Here are 5 fairytale-inspired playdough recipes to try, perfect for at home and in school. There’s pumpkin, gingerbread, porridge, green pea & bean and turnip!
Homemade playdough is a great sensory play material. It’s wonderfully versatile, as well as quick, easy and relatively inexpensive to make.
One of the lovely things about making it yourself is being able to add, and experiment with, extra sensory elements, such as colours, smells and texture and these recipes do just that!
Homemade playdough should keep for weeks if wrapped up well in a plastic bag or airtight container.
I find that adding spices to the playdough can dry it out a bit more than usual so to make it last as long as possible, I wrap the playdough in a plastic bag first before popping it in an airtight container.
To revive playdough that looks like it is drying out, simply spray it with some water and knead.
**Please make sure children are supervised whilst playing with play dough. Some children (like mine used to do!) will have a go at eating it, and whilst they usually spit it out as it’s very salty, it’s something to keep an eye on!
So, have lots of fun with these fairytale-inspired playdough recipes – I wonder what fairytale adventures you will have with them?!
Fairytale-inspired Playdough Recipe 1
You will need:
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup salt
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
Making Instructions:
- Put all the ingredients in a pan and heat gently – stirring all the time with a wooden spoon.
- The play dough will gradually come away from the sides of the pan to form a large ball. This will take around 5 minutes or so.
- Be careful not to ‘cook’ the play dough for too long as it will firm up as it cools.
- Once the playdough has formed a ball, turn off the heat. Leave the playdough to cool down a little before taking it out of the pan and placing it on a clean surface. If it is a little sticky then just add a little bit of flour.
- Knead the playdough for a couple of minutes until it becomes smooth.
Fairytale-inspired Playdough Recipe 2
You will need:
- 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
- 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar
- 1 cup of plain flour
- 1/2 cup of salt
- orange food colouring
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix – see recipe below *.
* Pumpkin Spice Mix
- 2tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1tbsp ground ginger
- 1/2tbsp allspice
- 1/2tbsp ground cloves
- 1tsp ground nutmeg
Mix ingredients together in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container.
These quantities make more pumpkin spice mix than you’ll need for the playdough but also makes delicious flavouring for biscuits! I’ve popped a biscuit recipe below the pumpkin playdough instructions.
Making Instructions:
- Put all the ingredients in a pan and heat gently – stirring all the time with a wooden spoon.
- The play dough will gradually come away from the sides of the pan to form a large ball. This will take around 5 minutes or so.
- Be careful not to ‘cook’ the play dough for too long as it will firm up as it cools.
- Once the playdough has formed a ball, turn off the heat. Leave the playdough to cool down a little before taking it out of the pan and placing it on a clean surface. If it is a little sticky then just add a little bit of flour.
- Knead the playdough for a couple of minutes until it becomes smooth.
Pumpkin Spice Biscuits
Ingredients
- 100g (4oz) butter
- 150g (5oz) caster sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 225g (80z) plain flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice mix (see above)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180⁰C (350⁰F), Gas mark 4. Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and beat in well.
- Stir in the flour and pumpkin spice and mix to a fairly firm dough.
- Knead lightly on a lightly floured surface and roll out the dough until about 0.5cm (1/4 inch) rounds with a biscuit cutter.
- Place on to the baking trays and bake for about 15 minutes until lightly browned and firm to touch.
- Transfer to wire racks to cool.
- Store in an airtight container.
Fairytale-inspired Playdough Recipe 3
Green Bean & Pea Playdough
You will need:
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup salt
- 2 tablespoon cream of tartar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- green food colouring
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup dried green split peas
Making Instructions:
- Mix together the flour, salt, cream of tartar and oil in a large mixing bowl.
- Add 5-10 drops of green food colouring to the boiling water.
- Add the boiling water to the other ingredients in the bowl.
- Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until well combined. Continue stirring until it starts to come away from the sides of the bowl and form a ball.
- Put the playdough onto a flat surface and knead until it’s smooth.
- Sprinkle the split peas onto a flat surface and knead them into the playdough.
Fairytale-inspired Playdough Recipe 4
Porridge Playdough
You will need:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup salt
- 2 rounded tablespoons cream of tartar
- 2 rounded tablespoons of cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cup of water
- 2 tablespoons of vanilla
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 1 cup of oats
Making Instructions:
- Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar and cinnamon in a bowl.
- Heat the water, vanilla extract and vegetable oil over a medium heat in a large pan.
- When liquids are beginning to boil, add in the dry ingredients. Stir the mixture well with a wooden spoon.
- Continue stirring until the play dough begins to come away from the sides of the pan to form a large ball. This will take around 5 minutes or so.
- Be careful not to ‘cook’ the play dough for too long as it will firm up as it cools.
- Once the playdough has formed a ball, turn off the heat. Leave the playdough to cool down a little before taking it out of the pan and placing it on a clean surface. If it is a little sticky then just add a little bit of flour.
- Knead the playdough for a couple of minutes until it becomes smooth.
- Sprinkle the oats onto a flat surface and gradually work them into the playdough.
Fairytale-inspired Playdough Recipe 5
Turnip Playdough
You will need:
- 11/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup salt
- 2 tbsp cream of tartar
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 cup boiling water
- turnip
- foil
Making Instructions:
- Using a fork, prick some holes in the turnip (this helps it bake quicker) and wrap it in tinfoil and roast at 180⁰C (350⁰F), Gas mark 4, for about 50 minutes, or till soft. Leave it to cool. Once the turnip has cooled down, scoop out the soft centre and pop in a small bowl. Mash the turnip with a fork.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, salt, cream of tartar and oil.
- Add the boiling water and mashed turnip to the other ingredients in the bowl.
- Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until well combined. Continue stirring until it starts to come away from the sides of the bowl and form a ball.
- Put the playdough onto a flat surface and knead until it’s smooth.
I really hope you have fun with these fairytale-inspired playdough recipes.
For more playdough ideas, have a look at my blog on playdough play and for more fairytale-inspired activities, why not have a look at my blogs on growing fairytale vegetables and fairytale arts and crafts. Each vegetable and arts and crafts activity is linked to a fairytale or nursery rhyme!
LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH
Enjoy a FREE fun fairytale-themed Children’s Activity Pack, full of lovely creative things to do, delivered straight to your inbox every month, along with the latest Another World Costume news and updates and offers!
Leave a Reply