Here’s a nice craft activity you and your kids can make together, over the Valentines half term week!
Playdough a great kids resource!
Over the years as part of our children’s learning, we’ve been making playdough in our school, because it’s a great resource for kids to have fun with and contribute to their learning!
WHAT ABOUT PLAYDOUGH!
Making your playdough is a super, quick and easy non-toxic mix of ingredients that is a great activity to do with kids!
The great thing is you probably have most of these ingredients in your cupbaord, so it will be very affordable too!
The great thing is you probably have most of these ingedients in your cupboard, so it will be very affordable too!
MY INTENTION!
So during this half term as it’s Valentine’s week, how about making your very own playdough at home, but not just any playdough, adding some texture, sparkle, marbling that’s scented too!
VALENTINE IDEAS WITH PLAYDOUGH!
As it’s ‘love week’ wouldn’t it be nice to gift someone with something that reflects love, that’s a Valentine’s gift personalized just for them, that’s a bit different?
SAY IT WITH PLAYDOUGH!
Let’s take a look at some other possible love ideas………
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Love hearts Lollipops* (see post below)
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Picture Fames.* (see post below)
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Valentine’s cards.
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Playdough craft.
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Cake.
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Jewellery.
Below are a couple of projects that you can check-out and see the tecniques used to make love-hearts and picture frames.
WHICH ONE TO CHOOSE?
As you may have gathered by now, I am going with playdough craft, and we will be making playdough with kids, as this will not only be a great activity to make together with your kids but also address some of these features, listed below.
In case you are looking for the ingredients to make your playdough check ingredients button below, but don’t forget to come back and checkout the rest of this post. ⇓
WHAT PLAYDOUGH ADDRESSES!
Playdough is an excellent resource for your kids to work on their fine motor skills and have fun while doing so.
Kids will be pulling, stretching, rolling and cutting, and at the same time using tools to assist them achieve these functions, leading them to be able to hold a pencil and handle a pair of scissors.
For example, these are the areas playing with playdough addresses…
- Fine motor skills.
- To be inventive.
- Shaping.
- Strengthening hands.
- Using shape/cutters.
- Being creative.
- Sharing.
- Competitive.
- Eye, and hand coordination.
- Small talk.
Here is some home-made sparkly playdough, with some glitter in it to give it some pezzazz!
Before we start, take a look at how Play-Doh started and the follow-up adverts, to give you a taster of the story behind this type of playdough known as Play-Doh!
Interestingly enough, it is formulated with similar ingredients!
In the first video, check out this short clip, where Kay Zufall, found an alternative to modelling clay, and hence the birth of Play-Doh!
In the second video, let’s take a look at how play doh evolved until today. It may also give you some useful ideas on what fun things you can make with your playdough!
ABOUT-PLAYDOH
Play-doh has been around for a long time, and in the commercials, you can see how kids, enjoy playing with it, and all the fun things you can do with it.
WHAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW!
An unusual fact about this brand known as Kudol, was originally designed as a wall cleaner, as at the time of its development people had coal fires, and a lot of soot built up on their walls, Kudol, was used for this purpose.
Then with the modernization of heating people turned to oil, gas or electric heating, so cleaning walls was no longer needed.
PLAY-DOH WAS DISCOVERED!
Until a relative who worked in a nursery found a way to use this wallpaper cleaner, because of its non-toxic ingredients and how it was made, it made a great substitute for clay, and an excellent resource for kids to play with, again, and again and the rest is history!
BACK TO THE CRAFT IN-HAND!
TYPICALLY!
Love hearts are featured a lot on Valentine’s Day. Whether it be on Valentine’s cards, ornaments, chocolates or Jewellery.
So ‘Love Hearts’ will be what I will be the most favourable theme for this project.
FOR WHO?
MAKING IT FUN!
It all depends to whom, your kids would like to give a valentines crafted gift too.
So would it be for Mum, Dad, or Mum and Dad, or Gran, Granddad, or both?
Whichever way this activity is made, it can be gifted to anyone!
Once you have decided to whom you are gifting your love heart, then you can personalize it how you like, with special wording, and embellishment or you can make a space to embed a fun picture within it, you choose, it’s your creation!
BE INVENTIVE!
Doubling it up, making it big or having small love hearts around it, is a possibility. You can improvise accordingly, and the beauty is as it’s playdough you can re-shape it adding or removing parts, until you get it just how you want it!
SAY IT WITH WORDS!
You can even roll some playdough and make words to set it off, or embed embellishments in the playdough before it dries!
HOME-MADE PLAYDOUGH AND VALENTINES!
So how do we address homemade playdough and Valentine’s Day?
Well, Valentine’s Day depicts, love, that’s generally shown in a red, pink, or vibrant orange colour.
So I will choose between these colours.
Have you thought of anything else that might be favourable within this mix?
How about flowers?
WHAT ELSE CAN WE USE?
Flowers are very popular as a Valentine’s gift, they show love, appreciation, thoughtfulness, gratitude and great joy!
For this activity, I shall use a dried-up mixture of flowers, rather than real flowers.
LIKE A MAGICAL CAULDRON!
Something else I thought may just do the trick, and it’s tweaking it a bit, and would just add a tiny bit more depth to the playdough, is torn-up bits of tissue paper, glitter, and some marbling!
EXPERIMENTAL!
This is purely experimental, mind you. I have made playdough for the children in our school, numerous times, but in this activity, I shall be adding a bit of texture, and see how we go!
LET’S MAKE HOME-MADE PLAYDOUGH!
All you need is to find what you already have in the cupboard.
The main ingredients would be flour, and salt which we probably all have anyway……here’s what else you would need.
Vegetable oil, cream of tartar, food colour and boiling water.
These are the ingredients we use in our school to whip up some playdough for the kids.
INGREDIENTS.
- 2 cups flour.
- 1 cup salt.
- 4 tbsp oil.
- 4 tsp. cream of tartar.
- 2 cups boiling water.
- Food colour.
- Food flavouring.(peppermint)
You will need a rolling pin, a large mixing bowl and a plastic sealant container.
For this project, these are the additional ingredients.
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Dry flowers
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Torn-up bits of tissue paper.
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Glitter.
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Some trinkets, or photos.
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Some blue food colouring for marbling.
METHOD.
First, mix the dry ingredients. The flour, salt and cream of tartar, dry flowers and mix. Then add the oil.
Next, add the first cup of boiling water and in the second cup of boiling water add some food colouring and a few drops of food flavouring.
After, mixing the whole lot, keep mixing until the mixture binds together, use your hands to mould it into a smooth dough.
Finally, allow it to cool down then it’s ready to start to mold.
If you are not ready to use it straight away, then store it in a plastic sealable container or plastic bag.
I didn’t have any love heart cutters, so I decided to make them instead.
With a strip of flexible card, some foil and tape, I managed to whip up three different sizes.
CRAFTED LOVE-HEART CUTTERS.
So now we have the love heart cutters we are ready to make the home-made love hearts!
ARE YOU READY?
DRY IT OUT!
Once you have finished your love-heart, place it in a safe place and allow it to dry, keep a check on it and when it has hardened up it is ready to wrap up and gift it.
Glue on parts if they are loose with PVA glue.
Here are some of the love hearts I made with a different textured finish to them. You can decide which you prefer to make, and once they have dried out you can wrap them up and gift them.
Click on image to go bigger.
I introduced my grandson, to the spare playdough I had made. It kept him busy for ages! Working with tools and learning how to use a rolling pin, cutting and making his very own cupcakes!
PLAYDOUGH, A GAME CHANGER!
My grandson loved it! So now I know what to turn to when he next visits. I wasn’t sure if he would enjoy playing with it, but he found loads of interesting solutions, even planting all his safari animals within the dough, and making tons of footprints lol!
SOME TIPS!
DIFFERENT COLOURS.
- If you are not sure what colour to choose, or you want more than one colour, instead of colouring the whole amount of dough. you can divide the dough into parts and add different food colours to each ball of dough.
- Bind and mould until colour blends in.
DIFFERENT TEXTURES.
- When adding your different textures, it will come out a bit rough around the edges, but I think this adds to its uniqueness.
- You can wear disposable gloves to keep your hands clean.
KEEP KIDS SAFE.
- Watch out with boiling water if your kids are close by.
- Also, adults should mix by hand if the mixture is very hot, until it cools down slightly, then your kids can help, squish and squash it.
MAKE OR BUY.
- I quickly made hear-shape cutters, but you can purchase these in most supermarkets, online, or hobby shops.
MARBLING EFFECT.
- Last minute I decided to mix two colours, for the marbling effect.
- I made a separate dough and coloured it with a blue colour, then mixed it in with the pink that I had already made.
- Marbelling works well if food colours are quite dark, then you will get more of a dramatic two-tone effect.
- Allow your love hearts to dry well, keep turning them over to allow them to air.
TO ADD SCENT.
- To add a fragrance to your playdough, simply use food flavouring. I prefer using peppermint, this is lasting, and has a fresh aroma.
- Or you can use essential oil, like rose, or lavender, which can work too.
Making playdough with kids is such a delightful adventure! It’s not just about the end product but the joy and creativity that flow during the process. Engaging children in such hands-on activities is incredibly beneficial for their development, sparking their imagination and fine-tuning their motor skills. I see that in my nephews and nieces.
The idea of crafting playdough from scratch at home is a wonderful way to involve kids in a safe, creative, and educational activity. It’s a fantastic opportunity to teach them about mixing colors, understanding measurements, and even a bit of science as they watch simple ingredients transform into something new and exciting.
For anyone looking to create lasting memories and foster a love for creativity in their children, this activity is a must-try. It’s amazing how something as simple as playdough can become a gateway to endless possibilities in a child’s imagination.
And what’s even more impactful is that it’s a refreshing distraction from the tablets and phones that most kids are so engrossed in, and quite frankly, addicted to.
Would love to hear more about the specific recipes or creative playdough projects you’ve found to be a hit with the kids!
Hey Kevon, thank you for such a wonderful comment! You sure hit the nail on the head! We make playdough every week with the children, in our school, as it is rightly an excellent resource for kids to loose themselves in, finding new discoveries and manipulating the dough in so many different and wonderful ways.
Playing with playdough, can help advance their learning and the opportunity to use their hands which addresses fine motor skills. The children always love to volunteer in playdough making, as there is a science behind it, and it’s also a great activity too!
We make playdough weekly, using the same recipe within this post, as can you imagine the amount of kids that play with it, eventually either gets used up, disappears, or it’s had its day with over-use and being aired through out the day, but making your own would be just right for your kids, to use daily and simply store it in the fridge.
You will know when it’s time to throw it out when it keeps, breaking up and kind of looses its flexiblity.
I agree with you, we need some form of distraction for kids to focus on something three-dimensional, away from too much screen time, and something as simple as this would encourage brain development and open inventive doors, and experiences!
Generally, we will make unusual types of playdough, depending on the resources available, we have made chocolate dough by adding lots of chocolate powder, which gives this rich chocolate colour and yummy smell, although even if they are tempted to taste it, it’s not that pleasant because of the amount of salt that’s in it, but hey it will be a sensory experience, and they learn from it lol.
Once again thank you for you super comment.
Happy Crafting!
Julia. 😄
Hi Julia,
What a delightful adventure you’ve shared in making playdough with kids! The joy and creativity that flow during the process are indeed invaluable. Engaging children in such hands-on activities is not just about the end product; it’s about sparking their imagination and fine-tuning their motor skills. Your dedication to this in your school is commendable.
I can remember making a similar recipe as this in my childhood!
Making playdough from scratch at home is a fantastic opportunity to make learning fun. Teaching kids about mixing colors, understanding measurements, and witnessing the transformation of simple ingredients into something exciting is a beautiful way to combine education with creativity. It seems most of my color mixes always ended up purple!
It’s heartening to see how this activity gives the kids a refreshing distraction from the digital world, providing an engaging alternative. I appreciate your emphasis on creating lasting memories and fostering a love for creativity in children.
I’m curious to know more about specific recipes or creative playdough projects that you’ve found to be a hit with the kids. Any special twists or additional ingredients that bring an extra element of fun to the playdough-making process?
Hey Chas thanks for your super comment! This type of resource is quite unique and very under estimated!
The activity alone offers a wide range of learning skills, from measurments, mixing colours watching transformations,and as you rightly say ignighting their imagination,and creativity that inhand lead to the development of the childrens fine motor skills.
When mixing two colours together, at first the marbelling looks great, but when the playdough is manipulated, squished, rolled and moulded together again, you kind of loose its marbelling effect and it merges into one mass of colour! Why purple,is bizzare lol!
When I mixed the blue and pink together, I got purple too! Maybe stick to one colour, at least you know it won’t metamophosise into a strange purple!
As for unusual playdough mixes, well today we made a bright green playdough, with added herbs for slight texture, colour, aroma and generally enhancement!
For messy play outdoors, we made a mix of flour and baby oil, no colour just plain old neutral. It’s very crumbly, and has a divine scent. The texture is very crumbly and squiggy, and the kids just love to squash and smash it making an incredible mess everywhere then they would add run ducks, boats within it and water to liquify it!
My favourites are bright orange playdough with orange food flavouring, smell so citrusy,and has that summer feel to it, and lime-green with peppermint food flavouring so fresh,and exhilirating. It always smells kind of clean! if you use pepperment essential oil you have the anti-bacterial properties within it, combating bacteria, that of antiviral and fungicidal. This could be useful keeping the playdough clean-ish from childrens grubby hands lol!
So glad you enjoyed this easy activity to do, and for-ever lasting once you pop it in a sealable container in the fridge, that is if the kids, or you don’t wear it out firs!
Happy Crafting!
Julia.