Playdough has long been a favorite with children. Fun and malleable, it opens up a world of creativity for young ones everywhere.
Playdough was created by accident back in the 1930’s. It was invented as wallpaper cleaner but, over time, it was discovered that it also made a great clay for arts and crafts projects. It was soon marketed as Play-Doh and became a rousing success.
It is not unusual for parents to turn around and find their toddlers eating Playdough during play time. After all, toddlers will put almost anything in their mouth and with Playdough being soft, colorful, and often made into treats, well, one can see how eating it might be tempting.
If you find your child eating Playdough often, the good news is that most of it is nontoxic. However, this also depends on the ingredients. Playdough that is made in the U.K. contains ingredients that can be harmful if eaten in large amounts.
And even if the Playdough your child is using is harmless, few parents will want it to be the key component in their child’s diet. Also, it can be a choking hazard.
If you find your child constantly eating Playdough, you may feel better cooking it yourself. That way you can feel confident that it will be completely safe and digestible.
This playdough recipe is the cooked version, which uses cream of tartar. It tends to be smoother than the non-cooked playdough recipe, but it is more work and takes longer due to cooking and cooling. If you scroll down, you will also find a no-cook Playdough recipe which is easier to make.
Playdough is a long time favorite kids activity. The fact that the Playdough can be edible makes your child happier – they can snack on their creations. Try experimenting with our creations so that your child can actually eat that spaghetti or ice cream sandwich they created and you can enjoy worry free playtime for your child.
Playdough Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon oil
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
Food coloring by drops
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a pan and stir. Cook over low heat, stirring until a ball forms.
2. Add food coloring and mix thoroughly until desired color.
3. Cool on foil. Store in covered container.
No-Cook Playdough Recipe
This is an easier version of a playdough recipe, there is no cooking involved.
Ingredients:
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup water
2 Tablespoons oil
A few drops of food coloring
Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients very well and store in plastic bag or covered jar.
The next three recipes are each an edible playdough recipe , especially fun for small children because they can eat the dough. Use raisins, Cheerios, or small candies to decorate the creations, then enjoy!
Peanut Butter Playdough Recipe
Ingredients:
18 oz. peanut butter
6 Tablespoons honey
Nonfat dry milk
Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients with enough nonfat dry milk to form into a workable dough.
Homemade Playdough Recipe
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
1 1/4 cups powdered milk
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
Directions:
1. Mix until dough reaches proper consistency for molding.
This playdough recipe needs to be baked sculpting has finished because of the raw egg in the recipe.
Edible Playdough Recipe
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 package dry yeast
1 egg
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups flour
Directions:
1. Stir yeast in 1 1/2 cups of very warm water until dissolved.
2. Mix in egg, honey, shortening, and salt. Stir in flour a little at a time until makes a ball.
3. Knead 5 minutes. Make flat figures on cookie sheet. Cover with towel 25 minutes. Bake 20 minutes in 350 degree oven.
Read This Before Letting Your Child Play With Edible Playdough
Edible playdough may seem like a God-send to those with children who like to try to eat the non-edible kind. However, there are a couple of things you'll want to keep in mind before letting your child snack on our edible playdough. Take a look.
First, you'll want to be sure your child understands the difference between edible and non-edible playdough. While Play-Doh is non-toxic, it still isn't good for your child to eat it. They should be able to distinguish the playdough they can eat and they playdough they cannot eat. If your child is too young to understand this, make sure the non-edible playdough is kept out of their reach when not in use. While they use it, supervise them to be sure they don't eat it.
Second, your child can still get sick if they eat too much edible playdough! While a normal amount is fine for your child to eat, eating too much could lead to an upset stomach. It could also leave your child feeling too full for their actual meals, which are important for a balanced diet. Make sure your child only eats the amount of edible playdough that comes in one batch. If you make multiple batches at once, only allow them to eat one at a time.
With some time and effort, you can have a great batch of either non-edible or edible homemade playdough on your hands! Your child will love playing with homemade playdough just as much as the store bought, but you can rest assured knowing they're playing with something with known ingredients. Monitor your child to make sure they don't eat too much, and enjoy!