How to Make Play Dough

Using play dough creatively is a great activity in itself, but making the dough can be an entertaining activity in itself. However, since this recipe needs to be cooked on the stove, kids will need assistance.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Heavy saucepan
• --Wooden spoon
• --Plastic containers with lids
• (one for each color of play dough you plan to make
• --1 ½ cups salt
• --3 cups water
• --3 cups flour
• --6 tsp cream of tartar
• --3 tbsp oil
• --food coloring

How to Make Play Dough

1. Gather all ingredients together. Talk to children about how to stay safe at the stove.

2. Combine salt and water in the saucepan.

3. Add the flour, the cream of tartar, and the oil to the saucepan.

4. Turn the burner onto medium. Cook the mixture, stirring with the wooden spoon. Eventually the mixture will turn into a ball.

5. Turn the mixture out onto the countertop.

6. Divide the mixture into three or four parts.

7. Sprinkle a small amount of food coloring onto each part. (note: this is a great time to teach kids about color combinations—red/yellow for orange, blue/yellow for green, and blue/red for purple)

8. When the mixture is cool enough, knead each part thoroughly, working in the coloring.

9. Save each part of the dough in a separate container or storage bag, sealing well.

Tips & Warnings

• What can you do with play dough? Here are a few ideas (although the best idea of all is to let kids just let their creativity shine through).

• --teach kids their colors and shapes by forming dough and encouraging them to do the same

• --make little balls for counting and form “snakes” of play dough into numerals

• --form letters from snakes and make an animal to pair with the letter (“dog” for “D” for example

• --form fruits and vegetables

• --form flowers and other plants

• --create baskets by coiling really long snakes

• --get out little cookie cutters and the rolling pin to play “baking”