How to Make Simple No-Cook Playdough
One of my favorite activities for bored kids is following a super simple no-cook playdough recipe. Have you looked at homemade playdough recipes recently? Most playdough recipes require you to cook the playdough, and a lot of recipes call for cream of tartar. Who has cream of tartar in their pantry to make playdough? I don’t and never did so I concocted my own version of a super simple no-cook playdough recipe. This non-toxic recipe consists of things that you actually have in your cabinets. Hurray for convenience!
Step 1: Gather your ingredients
You will need:
1/4 cup salt
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cold water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
5 individual water flavor packets or 1 envelope kool-aide
Food coloring (drops as desired)
Step 2: Mix Wet Ingredients
Add the water and cooking oil in a medium sized bowl. Use a whisk to mix the ingredients together. If you are using food coloring, add it to the wet mixture now. We used both food coloring and Hawaiian punch packets in order to add a bit more color and “smell goods” to our playdough.
Step 3: Mix Dry Ingredients
In a separate larger bowl, combine the salt and flour. Mix the dry ingredients well. Pour the wet playdough ingredients into the large bowl of dry playdough ingredients.
Step 4: Knead the Dough
My kiddos love kneading the dough because it’s the messy part. You will definitely need to help in order to make the playdough the desired consistency. Add oil and/or flour as needed. Be sure to seal the playdough in an air tight container or sandwich bag when you are finished playing. Have fun!!
Notes:
Once you have mastered the basic playdough recipe, you can start to get creative.
- Add baby oil (your hands will be so soft!)
- Add essential oils (calming scents like jasmine are lovely as well)
- Food coloring (try dividing the dough mixture and making multiple colors for rainbow playdough)
- Use glitter to make the playdough sparkle.