You don’t need to be a preschool toddler to enjoy mixing colors and scents with easy homemade playdough! This 5 minute scented playdough is made with simple ingredients. A few drops of food coloring and your favorite essential oils can turn pantry staples into a fun learning activity!

Play is important. So is learning. Whip up this easy 5 minute scented playdough recipe and learn colors, shapes, numbers, letters… or enjoy open-ended play, you name it!

Easy 3 minute scented homemade playdough recipe for quick toddler sensory activity.

Have fun learning at home with sensory play that stimulates hand eye coordination for younger children.

Older children can help make playdough. What a fun family craft they can help create!

5 Minute Scented Playdough Recipe

Incredibly soft, beautifully scented playdough takes minutes to make and provides months of play time! Mix and blend colors as you learn with this fun sensory activity. Great for all ages.

Prep Time5

Keyword: playdough, sensory, toddler

Materials

1 cup flour
½ cup salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tbsp oil vegetable, olive, mineral
1 cup water
food coloring optional
essential oils optional

Instructions

In a pan over medium heat stir the flour, salt and cream of tartar together.
Stir in the oil then the water. Mix with a spoon the best you can.
Heat until thickened. Just a minute or so.
Once cool enough to handle, use your hands to knead the dough a bit. Divide as desired for different colors or scents.
To each piece of slightly flattened dough place a couple drops of color and scent into the center. Fold the dough over and gently press down. Fold over again and press, fold and press, fold and press… The color should be distributing nicely within the dough and not your hands.

Notes

Use a microwave as an alternative to using the stove top.

Simply mix the ingredients in a medium sized microwave proof bowl and cook on high for 30 seconds. Stir and cook another 30 seconds.

Stir really well. If the dough is still too soft cook again in 10 second intervals until slightly thickened.

Caution as over cooking can lead to a crumbly dough.

To help remove food coloring stains from hands-

Remove as much food coloring from your hands as possible by means of warm soap and water first. Dip a paper towel into vinegar (white or apple cider vinegar should do the trick) and use it to dab away remaining coloring.

Don’t worry about the remaining stains as they will fade in the next 48 hours. Wear your crafting badge proudly!

Use Kool-aid to color & scent your homemade playdough

As an alternative to essential oils and food coloring you can easily fold Kool-aid into your dough. The playdough may smell good enough to eat but the salt content should deter even the most curious.

Can I make playdough without salt?

Some DIY playdough recipes do not call for salt but the salt adds to the consistency and acts as a preservative. The alternative would be to add lemon juice or vinegar. I personally prefer salt.

Ways to play with your scented playdough

printable playdough mats for structured activities such as tracing the alphabet
learning primary, secondary and tertiary colors by supervised blending
make “fossils” by pressing leaves or figurines on top on top.

selection of toys for open ended play…
silicone molds
cookie cutters
rolling pin
mini figurines
glitter
spoons and forks to make fun imprints
googly-eyes
stamps
buttons
“gems” or rocks

The list can go on forever…

How to store DIY playdough

Keep playdough properly stored in an airtight container when not in use and it can last for months depending on how hard you play with it. Clean hands and toys will keep your colors brighter for longer.

I keep mine in a gallon ziplock bag. Yup, all of them. All colors rolled into their own balls, nestled side by side stored for yet another day.