How To Make Homemade Playdough

One of the best ways to teach a child how to become more creative is through play. Why not try making this simple, cost-free homemade playdough for your kids? With playdough, kids get to develop their motor skills and creative expression. Plus, you get to practice your cooking too!

There are three very cool ways of making homemade playdough:

• Cooking it over the stove
• Microwaving
• Just plain mixing

Here’s how you do it.

Stove-Cooked Play Dough

To make this homemade playdough, you will need the following ingredients:

• ¼ cup flour
• ¾ cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp. cream of tartar
• ½ cup salt
• ½ tbsp. vegetable oil (or any kind of cooking oil)
• 1 cup water
• Powdered food coloring (optional; if you’re using a liquid one, then just mix it in with the other wet ingredients. You can also use vibrantly colored cake decorating pastes.)

These could make about ½ kilo of playdough. Double the measures if more kids are going to be playing. The time it takes to do this is approximately 20 minutes. Follow these easy steps:

1. Sift all the dry ingredients together. If you’re in a great hurry (e.g. your kid is already bawling), you can skip this first step. But if you want to make your playdough extra-binding, then sift.
2. In a small bowl, take the wet ingredients and mix it in with the dry ones. Fold it in with a spatula until the mixture is just about well-blended and smooth.
3. Transfer the dough in a small saucepan. Cook it over medium heat, stirring constantly. After about 6 minutes (or more), you will notice that the mixture has gathered on your spoon forming into dough. That’s how you know it’s ready.
4. Dump the hot dough onto wax paper and allow it to cool. To shorten the cooling process, you can flatten the dough mixture over the wax paper. When it’s cool enough to handle, proceed.
5. Knead the dough into a pliable mass the size of a fist. If your playdough has cooked with just about the right suppleness, then you wouldn’t have to use a rolling pin. Squeeze it, roll it, lengthen it with your hands. Knead more if you want a better consistency.
6. Your homemade playdough is now ready for play.
7. Store in an air-tight container or plastic wrap. You could use it over and over for weeks (until it’s not discolored, eww, from dirt).

Microwave Playdough

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup salt
• 1 tbsp. cream of tartar
• 1 tbsp. cooking oil
• 1 cup water

This recipe yields ½ kilo of homemade playdough (approximately). The time it takes is 10 minutes (it is cut in half since the cooking process and the kneading is done at the same time).

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a microwavable bowl. Add water and oil. Mix very well till smooth.
2. Microwave for 45 seconds then stir. Do this five times to complete approximately 4 minutes of cooking time.
3. Let it cool, then play.

NOTE: In both methods, you can replace some of the flour with confectioner’s sugar and powdered cocoa for a more fun and edible chocolaty flavor. Or, replace some of the salt with unsweetened Kool-Aid or unsweetened Jell-O.

Quick-Cooking Oatmeal Playdough

Ingredients:

• ½ cup flour
• 1 cup oatmeal
• ½ cup hot water

This makes ½ kilo of homemade playdough (approximately). It will take you 5 minutes to make. All you have to do is mix all the ingredients together, mold in hands and form the playdough into shapes.

NOTE: You can add creamy peanut butter, cream cheese, or honey and get ready for a snack. I would bet on it.

Making these easy, cost-free, simple, colorful, edible (yummy non-toxic) homemade playdough recipes is so much fun – as fun as actually playing with them with your kids. Wanna try?