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Homemade Play Dough

Homemade Play Dough

Play dough is super easy to make and lasts forever

This recipe is easy to follow, lasts forever and most of the ingredients are common in the kitchen. By making your own play dough, you know exactly what your child is playing with and know that it is not toxic. 

  • ½ cup of flour
  • ½ cup of water (add your preferred colour to the water)
  • ¼ cup of salt
  • ½ tablespoon of Cream of Tartar 
  • ½ tablespoon of Rapeseed Oil

To colour the dough, you can use food colouring. There are plenty of natural options around as well.


  1. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan on medium to low heat
  2. Mix until it forms a ball
  3. Remove from heat and allow to cool
  4. On a floured surface, knead the dough until soft
  5. Go play

Your play dough is now ready to be played with. Play dough is an excellent mental, emotional and physical stimulant for children. 


Pic: Shutterstock
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Science Notes

By making your own dough, you know exactly what's in it. Flour and water are the bulk of  your dough, oil keeps it moist but not sticky, salt is the preservative and Cream of tartar (acid potassium tartrate) makes your dough stronger and stiffer.

The commercial Play-Doh recipe has never been made public, and so it's impossible to know what actual colourants and preservatives have been used. It's patent says it contains:

Water  Surfactant  Starch-based binder 
Salt  Hardener  Retrogradation inhibitor 
Color  Humectant        Preservative 
Lubricant        Fragrance   

Related Tip

Store the play dough in an air-tight container. This will ensure that it does not dry out. Reuse an old jam jar, coffee jar or something similar. This way you don’t have to buy a new container.

You can also buy beautiful play dough from traders like Happy Hands Happy Heart.