When you have little ones at home, play dough is a must! The little jars however, can get messy and be all over the house. Also, if it drys out, that is a waste of money and you will constantly be buying more and more of it! When you make it yourself you can store it out of the way of everything and even where the little ones can find it. You don’t have to worry as much if they eat more than they play with. You can whip it up super quick and it last minute if you find yourself stuck inside on a rainy day.
This is a great activity for all kids from little ones to older ones who can really create. It only take a few minutes to make up and the kids will have hours of fun! My girls love this and we have made it over and over. Mainly because by the end of play time, we usually have a giant rainbow play dough, but it is all good because I just whip up a new batch with items I already have in the house!
Get playing today!
Homemade Playdough
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/4 c salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp. cream of tartar
- 5 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 1/2 cups flour
Instructions
- Mix everything but the food coloring together in a large pot until somewhat smooth. It will be lumpy. Not to worry, the dough will get smoother as it cooks.
- Cook the dough over a low heat. Mix frequently. The water will slowly cook out of the mixture and you’ll notice it starts to take on a sticky dough appearance. Keep mixing until the edges of the dough along the side and bottom of the pan appear dry. Pinch a piece of dough. If it’s not sticky and gooey, the dough is ready.
- Place the dough on a counter top on top of plastic wrap or large cutting board that can withstand a little food coloring.
- Knead the warm dough until it’s smooth and then divide it into the number of colors that you’d like to make. I divided mine into five balls, flattened each of them, added a little bit of food coloring and then kneaded it in. Add more food coloring to get the desired shades of color you want.
- Play with the dough right away or store it in a large Ziplock bag or sealed container. Unused, it’ll keep for months.
