Are you looking for a craft to enjoy with your kids? My daughter is twenty months old and still in the ‘put everything in her mouth stage’. I have wanted to let her play in play dough for the past couple of months, but was fearful that she would put it in her mouth like she does everything else that fits in there. So I got on line to do a little research to find the easiest homemade play dough recipe out there and some of the benefits of letting her get into some creative play.
According to familyeducation.com (fun.familyeducation.com/games/29698.html) play dough has enormous benefits and it is one of the best toys for kids to play with. It gives children a chance to get creative and build small motor skills in the hands and finger muscles; it is also great stress relief for all ages!
In fact it is proven that the simplest toys and crafts actually work those creative muscles much more than the high-priced electronic gadgets that are all the rage. In most toys with flashing lights, sounds, buttons children are just responding by pushing buttons or seeing what happens next. The more a toy can do, the less your child has to. So next time you are thinking of spending big bucks to replace an expensive toy your child has grown bored with, pull out the blocks, dolls, or play dough for more creative fun.
So now that we know the creative attributes of play dough I am going to share a recipe for edible play dough I found on howtodothings.com. I think that the safe consumption of this simple creative toy is extremely important because it adds the benefit of an additional sensory organ which makes play time more memorable for your little one.
So after much research I found an incredibly simple way to make play dough at home that is yummy, now when I say this is an easy recipe I mean easy. There are only 3 ingredients to the play dough I found on howtodothings.com and 2 optional ones that I strongly recommend. This is what you will need:
1/2 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 hot water
Now all you need to do is mix these together by hand. The whole process should take less than five minutes to make. Now the additional ingredients are completely optional, but I think definitely worth it.
Just add some creamy peanut butter, cream cheese, or honey to add flavor to the play dough that kids love. To give it all a little more pizzazz you can add different food colors. I’m sure this is a fun craft your kids can enjoy for years!
