Homemade Play Dough

When my children were young, making homemade play dough was one of our favorite activities. It was even more fun when they had friends over, so everyone got their own dough to knead and color. The thing about this recipe is that the dough lasts longer than the store-bought kind and you can make large amounts very cheaply!

This recipe involves cooking, so please make sure a responsible older person does the cooking. When you are cooking the dough, you can add flavorings such as vanilla extract, or lemon, or banana, or almond. It will smell great! But no taste-testing. It actually tastes pretty gross.

Here is what you will need before you start:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup salt (yes, that’s a lot!)
• 4 teaspoons cream of tartar (not everyone has this in their cupboard—make sure you have some before starting the recipe)
• 2 cups lukewarm water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Food coloring

Steps:

• Stir together the flour, salt, and cream of tartar in a large pot. You can double the recipe, but make sure you have lots of room in the pot.
• Next add the water and oil
• Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Keep stirring until the dough thickens and it gets hard to stir. It will begin to form into a ball.
• Remove from heat and then place inside a bowl, gallon sized plastic bag or onto wax paper.
• Allow to cool slightly
• Knead until smooth
• If you’re adding colors after, divide the dough into balls (for how many colors you want) and then add the dough into the quart-sized bags. Start with 3 or 4 drops of color, then keep adding until it is the color you want.
• You can knead the dough while inside the plastic bag to keep your hands clean.

It is fun to use cookie cutters, rolling pins, smashers, and other kitchen utensils to make play dough food and objects. You can also add some glitter if you have some around. Have fun with your homemade play dough!