I love Playdough. It’s soft and squishy, comes in every colour imaginable, and meets all my sensory needs whether as a creative activity or as fidget toy for stress relief. For kids and adults alike – it’s just fun! And the best part? It is super easy to make with familiar ingredients from our kitchen cupboards.

My family loves to make playdough at this time of year as it is a perfect indoor activity for the kids, is a great gift for friends and family, and it lasts a long time. Below is the recipe we use, along with a few tips and tricks we have learned along the way.

Ingredients:

  • 2½ cups flour
  • 1 Tablespoon Cream of Tartar
  • ½ cup salt
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 3 Tablespoons oil
  • 1 to 1½ cups flour for kneading
  • Colours: There are a few different ways to add colour to your playdough and the combinations are endless! Traditionally my family has used sugar-free Kool Aide packages (2 packs per recipe) as this gave a great colour AND smelled amazing. However, you can no longer get the sugar-free packages in Canada (we’ve been known to special order them from the USA!). Luckily there are tons of alternatives such as food colouring, or natural dyes from kitchen items or nature. Our team tried out a few options this year including food colouring, turmeric powder, beet skins, red cabbage, coffee, berries, and matcha powder. If you are looking for a great smell as well, you can add in essential oils or dried flowers, pine needles etc.

Steps:

  • Mix all of your dry ingredients together (2½ cups flour, 1 Tablespoon Cream of Tartar, ½ cup salt) in a large bowl.
  • In a separate bowl, add your colour to the boiling water. If you are using items like beets and cabbage you will want to add them to the water early on to give them time to fully release their colour.
  • Mix the water and oil into the dry ingredients. Stir until well combined. Mixture should be pretty wet and sticky at this point.
  • Slowly start adding the additional flour, working it in as you go (this is when I start using my hands!). Continue adding flour until it you get a “playdough” consistency. For me, this meant it held its shape, is not too dry, and didn’t stick to my fingers easily anymore.

And that’s it! Your playdough is ready to be played with! Between playtime, store it in an airtight container or bag where it will last for months. This batch makes quite a bit, so you can also store it in the freezer for future use (you may need to add more flour to it once thawed).

We hope you have fun making and playing with your playdough. We would love to see what colours you come up with and the crazy creations you make.