Play dough is always a favourite activity here at First Senses and we always get asked how we make our play dough. We’ve put this blog together to provide you with a few different recipes which are easy to make at home and they’re non-toxic too. Play dough is a fail safe activity to engage and excite those little hands. It’s a brilliant fine motor and sensory tool which is super easy to make.
By making it yourself you know exactly what has gone into your dough and remember you can customize in so many different ways such as glitter, colourings, scents and so much more.
No-Cream of Tartar/No cook Play dough
Now this is a favourite here at First Senses. It makes a great dough which is silky and is never dry! This recipe also requires no cooking over heat at all and you should have the ingredients in your pantry. Easy!
What you will need
- 1 cup of plain flour
- 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
- ¼ cup of salt
- ¾ cup of water
- 3 tbsp of white vinegar or lemon juice
- Food colouring or gel colours
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix together until your dough forms together. If you feel your dough is too sticky add a little more flour. Your dough shouldn’t be too dry and it should be easy to mould and have a soft feeling. Sometimes you may need to add a little water if you feel your dough may be a little too dry. The trick is when adding water to add a bit at a time.
Basic Dough
This is just a basic dough recipe which does require cooking on a low heat. This is a great for dough you might want to last a little longer.
What you will need
- 1 cup of plain flour
- 1 cup of water
- ½ cup of salt
- 2 tbsp of cream of tartar
- 1 tbsp of oil
- Liquid food colouring
Place all ingredients in a pan and place over a low heat. When the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and begins to form, remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Gluten Free Recipe
We know some children have allergies as well as adults too. Here you can find our gluten free play dough recipe which we have used in our sessions. It’s quick to make and super soft too.
What you will need:
- ½ cup of rice flour
- ½ cup of cornflour (gluten free)
- ½ cup of salt
- 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil
- 1 cup of water
- Food colouring
Place all ingredients in a pan and place over a low heat. When the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and begins to form, remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Customise your dough
You can always customise your dough in many ways:
- Add essential oils, flavours, herbs/spices
- Glitter or sequins
- Sand (which you will have seen at all our Under the Sea events)
- Desiccated coconut
Check out our blog next week when we will discuss the benefits of playing with play dough and the wonderful learning opportunities it can provide for young children.
Remember it does take practice but hopefully you will find these recipes easy to make and have those ingredients already in your pantry.