The wonders of playdough

Enjoyed by young and old alike, playdough is a fabulous resource that many baby and toddler groups use for tactile play. They may not, however, be fully aware of all the developmental opportunities it presents, both there and at home.  

In the ��’s role supporting baby and toddler groups, we often hear about the anxiety associated with potential mess, cost, safety, and what they are expected to ‘do’ with it – all legitimate fears that can be overcome. 

While baby and toddler groups aren’t required to follow the EYFS Framework, it’s nevertheless a handy tool for understanding the seven core areas of children’s learning and how, as adults, we can help with this.   

Playdough supports personal, social and emotional development by helping children: 

Engage in quieter, calmer and more reflective play in a busy world where they can explore their own emotions and feelings 

Learn to share resources, starting to become aware of the needs of others and to negotiate  

Build resilience and perseverance – overcoming challenges and adjusting ideas when things don’t quite go to plan 

Playdough supports communication and language by helping children: 

Learn and practise new vocabulary, especially action and description words  

Develop the language of thinking – what, why and where, bringing the ideas in their mind to life  

Build narratives – sharing their stories and explanations  

Develop social skills – learning how to communicate with others in play 

Playdough supports physical development by helping children: 

Develop fine motor skills through rolling and squeezing dough, which can support later writing skills 

Develop gross motor skills and muscle strength, boosting their confidence to join in with play  

Build core strength and maintain their sense of balance  

Coordinate movement in different parts of their bodies 

Playdough supports literacy by helping children: 

Support fine motor skills for later writing skills, including through mark-making in playdough using tools, other toys or hand 

Make up stories with playdough and sharing these together 

Learn to follow instructions  

Playdough supports mathematics by helping children: 

Measure quantities and learn/practise mathematical language: big, small, heavy and light 

Create and name both 2D and 3D shapes together 

Build on and practise their counting skills: balls of dough or cups of flour 

Playdough supports expressive arts and design by helping children: 

Express themselves: playdough can be anything or nothing at all, as the process is more important than the product 

Share their ideas and learn about symbolic thinking through playing pretend

Playdough supports understanding the world by helping children: 

Develop their thinking about how the dough changes and reacts when they play with it 

Experience different textures, colours and scents that stimulate their senses  

Playdough doesn’t have to be an expensive resource – you can make it yourself! Here, we’ve included a few of our favourite recipes to share with you. These can be enhanced by adding scents and colouring that are safe to use if you wish. You can also offer tools or other resources, such as shells or pinecones, to enhance the activity.   

NB: Please be careful with aromatherapy oils as some can be skin irritants 

Cleaning tips for homemade playdough: soak tools/equipment in hot water for a few minutes to dissolve; if it gets onto the floor, it can be swept up or, once dried, vacuumed. 

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This recipe needs to be made by an adult and given time to cool before it can be played with. 

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2 cups of flour 
1 cup of table salt 
2 tsp cream of tartar 
1 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil 
2 cups of boiling water (adult) 
Safe to use scent or food colouring of your choice if you wish

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In a bowl, combine the flour, salt and cream of tartar, and mix well 
Add in the oil 
If you’re using them, mix a few drops of food colouring and scent into the bowl 
Carefully add the boiling water 
Mix everything together well and, once cooled, knead with your hands until no longer sticky (add more flour as needed) 
Once it’s fully cooled, put in an airtight container and store in the fridge

Cold water and salt free playdough 

This recipe is a fun way to get children involved in making their own playdough. It doesn’t last as long, but it’s safer for children to make themselves and is great for extending children’s learning and development via the process.  

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2 cups of plain flour 
½ cup vegetable oil 
1 cup cold water 
Food colouring if desired

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In a large bowl, add oil to the flour and mix  
If you are using food colouring add this to the water first and then pour the water into the bowl with the flour and oil 
Stir well and then tip out and knead bringing the dough together into a ball 
The great thing about this recipe is that if it’s a bit too wet, add a bit more flour; if it’s too dry, add a bit more water 
Have fun and when you’ve finished playing keep it in an airtight container – but be aware it won’t keep as long

Gluten-free playdough 

Sometimes we need a gluten-free playdough for our children. With this recipe, you may find you need to add more flour/conditioner until you get the dough consistency right.  

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1 cup hair conditioner

2 cups cornflour 
Food colouring, if you want to make your dough a different colour

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Mix together the conditioner and cornflour in a bowl 
If you want to add food colouring, do this while mixing 
Keep stirring until it comes together as a lump 
Knead until smooth 
Keep in an airtight container as it doesn't keep as well

Activities

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