Easy Homemade Play Dough Recipe

This easy gingerbread play dough recipe is the best and perfect to whip up to use in your home or classroom because there is no heat required! It has the perfect consistency and makes the whole house smell so good!

Aniston is obsessed with Play-Doh at the moment. We’ve had plenty of fun with a few of the kits you can buy, but I’m not a fan of the way it smells and the residue it leaves on your fingers. Plus Aniston LOVES to get up on the counter and cook with me. I’ve come up with a Homemade Gingerbread Play Dough recipe that we really love. Yes, it’s a little Christmas-sy but I plan to use this recipe year round. It smells delicious, is quick to mix up and you most likely have the items already at home to make it. There is no heat involved so Aniston can dig right in and get her hands dirty doughy.

Homemade Gingerbread Play Dough

1 Cup of Flour
1/2 Cup of Salt
1/2 Tbsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Tbsp. Ground Ginger
1/2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup of Water

(If you wanted to leave out the cinnamon and ginger you could make regular play dough. You may want to add a drop or two of food coloring to add interest. I have used this same recipe to make apple pie play dough using apple pie spice in place of the ginger and cinnamon!)

Toddlers love to measure, pour, and stir so try to let them be involved as much as possible.

After we finished mixing it up, I pulled Aniston’s little white table out and filled it with rolling pins and cookie cutters.

She was in awe of the Gingerbread Man chant and was constantly singing, “Run! Run! Fast as you can! You can’t catch me… I’m the Gingerbread Man!”

(Love the little cutie in the background of this one!)

We didn’t wrap the first batch up too good so a couple days later Aniston was more than happy to make it again.

(Hint: Wrap with plastic wrap tightly and store in air-tight container.)

Excuse the crazy outfit but if we are staying at home I have a rule that Aniston can dress as she likes. 🙂

The next day Aniston’s cousin came to play. Who knew you could keep two busy toddlers entertained for an hour so easily? I think it’s definitely worth the trouble to make and clean up!

What about you? Have you ever tried homemade play dough? This would be a great activity to try in your classroom. I will definitely be saving this in my December box for next year!