Homemade Playdough Recipe and 15 Playdough Activities

Homemade playdough is cheaper than shop-bought, lasts for weeks in an airtight container, and takes about ten minutes to make. Children love helping to make it, too. Here's our favorite cooked recipe, a no-cook version, and twenty ways to play with it.

Cooked playdough recipe

This makes a soft, smooth dough that lasts for weeks.

You'll need:

• 2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups water
• Food coloring

Steps:

1. Mix the flour, salt and cream of tartar in a saucepan.
2. Add the water, oil and a few drops of food coloring.
3. Stir over a low-medium heat. It will look lumpy at first.
4. Keep stirring until it pulls away from the sides and forms a ball (about 3–5 minutes).
5. Tip it onto a clean surface and let it cool slightly.
6. Knead until smooth.

A grown-up should do the cooking. Children can measure, pour and knead once it's cool enough.

No-cook playdough

• 2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 tablespoons cream of tartar (optional, but helps it last)
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups boiling water (grown-up job)
• Food coloring

Mix the dry ingredients, add the oil and coloring, then pour in boiling water and stir. Knead once cool. If it's sticky, add more flour.

Storing playdough

Keep it in an airtight container or a zip bag. If it dries out, knead in a few drops of water. If it gets sticky, add a sprinkle of flour.

Safety note: homemade playdough contains a lot of salt. It isn't toxic in small amounts, but children shouldn't eat it, and it's not safe for pets. Keep it away from dogs. If your child has a wheat allergy, use a gluten-free flour recipe.

20 playdough activities

Fine motor fun

1. Roll snakes and balls.
2. Cut with child-safe scissors or a plastic knife.
3. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
4. Press in buttons, beads or pasta.
5. Pick up small pieces with tweezers.

Learning

1. Letters. Roll snakes and shape them into letters. Try the alphabet pages as templates.
2. Numbers. Make numbers and add the matching number of balls. Use number pages as mats.
3. Shapes. Build circles, squares and triangles. See our shapes worksheets.
4. Counting. Roll ten balls and count them.
5. Patterns. Make a pattern of big and small balls.

Pretend play

1. Bakery. Make cakes, cookies and pizzas.
2. Animals. Model animals and give them names.
3. Monsters. Add googly eyes, pipe-cleaner legs and buttons.
4. Gardens. Add twigs, leaves and flowers.
5. Dinosaur fossils. Press toy dinosaurs into flat dough to make "fossils."

Sensory play

1. Scented dough. Add vanilla, cinnamon or cocoa powder.
2. Glitter dough. Knead in a little glitter.
3. Textures. Press bubble wrap, forks, leaves and lace into the dough.
4. Color mixing. Mix two colors to make a new one.
5. Playdough mats. Put a coloring page in a plastic sleeve and fill the picture with dough. Big & Simple pages work best.

Why playdough is great for kids

• Strengthens hands for writing later. See fine motor skills activities.
• Calms busy minds. Squishing and rolling is soothing.
• Builds language, with words like squash, roll, flatten, long and short.
• Encourages creativity and pretend play.

Ideas by age

Ages 2–3: squashing, rolling and cookie cutters. Supervise closely.

Ages 3–5: letters, numbers, shapes and pretend bakeries.

Ages 5–7: modelling animals and monsters, patterns and counting games.

Ages 7+: sculpture challenges, stop-motion animation and making playdough themselves.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Not cooking it long enough. Sticky dough usually needs another minute on the heat.
• Leaving it out. It dries out quickly. Store it right away.
• Using too much food coloring. It can stain hands. Use gel coloring or gloves.

Frequently asked questions

How long does homemade playdough last?

Cooked playdough often lasts several weeks in an airtight container. No-cook dough usually lasts a little less.

Can I make playdough without cream of tartar?

Yes. It's softer and won't last as long, but it still works.

Is homemade playdough safe for toddlers?

It's non-toxic, but it's very salty, so supervise children who still put things in their mouths, and keep it away from pets.

Playdough mats and invitations to play

An "invitation to play" is a tray set up with dough and a few tools around a theme. Try:

• Bakery: cupcake cases, birthday candles, rolling pin and beads for sprinkles.
• Garden: fake flowers, twigs, leaves and pebbles.
• Construction: toy diggers, lolly sticks and bottle tops.
• Under the sea: shells, blue dough and toy fish.
• Monster lab: googly eyes, pipe cleaners and buttons.

Playdough mats are another favorite. Slide a coloring page into a plastic sleeve and children fill in shapes, letters and numbers with dough.

Can older kids make the dough themselves?

Yes. Children aged 8 and up can measure and mix independently, with a grown-up handling the hot stove or boiling water.