Easy Homemade Playdough Recipe for Kids

by Tonya Staab
Published: Last Updated on

This easy homemade playdough recipe is soft to play with, doesn’t stain little hands, and uses common ingredients you probably already have.

Kids love playdough. It’s brightly colored, it can be molded into almost anything, and can be used over and over again. It is also great for fine motor skills. You can also make your own at home. Kids will love helping to pick colors and this is a great excuse to get out a color wheel and teach them about how colors change when blended together.

Homemade playdough recipe that is easy and includes flour.
Make bright and colorful homemade playdough with our easy recipe.

Playdough is surprisingly easy to make, and according to my son is pretty tasty too. Not that I encourage your kids (or my kids) to actually eat it.

Easy homemade playdough recipe

homemade playdough recipe using flour
Check out these fun playdough colors that can be made at home.

Playdough ingredients

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 cup salt
  • 2 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil
  • food coloring – I used the Wilton 4 pack of colors (red, blue, green, and yellow)

How do you make easy homemade playdough?

Add the water and salt to a saucepan and warm over high heat. Once warm (not boiling) add the flour, cream of tartar, and vegetable oil. Stir continuously.

The process from start to finish moves fairly quickly. You will begin to notice the mixture becoming lumpy and thick, then it will begin to move away from the sides of the saucepan and will look rubbery as you continue to stir.

Turn down the heat to a simmer. I find that just because it’s rubbery on the outside, does not mean it isn’t still a little sticky on the inside. Flatten it a little into the base of the saucepan and using 2 large spoons, pull it apart a little and flip it over. Do this a few times to ensure that it is cooked properly in the center.

Turn it out of the saucepan onto a cutting board and set it aside to cool.

Once cool, separate the playdough into equal piles for coloring. I was making the playdough for two children so I doubled the ingredients above and made 4 colors for them to share. This will give you an idea of how much I made:

Make a small well in the center of the playdough and add a few drops of food color. Go ahead and experiment with colors and shades.  While wearing gloves, knead the playdough until the color is completely mixed in.

You don’t have to use food coloring to make playdough, you can also use Kool-Aid, jelly crystals, or natural colors such as beet juice, turmeric, and cocoa.

Homemade yellow playdough being rolled out with a playdough rolling pin.
Fun homemade playdough colors such as orange and yellow.

This is a perfect cold weather activity now that we are heading into fall. It also makes a great gift for kids. This playdough will last for a few weeks if used often and stored in airtight containers.

A cat cookie cutter being used on homemade yellow playdough.
You can use cookie cutters to make fun shapes with your homemade playdough.

My kids had a great time playing with it today while it was over 100 degrees outside.

homemade purple playdough being used in a playdough tool.
Kids are going to love this homemade purple playdough.

Tip:  Keeping the homemade playdough stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator will help it last longer, especially if you live in a warm climate like we do.

A boy cutting homemade purple playdough with playdough scissors.
Homemade playdough is so soft it can be cut with playdough scissors.

More homemade fun for kids

Are you looking for even more fun homemade activities for kids? Take a look at these:

Please pin this post for later
easy homemade playdough recipe using flour pinterest

You Might Also Like These Too

Leave a Comment

* By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More