DIY Textured Play Dough
One day last week, I got overzealous and decided to make three DIY Textured Play Dough recipes at home for the first time! I was inspired by all the amazing mamas out there who can handcraft play dough from scratch instead of only buying the store bought kind. I was determined to do it too! Plus, I was excited to give Little Bee a tactile experience of playing with the different textures of silky soft, sea salt speckled firm, and gritty sandbox rough.
Little Bee likes to help me with every activity that I put together. I will be honest, this activity was messy and it was a challenge to keep Little Bee from making a disaster of the kitchen. However, I live by the mommy motto, "Embrace the Mess!" Somehow, when I decide to embrace the mess instead of trying to constantly avoid the mess... it becomes fun! These are the memories that will be told one day when Little Bee is all grown up.
I will list the ingredients you will need to make all three of these fun, EASY, no cooking involved, play dough recipes for at home.
Silky Soft Dough:
- Corn Starch
- Conditioner/Lotion
- Food Coloring
Salt Speckled Firm Dough:
- Flour
- Salt
- Cream of Tarter
- Oil
- Water
- Food Coloring
Gritty Sandbox Dough:
- Play Sand
- Corn Starch
- Water
- Food Coloring
In the picture above, you can see the three different play dough creations and the various textures. The far left play dough was the silky soft recipe made up of only two ingredients. Please visit, "Softest 2 Ingredient Play Dough" for the recipe. I modified the recipe a little and used lotion instead of conditioner. Out of the three recipes, the silky soft play dough was my favorite.
Next in line from the left, is the salt speckled firm play dough. Please visit, "No Cook Orange Play Dough" for the recipe on Pinterest or at "Classroom Freebies Too." I also modified this recipe a little by adding coarse sea salt instead of regular salt. The coarse sea salt added a fun texture to the play dough when molding it in your hands.
The last play dough on the right had the roughest texture because it was made out of sand. Please visit, "Pumpkin Moon Sand" for the recipe. The rough sand play dough was Little Bee's favorite. I had to distract him and hide the play dough when it was time to clean up. He was really attached to this gritty dough. I think he would of been happy to take it with him to dinner, bath time, and into his bed... if I let him!
We enjoyed creating pumpkins, acorns, and "special" creations made by Little Bee, out of the various textured play doughs. I really wanted to make a pretty apple shape with the red food coloring I had on hand. I don't really work with food coloring very much and apparently the red food coloring doesn't come out red... it comes out cotton candy pink! At first, I thought I had just encountered a Pinterest FAIL with my cotton candy pink apple, but I found a way to make it pumpkin orange. LOL!
I had a blast making the pumpkins and the little acorns with real acorn caps. Little Bee is not old enough yet to mold these creations, however, I am sure he found his own beauty in the play dough creations he made all my himself.
Thanks for visiting!
You may also enjoy visiting, "Autumn Sensory Play."
I can’t wait to try these doughs! I think I’ll try the soft dough first.
Good choice! It was my favorite.
Great idea having multiple textures on hand. I can just see my little one’s face light up playing with them
Pinned!
Vanessa, Thanks for the inspiration — “Embrace the mess!” I needed to hear that saying today. My toddler just learned how to climb onto the chair and then onto the dining room table. She can do this in the amount of time it takes one to blink! Making play dough is on my bucket list for the fall and I can’t wait to make it on my own without heading to the store. Thanks so much for the tips and inspiration.
You are welcome Michelle! It was worth the effort and even the mess it made!
I hope you get to make your own! Little Bee is a climber too. 
He is always STANDING on top of the table… yikes!
This is so lovely! The playdough looks so inviting and your photos are beautiful
I can’t find cream of tartar here in the Netherlands, but I think I have corn starch at home… at least I think it’s corn starch, but I’ve mixed up several ingredients before leading to playdough and baking disasters
I’ll give the silky soft one a try today though.
Thank you, Yuliya! You will love the silky soft play dough
This is perfect for fall time. My kids would love this. I will have to make it for them. Thanks for sharing your link at Thoughtful Thursdays link party.
Oh my! So cool! Pinned and tweeted. We love partying with you and we appreciate you stopping by! Please take a minute to stop by next week, so we can pin and tweet your new creation. The party starts on Monday at 7 pm! Have a great Monday! Lou Lou Girls