The Best Homemade Playdough

If you search for playdough on my blog, you’ll see I’ve posted a few variations of it over time. However, just the other day I realized that I never actually shared just a plain and simple “base” recipe. So today I’m righting this wrong and finally dedicating a blog post to the Best Homemade Playdough. All it takes is five simple ingredients and you’ll have some amazing playdough that is *technically* safe to eat (although it IS very salty) and lasts for up to a month.

This post contains some affiliate links. This means I receive a small compensation if you purchase an item using that link at no extra charge to you. I’m just sharing what I love because I love y’all! 

You can also throw in some learning!

The fun thing about making your own playdough is getting to involve your kids in the process. Mine love measuring out ingredients, mixing it all together and picking out the color. Now that I’m officially homeschooling James, I’ve been more intentional at finding ways to involve the kids in learning. While making this homemade playdough I saw so many opportunities for teaching… and that was before they even started playing with it!

Math: measurements, counting
Science: mixtures vs solutions, how it changes from dry to wet to solid
Art: color mixing (two drops of blue and one drop of yellow food coloring made the prettiest teal playdough! The kids were amazed)
Fine motor skills: scooping ingredients, pouring them into the pan, mixing the playdough, kneading it

So cool, right?? I love that if we just take a moment to think about it, you can find so many opportunities for learning.

The Best Homemade Playdough

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• Author: Happily the Hicks

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Description

All it takes is five simple ingredients and five minutes to make the best homemade playdough recipe.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

2 Tbsp cream of Tartar

1 Tbsp oil

1 cup water

3 drops food coloring (optional)

3 drops of your favorite essential oil (optional – I love Lavender or Germ Fighter from Plant Therapy)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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Instructions

In a medium saucepan mix together all the ingredients, including the optional food coloring and essential oil.

Heat on medium high, stirring constantly.

After a couple of minutes the mixture will begin to thicken. Continue stirring until a soft ball has formed.

Transfer the playdough to a piece of parchment paper and let it cool. Knead a few times to make sure it’s all been evenly mixed together.

Store in a baggie for up to a month!

You can also check out my playdough list on Amazon for some fun tools your kiddos can use while playing. Mine love cutting out shapes, rolling the playdough flat, making “cookies” and so much more. I have a blast watching them play and discover together.

Happy playdough-ing!