How to Make Easy Moulding Dough that Children can Eat Safely
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These playdough ideas are safe for children to taste and some of them tasty to! Recipes include oatmeal, nutty, and gluten-free dough.
In early childhood, children enjoy exploring all things colorful and sticky. Play dough can be bought or made at home relatively cheaply. It is a great activity to get the children involved in making the play dough whilst older ones are able to learn about measurement and weight.
Included in this article are various tasty play dough recipes that can be made with children of all ages. It is important to check any allergies of children before letting them help with making or playing with play dough. Some of the recipes may contain nuts or gluten which some children cannot have.
Oatmeal Play Dough
Ingredients:
- One cup flour
- One cup water
- Two cups oatmeal or porridge oats
How to make:
- Mix all ingredients together in a big mixing bowl until they form a dough-like consistency.
- Knead the dough and play with it.
- To play with it warm, heat it gently in the microwave. Ensure it is cooled enough before giving it to children.
Nutty Dough
Ingredients:
- Two and a half cups of peanut butter (smooth is better)
- One cup powdered milk
- One cup of runny honey
- One cup porridge oats
How to make:
- Mix all the ingredients together in a big mixing bowl.
- Have a taste, squish, and enjoy!
- Adjust ingredients for different textures.
Gluten-Free Play Dough
Ingredients:
- One and a half cup of rice flour
- One and a half flour of cornflour
- Four teaspoons of cream of tartar
- Two cups of water
- Two tablespoons of vegetable oil
- Natural food coloring
How to make:
- In a large pan, mix all the ingredients with a whisk to get rid of lumps.
- Heat on low heat, stirring continuously to ensure no lumps form until the mixture becomes firm.
- Allow the mixture to cool slightly before kneading the mixture.
- This playdough can be shaped and left to air dry then painted if required.
All of the above play dough can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge. The gluten-free dough will last longer than the others. It is always fun to make new dough if it doesn’t keep well.
Some Ideas for Using the Play Dough
Play dough gives children the opportunity to develop their creativity. They can have just as much fun with play dough toys as they can with their fingers. Some ideas for play dough tools can be:
- Rolling pin
- Baking tray, for displaying masterpieces or ‘making cookies’
- Plastic knives and forks for creating patterns
- Plastic scissors
- Garlic press to make hair, spaghetti or worms…
The limit of play dough fun really is the child’s imagination. Although the dough’s are all edible they should be used under parental supervision to ensure children don’t eat too much of them.
All children can be involved in making play doughs, but ensure that heating the gluten-free play dough is done away from little hands!