Ever been overwhelmed at the thought of having the kids or grandkids at home with nothing to do? Never fear, we’ve got the perfect activity for a low-cost, high enjoyment afternoon – homemade playdough. What we love about this recipe is that you can add essential oils to the mix (popular choices are lavender and bright citrus scents), or vanilla, or even powders like cinnamon to make this a sensory play activity at its best.
The recipe we found includes the following:
- 2 tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1 cup of flour
- 1 tube of food coloring
- 1/3 cup of salt
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
There are plenty of other recipes, but this one seemed simple, inexpensive, and, as mentioned above, easy to adapt. This also makes three containers full, so you may want to experiment with more than one tube of food coloring. You can keep the tubes separate, or mix a little of each together and see what new colors you get. You could also try mixing scents, or using themes, like red playdough with a cinnamon scent, or a yellow playdough with a lemon scent. Get creative and think outside the box – each recipe only takes ten minutes to make, so you’ve got plenty of time to experiment.
All of the ingredients on the recipe list can be found in a grocery store, even the Cream of Tartar, which is most often found in the baking aisle. You can also keep the dry ingredients together with instructions for the wet ingredients so that each batch is put together even more quickly, a perfect thing to have on hand for emergency babysitting situations, late night talks after nightmares, or even as part of a play therapy tool box for art and play therapists. This playdough also makes a perfect party favor, stocking stuffer, or prize for birthdays, Christmas, and school events.
This playdough lasts longer than the store bought kind, it doesn’t crumble, and it’s non-toxic.
Sound like something you, your kids, or your friends would like? You can find the instructions at Living Well Mom, along with a photo tutorial and ingredients list.
