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.
Hi could you possibly tell the conversion for cups, into ounces and grams please? Thank you 🙂
How did you store it?
I keep it in a sealed plastic bag or container.
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.
I.Am.In.Love. I hope I’m a winner! My kids will definitely be surprised!
I love the playdough tools! Endless possibilities for creaivity.
I love both sets of tools. Either set would be well-loved by my kids.
Will have to do this in my Family Childcare. How nice.
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Wooden dough tools!
Fantastic!!
Love the fine motor tools!
Play dough is my favorite go to activity
It would have to be the wooden dough tools.
I’d love to enter this giveaway! Thank you and Merry Christmas!! 🎄💕
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 love the fine motor tools, I think they look engaging for the kids and I can see a lot of opportunities to use them!
kids love playdough
Love play dough activities.
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!!!!
I had never thought about giving the kids bells, beads, and jewels to decorate the playdough; what a great idea!!!
I love the tools to help strengthen little fingers !!
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.
What a fun way to strengthen those fine motor “muscles”!
I love this recipe. I’ve always added a packet of kool-aid to the water for vibrant color and smell!
These would be awesome.
The wooden dough tools would be great to have!
Play dough is a great fine motor activity. My children would love the tools to use on our play dough.
These would be awesome to have! My students love sensory and fine motor activities!!!
I would like to win the fine motor kit
Alex Art tools look so fun!
Love the wooden dough tools!
The fine motor tool kit looks like a complete win!
I sometimes add food coloring to the WATER before cooking… try that if the color comes off on your hands while kneading 🙂
I would love the wooden dough tools.
I will have to try this! This looks so fun! Thanks for all the ideas!
I would love the fine motor tools.
Love the idea of adding Styrofoam cone and decorations.
Will love to do our family Christmas party fun activities with these amazing supplies.
My littles would LOVE the playdough tools! Many thanks for all you do!
Love the playdough recipe! We love playdough! Thanks for the giveaways!
Wooden dough tools!!!
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.
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
I love the idea of using styrofoam shapes. I never would have thought of adding that to my play-dough center.
Thank you for the chance! I am a subscriber and love all the wonderful ideas you post!
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.
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.
I can still remember playing with the warm freshly made play dough my mother made when I was a child. Best memories!
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’d love to win the Fine Motor Tool Kit. Thanks!
Wonderful ideas to use at school and home.
I love both sets of tools. Either set would be well-loved by my kids.
So cool!! Can’t wait to try this out!!
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.
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!
Great ideas for Christmas play! My kiddos would love the wooden dough tools set!
Love the wooden play dough tools! Never seen those before
Either kit would be great to have
I would like to receive the wooden play dough tools please. Thanks so much for the great activities and ideas you share!
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 love the fine motor set for my youngest!
Thanks Angela for the giveaway and building this beautiful community!
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.
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.
I would love the wooden tool set!
This looks like fun. Thanks for offering.
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!
I love the wooden play dough tools!!
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!
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!
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!!
My kids love playfaough and this is a nice blog for a holiday set!
I love activities that encourage creativity. This certainly fits the bill. Can’t wait to try it.
Ooh I can’t wait to make the playdough for my daughter’s. We would love to win the wooden dough tools.
love your ideas
The play dough tools look really cool!
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!
This is so genius! I never thought about using styrofoam with playdoh.
I love these tools! They have been on my wish list for a while!
Alex Art Wooden Dough Tools
I love those wooden tools. So fun!
We’d love to win playdough tools. They are adorable!
Love it!!! Adding peppermint essential oil to it too!! Thanks!
I love the wooden dough tools! The plastic ones don’t seem to last very long with a lor of use!
we are always looking for more playdoh fun toys and objects to stick/use in/with our playdoh