Every mom loves a good play dough recipe, but have you ever made play dough that looks and smells really great?! Today I’m going to show you how to make Kool-Aid play dough! This is a fantastic sensory activity because we’re working on our sense of smell, touch, and sight. I love play dough for kids. They get to be creative and it builds up strength in their tiny hands.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup salt
1 pkg. Kool-Aid Unsweetened Drink Mix
1 Tbsp. Cream of Tartar
1 c. boiling water
1 1/2 Tbsp. oil (I used baby oil) 
To begin, mix the flour, salt, Kool-Aid, & Cream of Tartar in a large bowl. Have your child smell the Kool-Aid, but be careful that they don’t get too close and inhale too much powder!
Add boiling water and oil; stir with fork until it’s cooled. It will look something like this:
Next, transfer dough to wax paper and kneed until no longer sticky. You can add flour in if it is too sticky.
It’s a pretty simple and straight-forward recipe. Repeat the recipe if you’d like to make another color. The best part is that it smells really good and makes your hands smell awesome after you’ve played with it! The boys had a ball playing with the play dough. I think it’s a pretty good stress reliever! 🙂 When done playing, make sure you store it in an airtight container.
Have fun playing!
Loved these – especially the play dough and colored ice! I think we will be doing some of these the next time we get the winter doldrums!
Thank you, Aadel! I loved checking out your blog!
I tried this recipe but it came out really sticky. I followed the recipe to a T, I kneaded it and added quite a bit of extra flour but nothing worked. Do you have any tips or recommend a different recipe that always comes out perfect.
I’m so sorry! I am not sure what went wrong, since it worked well for us. My only tip is to use less water, like 3/4 cup water, so it’s not so sticky. I’m sorry I’m not much help!
I am definitely trying this for a weekend project with the kids for Mothers Day.
Love your website. it has been so helpful since I discovered it a couple of days ago. Made the Kool aid play dough and my son loved his first experience with iplay dough. I’d like to know if iit will damage carpet or other types of flooring? What about the other play dough recipes??
Please don’t think I’m complaining, it just that the Alaskan winters get long and difficult plus dealing with 2 year old stuck inside more often than not. It can be quite trying sometimes yet I want to be there for my child
Great to hear! It shouldn’t damage the carpet or floors. We’ve never had that happen to us with any of our play dough recipes. I’m sure your winters get very long!
Sorry we’ve been out of state for a while and totally forgot to check for reply. Thanks so much for all the great information you provide for us moms (and dads too) its great to have expert advice available with just a few clicks.
I would like to ask if you feel your book would be helpful to me. I’m having a difficult time keeping my 2 yes old from doing mean things sometimes. I inforce time-out but I still have him acting out sometimes.
I would love to hear any suggestions or advice you have.
Thank u
I definitely think my book would be useful. It would help with keeping him busy as well as spending time together and building a nice connection together. I hope that helps!