I’ve never met a kid who didn’t love playing with play dough! It’s a fantastic way for children to let their imagination and creativity run wild, and it’s a quiet activity that won’t drive parents crazy. Those little containers that you buy in stores can get pricey though, and they can dry out quickly if the lids aren’t put back on correctly.
The best way to keep your home well stocked with play dough for cheap, is to make your own! You can make them in any colour you want, and it’s an affordable recipe using only a few common ingredients. If you keep it sealed in a Ziploc bag too, it can last a LONG time for hours of play. It’s also non-toxic so you can relax knowing exactly what’s in your kid’s hands and with salt being one of the main ingredients, it won’t be tempting for younger kids to chew on.
You’ll only need a few ingredients to make up a batch:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup salt
- 4 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 2 cups lukewarm water
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable or coconut oil
- food colouring (optional)
- ziplock bags for storage
- Stir the flour, salt and cream of tartar together in a large pot. Add the water and oil next.
- If you’re only making one colour of dough, this is the perfect time to add your food colouring for easy mixing.
- Cook over medium heat while stirring constantly. Continue until the dough is thick and has begun to form a ball.
- Remove your mixture from the heat and allow it to cool on wax paper or in an open Ziplock bag. Once it’s cool, knead the dough until it’s smooth.
- If you’ve decided to make several different colours, you can now divide it into however many different balls you’d like. Put each ball into a different ball, and add about 5 drops of food colouring to start. You can add more as you mix it for more vivid or bright colours.
- You or your little ones can now knead the dough inside the bags to mix the colour while keeping hands free of stains.
- Looking to make your dough even more special and fun? Add glitter to your dough once it’s in the bag and mix it in as well!
Once your play dough is fully mixed with the colour, it’s time to play! Just store them in the bag when you’re done playing and the dough will stay fresh and soft for months.
