Fun With Play Dough

Ingredients you can find in your pantry can make for a simple recipe to make play dough at home with your child:

• 1 cup salt
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• Food coloring or kool aid
• 1 cup water                                                                                                         

Mix the salt and flour in large bowl then add the oil.  Slowly pour water and use your hands to mix all the ingredients together.  This is the messy part where you’d like to get your little one involved! 

Once all ingredients are mixed together put food coloring or kool-aid powder for color and smell.  Add as much as you want until you get the color you desire.  Use this opportunity to talk about colors and make it a teachable moment!

Place the play dough onto a cutting board and start  kneading with your toddler.  This is a great opportunity to work on motor skills!  You may want to add flour if it is a bit too sticky.  When you are done playing with the dough, be sure to place in airtight container to save for future uses!

When your child pours, mixes, stirs and kneads the ingredients, it will strengthen hand and finger muscles and also work on hand-eye coordination.  Take a look around the house for items to use with the dough such as cookie cutters, spoons, small plastic cups and a rolling pin.  These will help him in manipulating objects and creating impressions on the dough!

From the toy box, take out animal figurines and cars and show your child how he can press them into the dough to create designs.  Roll the dough into balls and snakes and count them, make patterns or sort into colors!  There are so many learning opportunities that can be taken advantage of!