There are many ways to make homemade playdough for kids using natural or edible ingredients that we all have at home. So let me share some basics to start making this amazing sensory activity with your kids.
What’s Homemade Playdough?
Homemade playdough recipes are safe and fun dough of any texture that kids love to play with to create fun experiments.
DIY playdough is generally made of kitchen pantry ingredients like flour, salt, vegetable oils, and food coloring.
There are 4 categories of homemade playdough.
- Edible playdough – safe to eat, better for toddlers, single-use, but it stores only for a few days to a week. This playdough is made from natural food ingredients like Kool-Aid, marshmallows, or peanut butter. Edible playdough is reassuring for parents because they are safe to be eaten in small amounts, and we know how much toddlers bring everything to their mouth, so better to make edible playdough with them.
- No cook playdough – quick to make, no heat involved, stores only for a few days. These convenient homemade playdough recipes don’t require a cooktop or microwave. All you need to activate the playdough is boiling water or just a few ingredients like snow dough or cloud dough.
- Cooked playdough – longer to prepare, stores for months!
- This is the most classic playdough recipe. Some are made with cream of tartar for super-soft playdough that lasts longer.
- Others are playdough without salt, gentle on kids’ hands, and great if you run out on salt and need to make a quick batch of play dough for the kids.
8 Ways To Make Your Own Playdough
Below you will find 8 fun ways to make playdough with kids. Some are holiday-related playdough, other last longer. Choose the one that matches your ideal playdough.
#1 Playdough With Cream Of Tartar
This cooked playdough recipe is the most classic play dough recipe you will find. This dough has an incredible softness, very similar to the popular store-bought play-doh brand. Plus, this playdough stores for a long time when packed on waxed paper or sealed bags and, therefore, the best for preschool teachers.
#2 Play Dough Without Salt
This no-cook playdough is super easy and fast to make using boiling water and no cooktop. A great recipe if you run out of salt and kids want a batch of dough to play with.
#3 Marshmallow Playdough
This edible play dough is the best for toddlers as it’s made of real marshmallows, coconut oil, and gel food coloring, so it is totally safe to bring to the mouth. The downside, this playdough harden fast and won’t last long, 24 hours or so
#4 Peanut Butter Playdough
This is another edible playdough recipe made of natural peanut butter and oat flour. Another amazing playdough recipe for the little kids who bring their hand to their mouth all the time. Bonus, you can bake cookies out of this playdough!
#5 Christmas Playdough
This no-cook playdough without salt with peppermint essential oils brings a Christmas spirit into the house! This dough is super easy to make, smells amazing, and lasts for weeks.
#6 Gingerbread Playdough
Another scented playdough recipe without salt, no added colors, and no cooking required! The most natural playdough you will make with a relaxing gingerbread sweet flavor that kids adore.
#7 Cloud Dough
This dough has a fun texture that comes together if you put pressure on it but crumbles apart as you release it. A similar texture to wet sand, except that this dough is made of only 2 ingredients: cornstarch and body lotion. Add some food coloring for more fun.
#8 Snow Dough
This is a cold dough made with two simple ingredients: baking soda and water. It forms amazing cold snowballs, and it’s the best winter activity for kids.
How to Store Homemade Playdough
The best ways to store any playdough, homemade or store-bought, are:
- In airtight containers
- In Ziploc bags
- With wax paper
Then, always store playdough in a cool, dark place like a buffet. Don’t store playdough in the fridge or freeze. If your playdough hardens or dies out, try my tutorial on how to fix dry playdough to bring it to life again. You can’t store all homemade playdough for the same duration. It depends of:
- What the playdough is made of
- If heat is involved
For example, playdough with cream of tartar and cooking stores the best. It lasts for months if placed in an airtight container at room temperature in a dark place. But on the other hand, playdough made without salt or with no cooking required traps the moisture fast and they become sticky, even if you store them in airtight containers or ziplock bags.
Finally, edible playdough lasts only a few days or hours. They harden fast and become moldy so you can’t use them over and over again. Connect with me and comment below, telling me which playdough recipe is your kid’s favorite!
