Little Hands at Home: Homemade Playdough
Soft, squishy and wonderfully simple to make, homemade playdough is one of those timeless activities that can keep little hands happily occupied while encouraging plenty of creativity along the way.
Making the playdough is part of the fun, too. Children can help measure, pour, mix and knead before settling down to roll, squash, shape and create.
With just a handful of everyday ingredients, it is an easy activity for a quiet afternoon at home or a rainy day indoors.
What You’ll Need
2 cups plain flour
½ cup salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
¾–1 cup warm water
A few drops of child-safe food colouring
Optional: A small amount of vanilla extract can be added for a gentle scent.
How to Make Your Playdough
Add the flour and salt to a large bowl and mix together.
Pour in the vegetable oil, then gradually add the warm water while stirring. You may not need the full cup, so add a little at a time until the mixture begins to come together.
Once a dough has formed, turn it out onto a clean surface and knead until it becomes soft and smooth.
If you would like to make several colours, divide the dough into smaller portions before adding a few drops of food colouring to each. Knead the colour through until evenly distributed.
Then comes the best part — let little hands get creative!
Roll it, squash it, cut out shapes, make pretend food, create animals or simply see what their imaginations come up with.
Little Hands Can Help
Making and playing with playdough is wonderfully simple, but there is plenty of learning happening along the way.
Measuring and pouring ingredients introduces children to simple quantities and following instructions, while stirring and kneading encourage coordination and independence.
Once the play begins, squeezing, rolling, pinching and shaping the dough can help strengthen the small muscles in children's hands and fingers that are important for everyday skills such as drawing and writing.
Most importantly, there is no finished picture that everyone needs to copy. Playdough gives children the freedom to experiment, imagine and create something entirely their own.
A Little Note for Grown-Ups
Homemade playdough contains a high amount of salt and is intended for play, not for eating. Young children should always be appropriately supervised during the activity.
Store your finished playdough in an airtight container after playtime to help keep it soft and ready for another day.
Little Hands at Home is a Burlington Nannies series sharing simple, thoughtful activities for children, nannies and families to enjoy together.
