Welcome to our regular Family Friday Fun post – make your own play dough

Welcome to our regular Family Friday Fun post. This is a great place to start if you’re looking for something fun to do with your kids? Every Friday we’ll bring you activities, suggestions and inspiration to encourage a bit of Family Friday Fun.  #FamilyFridayFun #FFF

Make Your Own Play Dough

Play dough is a fun way to encourage creativity in young children. It’s easy and cheap to make at home and when the fun is finished it can be stored in an airtight container for another day. Play dough can also be educational as children explore imagination, shapes, colours and use their fine motor skills.

There are many make-at-home play dough recipes, below are two of our favourites including a no cook version. Best of all these make-at-home recipes are non-toxic so suitable for children. This activity is most suited for children over three years of age.    

No Cook Play Dough Recipe

• 3/4 cup salt
• 2 – 3 cups flour
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp food colouring
• 2 tbsp cream of tartar
• 1 cup water

Mix all the dry ingredients and then add oil. Add food colouring to water. Slowly add water to dry ingredients until desired consistency is reached. Kneading improves texture.

Basic Play Dough Recipe

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup cooking salt
• 1 tbsp of cooking oil
• 1 tbsp of cream of tartar
• food colouring

Mix the flour, water, salt and cream of tartar in a saucepan over medium heat until thick. Allow the mixture to cool and then add the oil and knead well over a floured board or bench. Divide play dough evenly into as many colours as you’d like to make. Add food colouring to each ball until it is the desired colour.

Now you have the play dough why not try the following:

• If you made a variety of colours, try mixing together small amounts of different colours to make new colours.  
• Make leaf imprints by rolling or patting dough flat and then pressing the leaves into dough. Children can usually do this activity themselves once shown how.
• Encourage learning about shapes with play dough. Try drawing simple shapes on baking paper. Children can roll dough into ropes and use the ropes to outline the shapes. One step further is to have the child close their eyes and feel the shapes to identify them.

But most of all let their imaginations run wild and enjoy your Family Fun Friday.