How to Make Playdough

By:  Tammy Smith-Chen

Children love the wonderful, moldable, colorful clay called playdough (or "playdoh") that only continues to grow in popularity. Lots of toys have been made to use as accessories for playdough and the choice of colors available has also expanded.  Of course, it can be expensive to have to keep replenishing your kids’ supply of Playdoh.

Luckily you can make your own homemade playdough just by mixing up ingredients you already have in your pantry!  A lot of of my friends have asked me to explain how to make playdough, so I decided to write this article so that more people can experience the fun (and savings) of making playdough at home. 

You can use the following tried-and-true homemade playdough recipe:

Recipe for Homemade Playdough

Combine the following ingredients except food coloring in a saucepan:

•    ½ c. salt   
•    1 c. flour   
•    2 Tbsp. cream of tartar
•    1 c. water
•    1 Tbsp. oil   
•    Assorted food coloring of your choice

Stir ingredients constantly on medium heat.  Continue cooking until it forms a ball.  Add food coloring.  Knead the playdough until the color is blended and it has a smooth texture. Let it completely cool on wax paper. Keep stored in a plastic bag or any airtight container after it has cooled. 

You can separate the playdough to make it into different colors but it is easier to make a new batch for every color and then let kids have as much as you want to give them at one time. Homemade playdough will keep for a long time in a sealed container and won’t dry out for a long time. Be creative when you color your playdough by mixing colors to make new ones that aren’t available.  Not sure what works?

Red + Blue = Purple

Red + Yellow = Orange

Blue + Yellow = Green

Mix a lot of all colors to get brown by adding gradually until you get the color you want.  Use just a little red to get pink and make lighter and darker shades of all colors by adding more or less food coloring.

You can add a few drops of lemon or orange oil to give your homemade playdough a scent or even put a little glitter inside to give it a little extra sparkle.

Give kids a plastic glass to help them roll out the homemade playdough and then cookie cutters for them to cut out fun shapes.  They can even pretend they are really baking!  You will be amazed by all the creative things your kids figure out to do with their home made playdough.