How to Make Playdough at Home + Playdough Activities

Who doesn’t love playdough!? It’s a childhood staple and we all have fond memories of playing with the amazing stuff. So we wanted to show you how to make your very own playdough at home, it’s easier than you think, we promise!

If you are running out of lockdown activity inspiration to keep your little ones entertained, this one can be the perfect activity that offers endless amount of play opportunities and fun. We love it because not only will the whole family have fun making their very own homemade personalised playdough as an activity, at the end of the process, they will have their own batch of playdough that can create a whole world of amazing creations and crafty fun.

You may never have thought before to make your own playdough, but we want to show you that it is super easy, quick, mess free and only uses a few store cupboard essentials.

Homemade Playdough

Recipe

• 150g plain flour
• 65g table salt
• 2 tsp cream of tartare
• 1tbsp oil
• 250ml water
• Food colouring of your choice

How to 

• In a large pan combine the flour, salt and cream of tartar. Mix well to make sure that all of the ingredients are evenly mixed together.
• Pour the water into a measuring jug, along with the oil and stir until mixed together.
• Combine with the dry ingredients and mix, you will soon have a paste
• Heat the paste over a low to medium heat until it begins to form a dough.
• After a couple of minutes, your mixture should start to come together in a ball. Remove it from the heat and leave it to cool slightly.
• Once your dough has cooled, knead it to soften the mixture until it’s soft and pliable. If your mixture feels a little dry, simple add a drop more oil and knead it some more until you are happy.
• If you are using colouring, divide the dough into separate balls (for how many different colours you want) and dot a few drops of food colouring onto each ball. Then put in sandwich bags or cover in cling film and knead the dough while inside the bags so it doesn’t stain your hands. Once it’s all mixed together you are ready for play time!

This is the basic recipe, but let their creativity run wild with it. You can create a whole mixture of colours, or even add glitter to add that special sparkle. Store your playdough in air tight containers or food bags to keep it soft. If stored properly, it will keep soft for up to 3 months.

Playdough Playtime

So now you have your homemade playdough, what can your little ones make with it? We love to see children get creative and enjoy arts and crafts, but if you need some inspiration, here are our personal favourite things you can make with playdough.

Rainbow Playdough

Spread a little joy with this rainbow made from playdough.

Playdough Planets

Add a little bit of arts and crafts to their science lesson and make planets out of playdough.

Playdough prints

Create a beautiful playdough print by pressing items into the playdough. Think outside the box and find items around the house that could be interesting and different. We love using leaves, lego, different utensils, letters and numbers. There really is no boundaries with this one. 

Crazy Creatures

Get the googly eyes and pipe cleaners at the ready! Encourage your little one to go a little out there and create the craziest creature and magnificent monster their imagination can come up with. 

These are just some ideas that we love doing with our mini creators, but let their imagination and creativity run wild with their new homemade playdough. Endless fun, cheap and all homemade!

We’d love to see what they create, don’t forget to tag us in your pictures on social media.

 Discover more sensory games you can play at home >>