How to make homemade play dough

Making your own play dough is a great kid-friendly activity. Many recipes look and smell delicious, but when the kids take a bite (as they always do!) it’s not the tasty treat they had hoped for. This yummy alternative is both fun to play with and eat!

Having a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old in the house means we have tried almost every homemade play dough recipe on the web. The one thing each and every recipe has in common is that my kids always try to sneak a bite! It seems the more sparkle in the recipe, the yummier it looks. Of course, each time they taste, they are utterly disappointed that it is still as salty and yucky as the last time. Instead of fighting their desire to eat their arts and crafts, I have accepted it — and now the only play dough you will find us making is edible!

Supplies: 

• Big bowl
• Spoons for mixing
• Measuring cup
• Measuring spoons
• Wax paper
• 1 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
• 1 to 2 cups of dry milk
• 6 tablespoons of honey

Instructions:

I always want my kids to be involved, so they take turns pouring the various ingredients into the bowl. I also talk about the basics of measurement and cooking while we work.

The mixture needs to look more like play dough than peanut butter, so if it is too wet, add more dry milk. With this recipe and the peanut butter I selected, I added an extra 1/2 cup of milk.

Each of my kids get enough play dough to make a snake or a ball — about 1/3 cup of dough each.

After my kids have made a creation, I let them add mini chocolate chips to their dough.

The best part about this play dough is that the kids get a healthy treat at the end. I love to do this activity in the morning so we have craft time and snack time in one!

Enhance your experience: If you have school-aged children, include basic information about fractions as you make your dough.

More crafts for kids

How to create a bug catcher
How to make eggshell seedling planters
Create a DIY kite craft

Photo credits: Toni Bowers