Playdough

One of the best Sensory Play activities is Playdough!!  It is easy to find, or make, and it is easy to use!  It is also a great workout for the hand and finger muscles, also known as Fine Motor Skills!  It also opens the door to so much imaginative play and keeps kids entertained for a long time!  Zach, my three-year-old, LOVES when I pull out the Playdough!  I keep it in a plastic shoe box along with plastic knives, forks, spoons, a rolling pin, cookie cutters, and anything else I think would be fun to manipulate the dough with.  I found really cool animal cookie cutters (pictured above) at IKEA.  I've also picked up old cookie cutters at Deseret Industries (a local thrift store) and other odds and ends for Zach to use.  Lately we've been using store-bought Playdough because it is cheap and easy to pick up when we run out.  Someone once told me if you think of Playdough as a one-time use it is less stressful.  Though we usually use it more than once, thinking that way really does take the stress out, and if I have to throw it away I know I can pick up another container for around $1 at Walmart.  I've also heard the suggestion of putting an old blanket under the play area, and then when playtime is over you simply fold up the blanket and shake all the little crumbs off outside.  It definitely makes it a little easier to clean up that way.  Now, if you have a younger child who puts everything in his/her mouth, store bought playdough may not be for you.  Zach ate EVERYTHING for a very long time, so I made my own until he was almost three.  I found a great website , Playdough Recipes.org, that gives about 15 different recipes for making your own, including Jello Playdough, Pumpkin Pie Playdough, and even Gluten-Free Playdough.  If you want to make Peanut Butter Playdough, I like this recipe the best.    

Here is the recipe I use:

2 1/1 cups flour

1/2 cup salt

1 T. alum

2 cups boiling water

2 T. vegetable oil

food coloring

Boil the water, vegetable oil an food coloring.  Remove from heat.  Stir in the dry ingredients until moist, then kneed.  Refrigerate in an air-tight container.

(If you don't want to use artificial food coloring, or you want to have fun experimenting along with your child, you can try these "natural" food coloring recipes.  I've done a few and they work okay.  I prefer regular food coloring though, it makes brighter colors!)

So, what are you waiting for?  Go get (or make) some playdough and have some old fashioned (and educational) fun with your kids!