Homemade Play Dough

Play-Doh has been a kid-friendly playtime favorite since it was invented in 1956. Although it has been around for a long time by now, you won’t have any luck finding the top secret original recipe. But you shouldn’t let that stop you from making your own colorful homemade play dough. The recipe below makes enough for three and a half cups and will keep your kids busy for countless hours. You can make it yourself or even involve your children in the process of making it.

Materials

  • Medium-sized saucepan
  • Wooden board
  • Plastic bag or Tupperware container

homemade playdough2Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup salt
  • 2 ½ tablespoons cream of tartar
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 cups cold water
  • Food coloring

How To

The first step is to mix the flour, vegetable oil, cream of tartar, salt, and water in the saucepan over medium heat. Cook for approximately five minutes uncovered. You should stir the dough until it has the texture of mashed potatoes. If the dough is still sticky when you touch it, that means it still needs to be cooked. Remove the dough from the pot and divide it into portions – three or four should suffice. Add between six and eight drops of food coloring to each separated portion. You can involve your kids in using their hands to knead the color into the dough until it is spread throughout. Remember to store the dough in airtight plastic bags or containers, otherwise it will dry out. If stored properly, the dough will last for years.

homemade playdough1Tips

  • You should keep the play dough away out of reach of pets. Play dough contains an excessive amount of salt and if ingested it can cause dangerous side effects.
  • If you have a child with a gluten allergy, you can opt for a gluten-free version of homemade play dough. Simply substitute two cups of flour for white rice flour and cornstarch.
  • If you want something easier, you can opt for a no-cook version of this play dough recipe that involves one cup of flour, one half cup of salt, and one half cup of water. Simply mix all ingredients together and of course, add food coloring at the end. Your kids can enjoy making this version of homemade play dough all by themselves.

Fun Ideas

Kids can use play dough to bring to life their favorite characters from books, films, and television. It can be used over and over again or if your children are hesitant to destroy their artistic creations, you can leave play dough to set. Play dough makes a colorful addition to school science projects and dioramas. It can be used to celebrate holidays such as Halloween and the Fourth of July. If you want to enjoy winter but don’t feel like getting cold, make a play dough snowman in the place of a real snowman. You will find that there is no end to the creative projects you can complete with your kids with homemade play dough.