Keeping the kiddos busy and entertained for hours, homemade playdough is easy to make and the best part is, no fancy-pants ingredients required! Here’s a collection of recipes that you can try, there’s a little bit of everything here from basic cooked, non-cooked, glitter to koolaid to jello. I’ve also added a handful of DIY fingerpaint mixes at the bottom of the page (which are just as simple to make). Have fun!

Plain – #1

1 cup flour

1 cup water

1/2 cup salt

1 TBS cream of tartar

1 TBS oil

food coloring

Directions:

Heat all ingredients in a saucepan, slow to medium heat. Stir continuously. Once dough is at the consistency you want, remove from heat. Cool before using. *high salt content so please keep dough away from pets.

#2

1 cup flour

1 cup water

1/4 cup salt

2 TBS cream of tartar

1 TBS vegetable oil food coloring (about 2 tsp)

Directions:

In a medium sized pot, mix the first three ingredients: flour, salt, cream of tartar. Then add water, food coloring and the oil. Stir over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Once the dough forms a ball, remove from heat. Allow to cool. Once cool knead the dough on a floured surface several times. Then store in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag and place in refrigerator until needed. *high salt content so please keep away from pets.

#3

1 cup flour

1 cup water

1/2 cup salt

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp oil

food coloring

Directions:

Cook all ingredients together over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring well. Remove from heat and cool. Store in airtight container or sealed plastic bag.

Koolaid Version – #4

1 cup flour

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup salt

3 TBS oil

1 package of Koolaid (use the color of your choice)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and cook over medium heat for a few minutes until dough forms the consistency you want. Remove from heat and cool. Keep in airtight container, refrigerate until used.

Kool-aid – #5

3 cups flour

2 cups water

1/2 cup salt

1/2 cup koolaid

2 TBS vegetable oil

2 TBS alum powder

Directions:

Place water, salt and koolaid in large saucepan, bring to boil. Then stir in the oil and the alum. Remove from heat immediately, dump all 3 cups of flour into liquid and stir until the dough sticks together and leaves sides of pan. Once dough is cool enough to handle, knead on a floured board until all lumps are gone. If dough sticks to hands, add more flour. Keep in airtight container, refrigerate until used.

Cake Decorating Paste Mix – #6

1 cup flour

1 cup water

1/2 cup salt

1 tsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

cake decorating paste

Directions:

Cook all ingredients except the cake decorating paste over medium heat until dough forms consistency you want, stir constantly. Remove from heat and cool. Knead on floured board, adding the cake decorating paste as you do so. Keep kneading until dough is well blended with colour. Store in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag and refrigerate until used. *May also use food coloring rather than cake decorating paste.

Uncooked – #7

3 cups boiling water

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups salt

1 1/2 TBS vegetable oil

3 tsp cream of tartar

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except for the flour in a large bowl. Once well mixed, add flour. Stir continuously until the dough mix leaves the sides of the bowl. Once well blended, remove from bowl and knead on floured board. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate.

Another Uncooked Version – #8

3 cups flour

3 cups boiling water

1 1/2 cups salt

6 tsp cream of tartar

3 TBS cooking oil

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients together plus the cooking oil. Once well blended, add boiling water. Stir dough mixture until it leaves the sides of the bowl. Remove and knead well on floured board. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate.

Glitter – #9

1 cup flour

1 cup water

1/2 cup salt

1 TBS vegetable oil

2 tsp cream of tartar

food coloring

glitter

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together except for the glitter. Heat over medium heat until dough forms a ball, stir constantly. Remove from heat and add glitter. Knead well until lumps are gone and dough is smooth. Store in an airtight container, but do not refrigerate.

Fruity Fun Jell-O – #10

1 (3-oz.) package sugar-free jello

2 cups flour

2 cups boiling water

1 cup salt

4 TBS cream of tartar

2 TBS oil

Directions:

Mix the dry ingredients in a saucepan then add the oil and the boiling water. Stir continuously over medium heat until dough forms into a ball. Remove from heat, knead. Store in an airtight container.

Tips:

If playdough is too sticky, just knead in more flour.

Always store in an airtight container or plastic bag.

Refrigerate until needed, unless noted otherwise.

Careful: Many of the above mixes have high salt content, please keep away from pets.

Here’s another batch of fun you can whip up yourself with just a few simple ingredients!

Dish Soap – #1

1 cup Flour

1 cup Water

1 cup Sunlight dish soap

2 TBS Food Coloring

Directions:

Mix all items until there are no lumps and paint is smooth. Keep sealed in an airtight container and refrigerate.

You can divide the batch up into smaller amounts and use a different color of food coloring for each batch.

Cornflour – #2

2 cups boiling water

1 cup cold water

1/2 cup cornflour

1 pkg unflavored gelatine

food coloring

Directions:

Stir gelatine into 1/4 cup of cold water and set aside.

Mix cornflour into the rest of the cold water (3/4 cup) and stir until a smooth paste. Slowly pour the boiling water over the paste mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Once the mixture becomes bubbly from boiling and clear, remove from heat.

Stir in the gelatine mixture.

Cool and divide into portions. Add colors to each portion.

Keep refrigerated.

Jello – #3

Jello Powder

Boiling Water

Directions:

Slowly add boiling water to the Jello powder (constantly stirring) until you have a thick consistency. Add ice to thicken and cool down the Jello quickly. Use when cool.

This is an edible fingerpaint mix.

Kool-Aid – #4

3 cups boiling water

2 cups flour

2 packages unsweetened Kool-Aid

1/2 cup salt

3 tablespoons oil

Mix the Kool-Aid, flour and salt into a glass bowl. Add oil.

Slowly add the boiling water, stirring while you pour.

Wait till it cools before using.

Pudding Mix – #5

Vanilla Pudding Mix (Instant)

Food Coloring

Directions: