Discover the Fun of Homemade Playdough

Playdough is awesome, making it with your kids is even better! It comes with pros and cons, so if you have the time, think about making some! It’s easy AND the kids can lend a helping hand. There are tons of recipes, and you only need a few ingredients. I’ll share the one I use down below.

Playdough is great for days when it’s too rainy or cold to go outside, and you feel like having some quiet fun. It involves the gross and fine motor skills of young children. It fosters imaginative play. Your child doesn’t see just a ball of playdough, their imaginations see endless possibilities and activities with it. It’s amazing to see what your child will come up with.

Pros

Large amounts – One batch is about 4 of the big store-bought containers of playdough. My little girl loves rolling the playdough out and stamping it with cookie cutters, but there isn’t enough to do much in the standard size tubs.
Way cheaper – While playdough won’t break the bank or anything, you can make the same amount in less than a half-hour for a fraction of the price
Customizable – Any color, Scent, or texture you can think of, you can make. You can add essential oils for scents. Add beads, or glitter** for different textures. Mix and match food coloring until your Child has found their perfect shade.

**Use glitter at your own risk. Andrew A.K. is not responsible for anything that happens upon giving glitter or glittery products to your child.

Softer – Depending on the recipe, Homemade playdough is softer than store-bought. It makes it easier to squeeze, mold and press.
Doesn’t dry as quickly – For some reason, when we take out the store-bought stuff, it’s noticeably drier within a few minutes. the homemade stuff doesn’t dry as fast.
Making it – making it together is a great bonding experience.

Cons

Making it can be tricky – The first time I attempted to make it, I didn’t follow the recipe as precisely as I should’ve, and Kara and I made a huge sticky mess. We fixed our play dough eventually.
Kind of Sticky – I’ve heard this complaint on other blogs and forums. I agree it’s slightly stickier than the real stuff. (Go to “tips” to see what we did about it.)
Uncommon ingredient – Most recipes call for cream of tartar, which I had to go to the store specifically for. Everything else you’ll most likely have in your cabinets, but this one is somewhat uncommon.

Playdough recipe (No-Cook)

I chose the “no cook” variety because if you chose otherwise, you will have to constantly stir. If your child is awake, you may not have the ability to stand there continuously stirring.

Also, keep in mind that making it isn’t an exact science. Making this stuff is different for different people regardless of the recipe. Make the mess with your kid, and try again if it doesn’t work.

Ingredients

2 Cups of flour (Keep the bag nearby)
1/2 cup of salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons of oil, any kind (cooking oils, baby oil…just not motor oil)
1 1/2 cups of boiling water

The Process

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Add the oil.
Add boiling water, but do it slowly so you can judge whether or not more is needed. **If you’re making only one color, add the food coloring at this point.
Stir continuously. It’ll be a sticky mess.
Allow it to cool.
Knead it vigorously. It’ll still be sticky; Keep kneading. If it’s still pretty sticky, add a little more flour and KEEP KNEADING.

**If you didn’t add food coloring and are making more than one color: Separate, and mix with the food coloring at this point .

My mistakes:

I made a few mistakes the first time I did this. I’m sharing them with you, so you don’t make the same ones.

I didn’t add boiling water, it was just very hot.
Be patient. I didn’t let it cool enough before kneading. This caused my little one and me to get the sticky dough EVERYWHERE. Luckily, warm water will take it off surfaces and out of hair and clothing!
When I tried this recipe, I used vegetable oil, which is sticky when it dries. Use another oil if it’s available.

Extra Tips

If you choose to add essential oils, I did so after step 4. I’m sure it could be added at any point without affecting the final product.
After it’s cooled and still sticky, find an easily cleaned surface, and put a dusting of flour on it. Treat it like pizza dough. Put a little flour on top, and knead it.
When it starts getting less sticky, it’s a great chance to let your child help you. Let them sprinkle flour and mix the dough with you!
Store in a ziplock bag or tupperware.
You may need to use more or less of the flour, water, or oil. If it doesn’t come out perfect, try the recipe a little differently next time. Part of it is figuring out how to get the result you want. Again, It’s an art, not a science.
If you add a little to much flour, it’ll get kind of crumbly
I’ve read that adding glycerine gives it a little more stretch, but I couldn’t find it at the grocery store to try it out.

Above all, have fun. We had just as much fun making it as we did playing with it! Let me know on social media if the recipe worked well for you, and what you did to customize yours.

Share this with other parents so they can have fun making play dough with their kids too!

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A version of this post was previously published on Andrewak and is republished here with permission from the author.

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