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Colourful playdough balls

Easy Playdough Recipe

My two-year-old daughter was unwell this week and I needed an easy activity that we could do together. I was hoping for one that would keep her entertained for a little while afterwards. So I dug out my trusty playdough recipe and we made it together. It brought back memories of my time working in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage One. There were far too many times when I couldn’t find my trustworthy easy play dough recipe when I needed it so whether you are a teacher needing it for your school, a homeschooling parent or someone after a weekend activity I thought I would share it with you.

 

Child playing with playdough

 

I use cup measurements as I found younger children could more actively get involved in making the play-dough.

 

Easy Playdough Recipe

 

Ingredients:

2 cups of flour
1 cup of salt
2 cups of water
A few drops of food colouring
4 tbsp cream of tartar
2 tbsp vegetable oil

 

Equipment:

1 large saucepan
1 wooden spoon
1 large sealable container

 

Instructions:

  1. Place all the ingredients in the saucepan.
  2. Mix the ingredients together
  3. Place the saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until the mixture thickens. (This bit is only for adults to do!)
  4. Remove from the heat and knead until the dough is the correct consistency. (Let it cool for a moment before kneading)
  5. Leave to cool then store in an airtight container.




This recipe makes 1kg of playdough. So whether you want to use it in the EYFS, KS1, or KS2 there should be plenty for a small group of children to use. You might want to half the ingredients if you are making this at home for a weekend or homeschooling activity.

You can download a handy FreeBee of the play-dough recipe to print out for when you need it here.

Child building with playdough

And if you desperately want to use your playdough in a lesson with your class we have loads of practical lessons that call for playdough, including:

 


 

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