Around each holiday I enjoy doing small projects with my daughter to get her into the spirit. She happens to really love Valentine’s Day which makes everything all the more fun. Not only will she have fun playing with this playdough in the coming weeks, but she had fun making it with me.
Playdough is extremely beneficial to improving children’s fine motor skills. It is also extremely beneficial to their cognitive development. It can help calm them in stressful situations and stimulate creativity. It also gives them a sense of accomplishment and is a safe outlet for extra energy.
This playdough recipe is perfect for holidays because you can easily pick a different flavor of jello to change the color and/or the scent. We added vanilla essential oil to make this smell more creamy; however, you can omit it and just enjoy the strawberry. Beware that adding the essential oil does make the playdough unsafe for ingesting so make sure to watch that your littles are not putting it in their mouths.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup salt
- 3oz package of strawberry jello
- 1 T cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1 T canola oil
- 20 drops vanilla essential oil
Method:
- Mix together flour, salt, jello and cream of tartar.
- Stir in boiling water – be very careful.
- Add canola oil and essential oil and knead until well mixed.
- Allow to cool for 15 minutes before play.
- Store in an airtight container.
- If the playdough starts to dry out knead in a tablespoon or two of hot water to soften.
The Petite Homestead 