My kids LOVE play dough. We play with it almost daily. I rarely buy it and prefer to make it myself because it truly is easy and much cheaper! Today I want to share with you the easiest and best play dough recipe. This is especially fun to make for Christmas gifts!
Christmas Play Dough Supplies
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1 Tablespoon Cream of Tartar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- food coloring
- items to play with it – glitter, beads, bows, styrofoam shaped like a cone (for a tree)
Directions for Christmas Play Dough
First, take the dry ingredients and mix them. Then add in the water and oil. Put ingredients in a pot on the stove and cook on med/low. Keep stirring until it starts to get sticky and it doesn’t look wet.
Then put the dough on a mat, let it sit for a minute, and then knead it (CAREFUL-it will be warm!). Then you can add in whatever colors you want. I chose red and green for this holiday season. I also chose to add some shimmer to it.
And there you have it…the easiest play dough recipe!
And do you know what’s so great about play dough?
It allows children to be imaginative and creative. While playing, they build up strength in their tiny hands to make them ready for pencil and scissor control. And it’s easy cleanup!
Another fun way to use this play dough is to put it in a clear box and add items for a child to decorate the dough with. We added in beaded necklaces (cut into pieces), sequin strips, gems, bows, and bells.
I also gave my little ones styrofoam cones so they could wrap play dough around it to look like a tree and then decorate it. So easy, but leads to lots of play time!
Play dough is the best and is such an easy way to keep kids busy! Hope you’ll try this out!
For 2 days only, you can enter to win one of the following awesome products! These are great for sensory play. You do need to live in the United States to enter this giveaway.
Accidently unsubscribed. I only have email option and could not enter the survey. Please reinstate. love your emails.
Julia
No worries. I got you added back! I can enter you into today’s giveaway, too.
we are always looking for more playdoh fun toys and objects to stick/use in/with our playdoh
I love the wooden dough tools! The plastic ones don’t seem to last very long with a lor of use!
Love it!!! Adding peppermint essential oil to it too!! Thanks!
We’d love to win playdough tools. They are adorable!
I love those wooden tools. So fun!
Alex Art Wooden Dough Tools
I love these tools! They have been on my wish list for a while!
This is so genius! I never thought about using styrofoam with playdoh.
I’m a kindergarten teacher & I’m making mini kits for my kids as holiday gifts bc I value the importance of creative play & fine motor fun w/o a screen! I’m also making a batch for our holiday party this year scented w/ pine (green) & peppermint (red/white) fragrance oils. The box of wooden tools are on my wish list!
The play dough tools look really cool!
love your ideas
Ooh I can’t wait to make the playdough for my daughter’s. We would love to win the wooden dough tools.
I love activities that encourage creativity. This certainly fits the bill. Can’t wait to try it.
My kids love playfaough and this is a nice blog for a holiday set!
I would love to win the wooden dough tools. With 2 kids now I don’t have enough for both of them to play with dough at the same time!!
This is my favorite playdoh recipe too! Love love love using playdoh in therapy with my language delayed kiddos–very soothing and calming for them!
My kids would love the wooden dough tool set! We’ve been making holiday themed playdoh…orange and green for Halloween to make pumpkins and monsters and brown for thanksgiving to make turkeys. We’re ready to make our Christmas themed playdoh this week! Love your idea of adding bows, beads, crystals to make a playdoh tree!
I love the wooden play dough tools!!
Love the idea of making play dough time different! My girls love it and this is a fun way to make it go with the holiday!
This looks like fun. Thanks for offering.
I would love the wooden tool set!
I love the fine motor tools. I can see how those could be used in so many ways in my classroom. I will need to keep a look out for all sorts of sparkly and festive bits and pieces for this playdough idea.
You always have such great ideas, thanks so much for sharing. The wooden tools look so fun to use. Will definitely have to try making my own Play Doh.
Thanks Angela for the giveaway and building this beautiful community!
I would love the fine motor set for my youngest!
Homemade playdo was a staple here. I used to make it every month (changing colors, adding glitter or sand, etc) when I taught Kindergarten. Those wooden tools are super cool.
I would like to receive the wooden play dough tools please. Thanks so much for the great activities and ideas you share!
Either kit would be great to have
Love the wooden play dough tools! Never seen those before
Great ideas for Christmas play! My kiddos would love the wooden dough tools set!
Thanks for the recipe! I would love to win the wooden dough toys! They look sturdy and will allow for great creative play. I love incorporating sensory play into every day!
This recipe is the best of all play dough I have tried been using it since babysitting in my teens, then when I ran a preschool, at home and now with my grandkids. I think the oil and cream of tarter is the secret.
So cool!! Can’t wait to try this out!!
I love both sets of tools. Either set would be well-loved by my kids.
Wonderful ideas to use at school and home.
I’d love to win the Fine Motor Tool Kit. Thanks!
This would help my little one with his fine motor skills problem. Thank you for making this giveaway.
Alex Art Wooden Dough Tools Set or Fine Motor Tool Kit my little one would love thank you
I can still remember playing with the warm freshly made play dough my mother made when I was a child. Best memories!
Where did you get the clear storage boxes?? I checked amazon but did not see ones that have the large compartment on the right to store the playdough and rolling pin. I can’t wait to do this with my students with following and giving directions during language therapy.
We are working on a way to use play dough in the new year at school. Because of the virus each student will have to have their own. I love it because it is a fun way to work fine motor skills and its so relaxing.
Thank you for the chance! I am a subscriber and love all the wonderful ideas you post!
I love the idea of using styrofoam shapes. I never would have thought of adding that to my play-dough center.
I am a speech pathologist working in a school – love all your experiments they’ve definitely helped to keep my kiddos interested while working on their therapy goals. Any new tools would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Those look like really fun tools my grandson would love to play with!
A question though…does the food coloring stain the child’s hands???
Ours does not stain hands. I do suggest using liquid food coloring, not gel food coloring. Gel seems to stain hands. It does wash out eventually.
Wooden dough tools!!!
Love the playdough recipe! We love playdough! Thanks for the giveaways!
My littles would LOVE the playdough tools! Many thanks for all you do!
Will love to do our family Christmas party fun activities with these amazing supplies.
Love the idea of adding Styrofoam cone and decorations.
I would love the fine motor tools.
I will have to try this! This looks so fun! Thanks for all the ideas!
I would love the wooden dough tools.
I sometimes add food coloring to the WATER before cooking… try that if the color comes off on your hands while kneading 🙂
The fine motor tool kit looks like a complete win!
Love the wooden dough tools!
Alex Art tools look so fun!
I would like to win the fine motor kit
These would be awesome to have! My students love sensory and fine motor activities!!!
Play dough is a great fine motor activity. My children would love the tools to use on our play dough.
The wooden dough tools would be great to have!
These would be awesome.
I love this recipe. I’ve always added a packet of kool-aid to the water for vibrant color and smell!
What a fun way to strengthen those fine motor “muscles”!
I’d love the wooden play dough tools. I have a bunch of plastic ones that break and don’t last and I think the wooden ones would last a lifetime.
I love the tools to help strengthen little fingers !!
I had never thought about giving the kids bells, beads, and jewels to decorate the playdough; what a great idea!!!
I would love the fine motor tool kit. My students could really use some help when it comes to fine motor skills & this kit would REALLY help!!!!
Love play dough activities.
kids love playdough
I love the fine motor tools, I think they look engaging for the kids and I can see a lot of opportunities to use them!
The fine motor skills toolset looks like something great to have, I am always looking for a way to work on those skills in a fun way with my little.
I’d love to enter this giveaway! Thank you and Merry Christmas!! 🎄💕
It would have to be the wooden dough tools.
Love the fine motor tools!
Play dough is my favorite go to activity
Fantastic!!
Wooden dough tools!
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Will have to do this in my Family Childcare. How nice.
I love the playdough tools! Endless possibilities for creaivity.
I love both sets of tools. Either set would be well-loved by my kids.
I.Am.In.Love. I hope I’m a winner! My kids will definitely be surprised!
Can cream of tartar be replaced for another ingredient?
I haven’t tried this, but others have told me that lemon juice is a good replacement.
How did you store it?
I keep it in a sealed plastic bag or container.
Hi could you possibly tell the conversion for cups, into ounces and grams please? Thank you 🙂