Image Credit : Pinterest

Ingredients:

• Refined flour: 1 cup
• Oil: 1 tbsp
• Water: 1 cup
• Salt: ½ cup
• Cream of tartar: 2 tbsp
• Food colouring: 5 drops (any colour as per your choice)

How to Make:

1. Mix all ingredients except the food colouring in a microwaveable bowl.
2. Whisk it till the texture is smooth and there are no lumps in the mixture.
3. Add the food colouring and remix it. You can choose to increase the food colouring depending on how vivid you want the shade to be.
4. Put a cover and microwave the mixture on high heat for 2 minutes.
5. Remove from microwave and give it a good
6. Microwave again for 1 minute.
7. In case you still see the mixture is runny, you can choose to microwave for 1 more min.
8. The texture should be semi-solid, and you should get a pliable dough.
9. Remove from the microwave and knead it for 5 minutes. Be careful and don’t burn your hands as the mixture will be very hot.
10. Store it in an airtight container.

5. Glittery play dough 

one of the best no-bake salt-dough recipes.

Image Credit : Pinterest

Ingredients:

• Refined flour: 1 cup
• Vegetable oil: 3 tbsp
• Water: ½ cup or as per requirement
• Glitter: 1 tsp
• Food colouring: 5 drops (as per your choice)

 How to Make:

1. Mix all the ingredients together, except the food colouring, thoroughly.
2. Mix food colouring to the water and use it for kneading the dough.
3. Keep pouring in the water in small quantities so that the mixture does not become runny.
4. To get a smooth dough, you need to knead it very well.
5. Store it in a jar, preferably an airtight one.

Tips To Consider While Making Play Dough 

These recipes for play dough make it a simple process for you. Now consider the following tips to make your play dough last longer:

• Divide the dough into equal parts and let your kids add their preferred colour to them.
• When you are adding food colouring, remember to add it in the water to ensure your hands are stain-free.
• Keep the play dough in airtight jars to prevent them from getting dried up.
• Using salt helps preserve the play dough and also gives a good body to the dough.
• You can let your children become creative by allowing them to add glitter to their favourite coloured play dough.

Go ahead and make a batch of this easy-to-make play dough before your kid’s summer vacation begins. Enjoy watching him play with it and see the delighted sparkle in his eyes!

Also Read:

Slime Recipes For Kids
DIY Kinetic Sand Recipes for Kids
Homemade Clay Recipes for Your Child

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