How to easily make homemade plasticine?

You would like to make play dough yourself so that you can give your child something you can trust. A product for which you know the safety of all the ingredients in it. Here's everything you need to know before, during and after making homemade play dough at home.

Video by Clara Poudevigne

Because kids love to do creative activities and crafts, but most of all kids love plasticine, here are the recipes and tips for making soft, pretty, delicious smelling and… edible modeling clay.

The ultra-simple homemade plasticine recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of white flour (120g)
  • 1/4 cup of fine salt (20 g)
  • 2 tablespoon of edible baking soda (10 g) (or cream of tartar)
  • 1 tablespoon of neutral oil (rapeseed or sunflower for example)
  • 1 cup of cold water (20 cl)

Warning: the cream of tartar often recommended in homemade plasticine recipes is very expensive and can easily be replaced with baking soda.

The recipe step by step

  1. In a saucepan combine the flour, baking soda and salt
  2. Add the oil and cold water (+ optional coloring)
  3. Stir with a whisk
  4. Cook without stopping stirring (not too hard). The dough will gradually detach from the wall until it forms a ball.
  5. Let cool before kneading the dough for a few minutes
  6. (If you want to add aromas or glitters, now is the time)

(Immediately soak the pan at the end of cooking … friend's advice)

Be careful with cooking: neither too much nor too little if you want to obtain the perfect texture.

How to pimp homemade plasticine?

Add colors

You can add color to your homemade play dough using liquid or powdered food coloring (better). Pay attention to the dosage, if you put too much dye it will not be absorbed by the dough and may discolor on the fingers and the work surface. With the liquid dye, a few drops are enough.

Do you prefer natural dyes? Try paprika, curry, or even beetroot or spinach juice

Add perfumes

For a homemade play dough that smells great, you can use essential oils or extracts (natural or artificial).

How about matching colors and smells?
Why not perfume your yellow plasticine with lemon essential oils,
blue plasticine with essential oil of violet or lavender,
green plasticine with mint extract,
white plasticine with coconut oil,
red plasticine with strawberry extract,
and for the orange plasticine, orange blossom water

Add shine

To make your play dough shine, simply add some glitter in prep step 6.

How to store homemade plasticine?

Surprisingly, homemade plasticine keeps very well. Once the game is over, put it in an airtight container, you can then keep it for almost 6 months in the refrigerator. On the other hand, at room temperature, it will dry in a few weeks.

If you find the too sticky dough, add a little flour and knead it so that it regains its basic texture.

Is your dough too dry? you may have overcooked it. Try to lengthen it with a little water and repeat there.

To do also with children
Homemade Slime Recipe Without Glue
Salt dough recipe
Crafts on the theme of animals to make with the children
DIY to do with the family while waiting for Christmas
Super easy Christmas recipes to make with children

The benefits of homemade plasticine

There you have it, you have made edible modeling clay (if you used baking soda) for your child. No need to worry if your children are snacking in their plasticine.

Here's a two-in-one activity. Your baby or your child can help you make this DIY to create his dough. Then it's up to him to play and create for long hours! Whether he prefers to sculpt a dragon, write the alphabet, build a boat or represent the flag of France with its 3 colors … He will be so proud to have done it himself. Play doh and Fimo just have to behave …



© Getty

Video by stupefy