Messy Play Recipes

Creative recipes for messy play fun!  Enjoy the chaos of a messy kitchen and messy little hands and fingers and make your husband clean up afterward!  Pouring, mixing, and kneading are great ways to strengthen the hands and build fine motor skills.  Getting messy is also a great way to develop your child’s tactile skills.  These recipes are great because each offers a unique texture for your child to explore.

Oatmeal Playdough
Ingredients:

• flour – 1 cup
• oatmeal – 2 cups
• water – 1 cup

Directions:

• Mix the oatmeal and flour in a bowl
• Slowly add water to mixture
• Knead the mixture until it is well combined
• Add some coffee grounds or cornmeal to create different textures (this recipe tends to be pretty sticky.  The coffee grounds or cornmeal help to reduce the stickiness.)

Peanut Butter Playdough
Ingredients:

• peanut butter – 3.5 cups
• dry milk – 4 cups
• sugar – 4 cups
• honey – 3.5 cups

Directions:

• Mix the peanut butter and sugar in a bowl
• Beat in the honey and milk powder until smooth
• Add food coloring if desired

Unfortunately, this playdough does not last.  You should keep it for one day only.

Kool-Aid Playdough
Ingredients:

• flour – 1 to 2 cups
• boiling water – 1 cup
• corn oil – 3 tbsp
• salt – 0.5 cups
• Koolaid – 1 package

Directions:

• Mix dry ingredients
• Add boiling water
• Mix throughly
• Knead the flour and other ingredients until very well mixed (once cool, your kids can definitely help with this part)
• Add additional flour to create the thickness of your liking

You can store this playdough in the refrigerator for repeated use!

Goop
Ingredients:

• One part liquid starch
• Two parts white glue
• Food coloring

Directions:

• Slowly drip the starch into the glue until mixture becomes a workable ball.

You can add a drop of glue if it is too stringy or add more starch if it is too hard.  Best if chilled for 2-3 hours before play.

Store in refrigerator in a covered container.
 



Silly Putty
Ingredients:

• Glue (wood glue or white glue)
• Epsom salts
• Water

Directions:

• In a cup, stir 1/2 tsp Epsom salt and 1/2 tsp water
• In a second cup, put 1 tablespoon glue
• Add the salt water to the glue and stir
• After the putty forms, pull it out and place it on waxed paper
• Store in a plastic bag in a refrigerator, keep off carpets and furniture

Edible Slime
Ingredients:

• 14- ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tbsp of cornstarch
• 10-15 drops of food coloring

Directions:

• Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a saucepan
• Add the cornstarch and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly
• When the mixture thickens remove it from the heat and then add the food coloring.
• Allow it to cool before playing

Try them all!  I’d love to hear which one was your favorite!

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