Play dough is a staple material for play at our house and as we use it very often, it's much more economical to make it ourselves then to buy it.
We have tried many, many different play dough recipes over the years but our favourite, and the one we always came back to was this no-cook recipe from the Imagination Tree. They have a secret ingredient they add for extra shine so be sure to check it out.
We've modified the method slightly over time to make it so super easy that the kids could make it with you.
We've modified the method slightly over time to make it so super easy that the kids could make it with you.
With playdough this soft, silky, quick and easy to make, you'll never need to buy playdough again.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of plain flour
- ½ cup salt
- 2 tbsps Cream of Tartar
- 1½ cups of boiling water
- 2 tbsps oil (I use vegetable)
- Food Colouring (optional)
Method:
- Add your flour, salt and Cream of Tartar to a bowl
- Add your oil, colouring (optional) and boiling water in a jug and then pour into your dry ingredients
- Stir all the ingredients until they all come together
- When it is mostly all combined and looks similar to the above picture, tip it onto your bench for some good kneading.
You can lightly flour your bench to prevent the dough from sticking
- We've found that the more you knead the dough the smoother and silkier it becomes.
If your dough is too sticky, just add and knead in more flour until it is a smooth consistency.
- Time to play! Store your playdough in a zip lock bag or air tight container to get months and months of use out of it.
Details at a glance:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of plain flour
- ½ cup salt
- 2 tbsps Cream of Tartar
- 1½ cups of boiling water
- 2 tbsps oil (I use vegetable)
- Food Colouring (optional)
Method:
- Combine dry ingredients in a bowl
- Combine wet ingredients and add to dry ingredients
- Stir together well
- Knead vigorously on a floured bench
- Play
Get a handy printable version of the recipe and method by clicking on the picture below.
Handy Tips:
- Is your play dough too wet/sticky? Add more flour. Is it too dry/not coming together well? Add more water. Play with the recipe slightly until it works perfectly for you.
- We've found the more you knead the dough, the better it goes.
- As this recipe uses boiling water, please supervise children at all times.
- If you allow your water to cool before adding it, your playdough will not work properly as it will not be hot enough to dissolve the salt or bring all the ingredients together properly. We get all our other ingredients ready and then we add our wet ingredients as soon as the kettle is boiled so that it is still nice and hot.
- For an added sensory experience try adding different spices, essences, colours and glitter to your play dough. Each new batch can be something different and fun! Experiment and enjoy!
- I have made this playdough for use in my classroom many times and have found that it can last for months and months if kept in an airtight container. It does not need to be refrigerated. (One batch that I made using extra ginger and cinnamon spice, for gingerbread play dough, lasted years!)
Here are some of the fun ways we like to play with our playdough
(Click on the pictures to go to the post)
Look where else we are. Are you following along? :)
