DIY - Make your own homemade playdough

Most commercial playdough products are not recommended for children under 3 years old. Indeed, young children tend to put things in their mouths, and the composition of these playdoughs is not exactly wholesome. Yet playdough has no shortage of developmental benefits for young children. It helps develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and stimulates the imagination. It would be a shame to miss out on it.

But what can you do? Make your own playdough at home! Quick, budget-friendly, and eco-friendly, it is not at all difficult to make safe homemade playdough with a texture similar to shop-bought varieties. And if you have a child over 5 years old, they can even lend a hand in making it.

Ingredients for homemade playdough

• 2 cups of flour
• ½ cup of cornflour
• ½ cup of fine salt
• 1 tablespoon of potassium alum (available from a pharmacy)
• 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
• 2 cups of water
• Food colouring (liquid for more vivid colours, powder if you are worried about staining)

How to make homemade playdough?

For this recipe take a saucepan and mix all the ingredients together (except the colouring)

Cook over a low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the dough thickens.

The dough is ready when it forms a ball and comes away easily from the sides of the saucepan. The dough is not smooth at all at this stage — that is perfectly normal. And do not worry, any residue comes off the saucepan very easily with hot water!

Knead it — it will take on the look and feel of playdough. Then shape it into small balls.

Colour your small balls with food colouring, adjusting to achieve the shade you want.

Your homemade playdough is ready — your child can play with it just like any other playdough.

This playdough has the great advantage of posing no risk of food poisoning if ingested. It is also ideally elastic, non-sticky, and its texture is wonderfully soft.

Glitter playdough

To give your playdough a little extra fun factor, once you have coloured it, do not hesitate to add some glitter. The effect is really fantastic!

Tips for storing your homemade playdough

Homemade playdough must be stored away from the air. Keep it in a freezer bag or an airtight container. If after a few days you notice that your dough has hardened slightly, add a little water and knead it. And if on the contrary it becomes too soft, add a little flour.

By following these simple tips, your homemade playdough should keep for several months without any trouble.