How to Make Jello Playdough
Looking for a fun sensory activity? Try making jello playdough! It smells amazing and it is so smooth. This may be my favorite playdough we have ever made!
Here’s what you need:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup salt
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
- 1 package of Jello (sugar-free or regular)
Mix all the ingredients together and cook over low on the stove. Stir frequently. I used a whisk to get rid of the clumps and then cooked for 5-7 minutes, stirring with a spatula. Once the dough starts to gather together into a ball and doesn’t stick to your fingers (see the picture below), then you can take it off the stove.
After it cools for a minute, knead it on a cutting board. That’s all you do! We made 3 colors and stored them in these small Ziploc containers. I liked these little containers because I divided the colors evenly for both boys.
Check out how to make it with the video below.
This is a fun sensory activity and great to make on a day when you need to keep the little ones busy! Play dough is awesome for building strength in hands, which helps with prewriting skills and fine motor skills. Let them squish, roll, cut, and explore the playdough with their little fingers.
My preschooler loves practicing scissor skills with playdough. He uses  preschool scissors, which are easy to use with playdough and are very safe.
I have been teaching them how to roll playdough into a ball and how to make a snake. It’s a work in progress! 🙂
Lastly, we got out our cookie cutters. Troy learned how to use a rolling pin and REALLY enjoyed cutting out his creations.
Have you tried making jello playdough? I highly recommend it!
Jello Playdough
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
- 1 package Jello This can be sugar-free or regular. You will want the small package of Jello.
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients together into a pot.
- Place the pot on the stove on low-medium heat.
- Stir frequently. Once the dough starts to gather together and form a ball, remove it from the heat.
- After it cools for a minute, add some flour to it and knead it.
Hello! I try to make this recipe, but it is very sticky. I followed every step but I dont know what happened. What can I do to fix it?
I’m so sorry it turned out that way for you! My guess is that it needed to cook longer on the stove. If it’s sticky, I would try kneading more flour into the dough. Once again, I’m sorry it turned out sticky for you!
I work at a Reggio Emilia inspired school and have a class of 13. I would love to make this with my class but I definitely want us to make enough for everyone. How much does 1 recipe make? Thank you so much!
One recipe makes enough for 2 people. I hope that helps!
I would like to try this soon but I was wondering how long it lasts. Since it’s made from food, how long can I let my daughter play with it before throwing it out?
It lasts us several months without putting it in the fridge.
What size jello box, big, or small?
Sorry I didn’t clarify. It’s a small box.
How long does it keep for.
It keeps for 1-2 months.
Hi. I have a question. What kind of oil do you use?
Hi!
I love your play dough recipe. It’s perfect! We have used it for birthday parties and I just shared it with my son’s school. Such a great and lasting product and pretty safe, I love it. So wonderful to have moms like you out there helping the rest of us make these wonderful things for our kids. Thanks so much…
LH
So made this, awesome until it went mouldy after only a week?? How come has anyone else had this problem?
I’m so sorry to hear this! I’m trying to think of why that would have happened. Ours last for several months. The cream of tartar and salt should preserve it. Was there extra moisture on the playdough, like water? Once again, I’m sorry it didn’t work well for you!
We made some this morning! Was easy, and a great success, plus it smells yummy with the jello! Thank you for putting this post together!
thea.
x
I have made this recipe several times and simply love it! I have made it both with sugar free and regular jello and found that while both worked great the regular got moldy after a couple of weeks while the other did not. I have also made this with an all purpose gluten free flour and it worked just fine.