At our Stay and Plays, playdough is a firm favourite with children (and parents!). It is great fun to make and a perfect way to let your child’s imagination take flight - we have seen caves, fairies, dinosaurs and unicorns. Follow this simple recipe to make your own at home, which is suitable for children aged 1 years and upwards.What you need:
- A large bowl
- 1 cup of salt
- 2 cups of plain flour
- 4 teaspoons of cream of tartar
- 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
- 2 cups of boiling water
- Food colouring (optional)
How to make no-cook playdough:
- Mix all ingredients together in the bowl. The mixture cools quickly for little ones to join in but please check the temperature.
- If the playdough is kept in a plastic bag or an airtight container, it will last for approximately six weeks.
Ideas on how to use your playdough:
- Roll sausage shapes or worms and talk about shapes and lengths (e.g. this is fat, thin, long, short)
- Use pastry cutters, blunt plastic knives or lolly sticks
- Make dinner! We find that children love pretending to make dinner. Why not make some pretend pasta (a garlic press makes great spaghetti), roll balls for peas or make other fantastic shapes to represent food.
- Make a pretend cake then cut it into pieces to share.
- Make a model. As children get older, they can make different kinds of models. The possibilities are endless!
