How to Make Homemade Play Dough

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by Renae Chiovaro on February 5, 2011

Homemade play dough is actually pretty easy to make. It is a fun project for the kids. I also like knowing the exact ingredients since small kids tend to think it is a good idea to taste play dough!

We turned this recipe into a Valentine’s Day gift for Capt. M and Mr. B’s friends.

Homemade Play Dough

2 Cups Flour
4 Teaspoons Cream of Tartar
1 Cup Salt
2 Cups Water
1 Tablespoon Oil

Mix dry ingredients together. Add water and oil. Stir until well mixed. Heat frying pan on stove to medium. Add half of the play dough batter to the pan.

Stir and scrape the sides of the pan. The dough will start to become lumpy.

The play dough is done when the batter is thick- it takes only 2-3 minutes for this to happen.

Divide the play dough and place on waxed paper. Add food coloring and then knead the dough.

The food coloring is a bit messy- you may end up with colored hands! Just keep kneading the dough until the food coloring is well mixed in. This was the hardest part.

We used heart shaped cookie cutters to make the Valentine’s Day gifts.

We placed stickers on baggies and then placed the play dough heart inside. Store flat in order to keep the shape!

Overall, making play dough is very easy and pretty cost effective. The dough will stay soft as long as you store it in plastic bags!

Make sure you check out the other easy Valentine’s Craft ideas!

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Renae Chiovaro

Renae is a married working mom of two handsome boys. She works as a registered dental hygienist by day and blogs here at How to Have it All by night. She enjoys cooking from scratch, working in her vegetable garden and functional training.