It's no secret that children love play dough and enjoy playing with it. All kinds of figures can be made from plasticine, such as animals, people or even houses. Instead of constantly buying new plasticine, you can use colorful ones with the childrenMake your own dough. You can find a few recipes with instructions and helpful tips in the article.
Store-bought playdough can be an expensive toy for children, especially if it dries quickly and needs to be replaced. In addition, there are in the purchasedKneading massoften contain toxic substances that can be harmful to the child's health if placed in the mouth. That's why you can make your own inexpensive modeling clay from simple ingredients that is especially suitable for children.
Recipe without alum
Here are the necessary ingredients for a simple recipe:
- 400 g Flour
- 200g salt
- 2 tablespoons citric acid or cream of tartar baking powder
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil (e.g. sunflower oil)
- 500 ml boiling water
- Food coloring of your choice.
How to make modeling clay yourself
Once you have collected all the ingredients, you can start mixing them together. Everything is gradually added to a bowl by mixing everything well with a hand mixer. Finally, the mixture is kneaded into a dough with your hands. The dough is divided into smaller bowls to be colored with food coloring of your choice.
Fun games for children
Big and small children ages 2 and up enjoy playing with modeling clay. However, kneading is not only fun, it stimulates the imagination. Motor skills are also promoted, especially in small children. That's why kneading is considered one of the most important activities for little ones and is also practiced in kindergarten.
Make your own modeling clay and pack it well
To ensure that the homemade dough lasts longer, you should always pack it airtight after playing. It is best to use aluminum foil or sealable freezer bags and Tupperware containers with lids. If stored correctly, homemade modeling clay can last up to six months.
Recipe with alum
The alum makes the dough more supple and the dough is easier to work with. However, the recipe with alum is more suitable for older children because the powder cannot be eaten. You can find alum powder at the pharmacy. To make your own dough with alum, you need the same ingredients as in the recipe above, without the citric acid.
Recipe without cooking
Again, this recipe is suitable for older children and is not edible. The result, however, is a soft plasticine that you can use to make beautiful figures in any color. In addition, the plasticine is made without cooking or boiling water.
Recipe with shaving cream
If you make your own playdough with shaving cream, be prepared for mess and mess. It is best to knead the dough in a bowl to keep the surface of the worktop clean. The ingredients are:
- Shaving cream
- Cornstarch (e.g. corn flour)
- Food coloring.
Craft with homemade modeling clay
If you would like to make beautiful figures with the children from the homemade modeling clay, you can use different cookie cutters. You can also make tree decorations for the Christmas tree or any decoration for any occasion. However, it is important to allow the figures to harden so that they become firmer.
Harden figures from plasticine
With children you can make many beautiful figures of animals, people, small buildings and a variety of objects. If you want to make a kneaded figure last longer, it can also be hardened. To do this, the corresponding figure should first be dried on the heater or in the sun for about a week. Then bake the dough in the oven at 150 degrees. For small figures, about 30 minutes are enough, although thicker plasticine takes up to an hour to harden.
Make scented dough yourself
You can give the modeling clay a pleasant scent with any essential oils. Simply mix 3-4 drops with the modeling clay and then knead. You can also make scented modeling clay for children yourself using any beverage powder.
Edible modeling clay
For small children, we recommend a playdough with edible ingredients because they always put everything in their mouths. This way you can also be calmer when you let the children play. However, the edible recipe contains more ingredients and is cheaper if you need a larger quantity.
Create edible children's playdough
To prepare the edible dough, all dry ingredients are first mixed and then mixed with the wet ones. The required ingredients are:
- 350 g Flour
- 150g powdered sugar
- 2 packets of vanilla sugar
- 3-4 pinches of salt
- Lemon aroma
- 100 ml water
- 5 tsp vegetable oil
- natural powder colors or food colors.
Edible dough without flour
Another child-friendly recipe for edible playdough can be found below. Marshmallows are used for this, which give the dough a sweet taste. Here are the ingredients for a playdough ball:
- 6 large marshmallows
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons coconut milk
- Food coloring.
Make your own playdough with marshmallows
Place the marshmallows, cornstarch and coconut oil in a bowl and microwave on full power for 30 seconds. Then add the food coloring to the marshmallows and first stir with a spoon and then knead with your hands. Cover your hands with coconut oil to make it easier to work with the dough.
Children's playdough with glitter
However, the modeling clay should not always be one color. Depending on your mood, you can mix glitter or popular small figures with the mixture and make your own special dough. Another great idea would be to mix different colors and make a rainbow playdough. Let your creativity run wild!
Intelligent modeling clay
The intelligent children's playdough is a playdough with special properties that distinguish it from the usual playdough. It changes its consistency when kneaded, can be shaped into a bouncy ball or stretch like chewing gum. However, this “magic” modeling clay is even more expensive than traditional modeling clay. However, you can also make the intelligent modeling clay yourself and ensure great children's fun.
Smart dough recipe
The intelligent playdough looks like cool slime and is extremely fun to play with. However, the homemade version does not have all the properties of the purchased ones, but is a good alternative. Here are the necessary ingredients:
- Craft glue
- Mild detergent (liquid)
- Food coloring.
Magical modeling clay in a galaxy look
First, the craft glue is placed in a bowl and colored as desired. You can achieve great effects with glitter colors. Then liquid detergent is gradually added and stirred until a solid mass is obtained. Other alternatives to the intelligent modeling clay recipe are with borax or cornstarch.
