“I didn’t know it was going to be that easy” is the phrase people always say to me after making our playdough recipe. You do not need to be an expert chef to cook up a batch of your own easy homemade playdough recipe. If you have wanted to make playdough, but are not sure where to begin this is the post for you! Step by step instructions with photographs make the process easy. Do you have questions? Comment below and I will help you!
- 2 C flour
- 1 C salt
- 2 C water
- 2 TB vegetable oil
- 4 tsp cream of tartar
- food coloring (can also add glitter!)
- COOKING TOOLS
- measuring cup- 1 Cup
- tablespoon
- teaspoon
- large saucepan
- large wooden or plastic spoon
- Pour the flour, salt, water, oil and cream of tartar into a large saucepan and stir together.
- Move the mixture to the stove top and cook on medium heat constantly stirring.
- In the beginning the playdough mixture will look like very thick pancake batter.
- Continue to stir until a ball forms.
- Remove from heat and cool on a counter top. Be careful! The playdough will be very hot.
- Once warm or cool to the touch your playdough is ready.
AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT ENHANCED BY MAKING EASY HOMEMADE PLAYDOUGH RECIPE
MAKING THE PLAYDOUGH
fine motor development
gross motor development
color exploration
scientific exploration
language development
early reading skills
addition
subtraction
artistic expression
PLAYING WITH PLAYDOUGH
fine motor development
language development
fractions
artistic expression
creativity
TIME TO MAKE THE EASY HOMEMADE PLAYDOUGH RECIPE!
Pour the flour, salt, water, oil and cream of tartar into a large saucepan and stir together. This is a great opportunity to include your children. Show them how to measure the ingredients and pour them in. Make sure to verbalize the measurements and include them in the counting. “We need 2 cups of flour. Let’s count out two cups. One cup, two cup.”
More than one child? Have them take turns pouring ingredients and stirring. This is an easy opportunity to practice basic counting, verbal directions and patience. We sing “We stir and we stir and we stop. We stir and we stir and we stop. We stir and we stir and we stir and we stir, we stir and we stir and we stop. Next person!” It’s a simple song that everyone can learn quickly and helps manage turn taking. Have your child(ren) choose a color to make the playdough. Add a few drops of the food coloring and stir until combined. This is a great opportunity to explore color. What happens when a child wants purple and all you have are red, yellow and blue food coloring?
Move the mixture to the stove top and cook on medium heat constantly stirring. In the beginning the playdough mixture will look like very thick pancake batter. While this is definitely a job for an adult, your children can watch as the playdough begins to change form. This is a great opportunity to observe what happens when heat is added to the playdough mixture.
Continue to stir until a ball forms. Remove from heat and cool on a counter top. Be careful! The playdough will be very hot.
Once warm or cool to the touch your playdough is ready. I like to introduce the playdough when it is still warm as it is a unique sensory experience. You can begin to introduce your child to mathematical terms by diving the dough into the number of children you have. “Hmm, we have one ball of playdough for four people. We need to divide it into equal parts. Let’s split the dough in half. Now we have two. Let’s split each piece in half again. Now we have four!” A few simple tools such as rolling pins, cookie cutters and unsharpened pencils are a good starting point.
There are so many opportunities to adapt playdough using color, glitter and a variety of accessories. Check out our other Playdough Activities! Have questions? I love to interact with readers. Please leave your comments below.
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