
Soft play dough is a versatile toy that can be enjoyed by children of all ages. It is easy to make and requires only a few basic ingredients, so it is perfect for busy parents who want to make something special for their children but don’t have time to spend hours in the kitchen. Whether you’re looking for a quick and easy project to do with the kids or an activity that can be used over and over again, soft play dough is a great option. In this article, we will teach you how to make soft play dough step-by-step.
Making play dough for children is very easy and children with all ages love to play with this dough. All you need to do is get the ingredients and few colors you child likes and make it. There are also many benefits for children to play with dough. Just ask them to make alphabets, numbers, shapes, toys and many things which while learning the kid enjoys as well. But at the same time it is important to make sure that you use safe ingredients to make this because you don’t want it to harm you child’s skin anyway. Check if the colors you are using are safe. So add food color only so that even if your kid keeps her hand in mouth, nothing harms her.
Make Soft Play Dough At Home

Few Examples to Make With Dough:
- Children can make alphabets, numbers, shapes, etc. and learn about them as well.
- Ask them to make scenery using the dough. Let them imagine and do it.
- How about making animals, birds, insects, etc.?
- They can much more things like making fruits, lollipops, food items, rainbow etc.
- How about making a beautiful and colorful garden?
This way kids can put their imaginations on the table with colorful dough. Try giving her dough with as many colors as possible and you will see the glow in her face. Your kid will improve a lot by learning many things this way.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour or maida
- ½ cup of salt
- 1 cup of lukewarm water
- 2 tablespoons of any oil
- Containers to store the prepared dough
Method to Prepare Dough:

- I am going to make dough of two colors, one is yellow and the other is little orange colored.
- Take a bowl and add two tablespoons of any oil of your choice. Add 1 cup of all-purpose flour which is also called as maida to the oil. Add ½ cup of salt and 1 cup of lukewarm water.
- Mix the ingredients well till it looks like mashed potatoes.
- Keep this mixture aside and let it cool down a bit.
- Choose a food color to add to this dough. I chose yellow food color and added to this dough.
- Mix it well with hands to ensure proper mixture of the color in the dough.
- I added some turmeric powder to change the color of this dough. It will give you a different shade of color or you can say orange color.
- Do not add too much of turmeric powder since it will stain you kid’s hands a lot and you will end up washing it.
- Knead the ingredients well to make it soft dough. I got the dough in two colors.
- Fill this dough in the container and give it to your kid to play with it. Let her play and make things with it.
Since making dough is very easy, if your kid reached an age at which she knows how to handle things, then let her make the dough herself. Sit with her add all the ingredients and ask her to help you in mixing them. You can mix all the ingredients yourself and in the final step just give her colors to mix in the dough. She will definitely enjoy mixing colors in the dough.
By now, you know that making soft play dough is not an arduous task. All you need is a handful of ingredients and some time to make it. Moreover, if needed, we can also send the dough for special treatment so that it becomes more durable and does not collapse easily.
To conclude, feel free to try out these simple steps at home and create some lovely play toys in no time!
Frequently Asked Questions
How does play dough help a child’s development?
Your children are actually strengthening their little hands as they form play dough into various shapes. The activities of squishing, rolling, flattening, and more aid in the development of the hand muscles needed for future fine motor tasks like holding a pencil or using scissors.
How is playdough a sensory activity?
Children benefit greatly from the sensory and educational benefits of playdough. Your child is using creativity as they form the playdough into a ball or a snake. The pulling, pinching, and squeezing motions also help your child’s hands become stronger and improve their fine motor abilities.
What is play dough made of?
Hasbro, the company currently in charge of making Play-Doh, claims that it is primarily made of a combination of water, salt, and flour, but according to the 2004 US patent, it also contains water, a starch-based binder, a retrogradation inhibitor, salt, lubricant, surfactant, preservative, hardener, humectant, fragrance, and colour.