Crafts and Activities

While we do love a good snow day and spending as much time as possible out in the cold, fluffy crystals, the cold temperatures usually brings us back inside where we want to cozy up in warm clothing and sip hot chocolate. And too much time cooped up inside in the winter months makes everyone a little stir crazy! Keep fun projects like this Hot Cocoa Playdough up your sleeve for those cold weather moments when you need something special for the kids to keep them happy and warm inside.

Not only does this play dough smell amazing, it can be used just like the store-bought version to roll out, cut, press, shape, and mold to your heart’s content. All children need a sensory-rich play environment in order to to develop neural pathways and improve hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. And all of that pushing and pulling and pressing is fantastic sensory feedback if your child is struggling with emotional regulation today. In addition, proprioceptive feedback is so important and helps kids with sensory integration struggles understand their place in space and feel safe. This kind of feedback is basically just pressure on the joints, bones, and tendons which is communicated to the brain and helps the brain process position and motion information to improve balance, coordination, and comfort.  So not only is play dough fun play time it’s also powerful occupational therapy from the comfort of your dining room table!

Ingredients for Hot Cocoa Playdough

• 1 cup flour
• 1⁄2 cup salt
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 Tbsp cream of tartar
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Supplies Needed to Make Play Dough

• medium saucepan
• spoon or spatula
• parchment paper

How to Make Hot Cocoa Playdough

1. Gather all the ingredients needed.
2. Add the dry ingredients to the saucepan and stir to combine.
3. Add the water and oil to the dry mixture.
4. Place saucepan over medium heat and stir to combine.
5. Stir frequently for 4-5 minutes until it’s pulling away from the sides and a dough ball forms.
6. Take the pan off the heat and place the dough on a piece of parchment paper to begin cooling.
7. Once the dough is completely cooled, it’s time to play.

Frequently Asked Questions

How should homemade play dough be stored?

Store in a container with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator. Using a plastic zipper bag (the easy choice) will cause the playdough to dry out since it is not airtight.

How long will homemade playdough keep?

Properly stored, homemade play dough will keep for at a least a couple of weeks and may keep for up to three months. You’ll want to keep an eye on it for dryness or signs of spoilage such as mold. 

Is the Hot Cocoa Play Dough Taste Safe?

While it is not toxic, it does have a high ratio of salt and shouldn’t be consumed. It also isn’t likely to taste that great, so a small bite taken in spite of parental warnings should be off-putting enough for most kids to end the behavior. If your child just cannot resist, maybe use our taste-safe Cool Whip Playdough recipe instead.

What to Add to your Hot Cocoa Playdough for Maximum Fun

• Cookie Cutters. Snowflakes, stockings, trees, mugs or teacups, and wintery things would be perfect.
• Rolling Pin. Every good playdough bin needs a rolling pin to roll the dough flat. I’m actually a fan of this full playdough tool set because it seems to hold up well.
• Marshmallows. I know it’s a recipe for messy play, but every good cup of hot chocolate has a marshmallow or two. Add the jumbo size to your playtime with playdough, and just know you might have to throw some of it out when it all gets mushed together. 
• The cups from a Play Tea Set. This is fun because your kids can make “cups of hot chocolate” and serve them. It encourages pretend play, which is so valuable for language development and imagination.

How to Keep the Mess Minimal

I have heard many parents say they just don’t get out the play dough or the sensory bins because they can’t handle the mess. I can relate to that. Some days messes are just adding to the hard! However, if we never provide our kids with sensory rich play, that’s a problem too. Here are some tips to help minimize your mess and maximize the benefits.

Use a vinyl tablecloth. These are easy to clean up. Just take them off the table by folding them up into a ball, and then go outside and shake them off. Or, just wipe them up with a damp papertowel and throw away any leftover playdough bits. These are actually handy for all kinds of crafts! 

Teach kids how to collect playdough bits easily. Just take a small ball of play dough and smush it onto the little bits scattered about and it sticks together and makes clean up fast! I have seen three and four year olds do this voluntarily after classroom playdough play because Mom or Dad made it a routine game everytime the play dough came out. Little kids can do this!

Expect your kids to help with clean up and be responsible. Have them look around the floor after play time to see if any small bits of dough have escaped the table.

Make group clean-up a routine, not a random event that only happens when you’re stressed. Every single time the messy play activities happen (crafts, playdough, slime, etc.), clean-up is a team effort. If you always clean up after your child they never learn and this teamwork encourages responsibility over sloppiness. My mom always taught me that “many hands make light work” and it’s something I passed along to my own kids too.

You’ve seen this in the store, and have probably had children begging for them in the aisles, but did you know it’s actually easy and fun to make your own water beads stress ball at home? You’ll have stress relief ready in minutes and the supplies to make more as needed with minimal cost. As your child squeezes and releases the ball, the water beads move around and expand the balloon in curious ways. They are so fun to play with! 

What does a Water Beads Stress Ball do?

When you have nervous energy or stress, having something to do with your hands can be a life saver. It gives you something to focus on besides whatever you are anxious about. Squeezing the ball can be hard work, and will actually build grip strength, in addition to being therapeutic. Repetitive motion helps give the brain a chance to relax.

The tactile, bumpy nature of the textured water beads stress ball provides a distraction from ruminating thoughts and helps a person stay grounded in the present moment through sensory feedback.

This homemade version looks amazing and complicated, but it is actually really simple to make. Tweens and teens can easily get in on the excitement and make their own. Each one will cost just pennies! 

If you have experimented with fidget toys, you know that sometimes all your child needs in order to be able to focus in class, calm down during a test, or function in a loud environment is something to occupy their hands. 

In addition to stress relief and emotional regulation, the stress ball also provides a sensory experience with all of the benefits of sensory play. 

How to Make Textured Water Bead Stress Balls

Supplies Needed:

• Funnel. The whole in the funnel needs to be bigger than the expanded water beads. You can also use an empty water bottle, cut in half. 
• Water beads
• Balloons

Step-By-Step Instructions:

1. Blow up your balloon and let the air out. This stretches it so that it is ready.
2. Add your balloon to the bottom of your funnel. 
3. Add in your material (rice, flour, or water beads) until the balloon is full. 
4. Tie the balloon and cut the end as close to the knot as possible. 

Tips for Making the Best Water Beads Stress Ball 

• Pre-soak the water beads before you begin. You do not have to use the full amount of water required. The more excess water the beads absorb, the more easily they will break in the ball. This will take several hours — perhaps even a full day of soaking before the beads before you are ready to make your stress ball. 
• You can add another balloon on top to make it more secure. 
• You can keep squishing the material down into the balloon to fill it up or leave extra space, depending on your texture preference. 

What to do with a Stress Ball

Introduce the water beads stress ball at a time that is not stressful. Kids love to play with these because they feel strange and are fun. Have them practice squeezing the ball which provides more intense proprioceptive feedback and deep muscle work for the hands.

Talk about how it feels in their hands and how it makes them feel. Ask them questions about the texture, the experience, etc. Don’t wait for a moment of big emotions to hand your child a stress ball for the first time. 

Keep it in your go bag. Whether in a purse, a backpack, a lunchbox, a diaper bag, or in the back of the car, keep a stress ball with you so that it’s around when you or your child needs one. This is a great thing to have in your Calm Down Kit.

Encourage self-regulation. By making a stress ball available to your child, you can put the power of emotional regulation in their hands. Encourage them to find what they need to calm down in the moment, before a full on meltdown happens. Remind them often that they have access to a stress ball (and/or other stress management tools) and should find it when they need it. 

If needed, you can trade out different stress-relieving toys and fidget toys so that none of them become boring. Some children will want the same thing every time and some will want variety. Figure out what works for your child. We have instructions for making a variety of different sensory balls in case this one is not what your child needs.

*Please note that balloons are a choking hazard so adult supervision should be used at all times.

Did you know that the simple act of playing with play dough has incredible benefits for kids? It’s a fantastic tool to keep in your parenting toolbox at all times. This taste-safe recipe for Cool Whip Play Dough is a fun way to engage your kids in sensory play for thirty minutes, an hour, or maybe an entire afternoon. 

We like to make new and exciting playdough recipes to change things up, even though we love our Basic Homemade Playdough Recipe for everyday use. This recipe is so fun for kids because it is edible playdough, and they can help make this simple recipe. In fact, I recommend letting your kids help whenever possible!

Pro Tip: This is the perfect way to use up Cool Whip you forgot about over the holidays and found in your freezer three months later!

Cool Whip Play Dough Recipe

• 8 oz. frozen Cool Whip
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 cups cornstarch
• Food coloring – optional

How to Make Cool Whip Play Dough

1. In a medium bowl, add the frozen Cool Whip and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Stir to mix together well.
2. Add 1 cup of cornstarch to the Cool Whip and powdered sugar, then mix again.
3. If you’d like to add food coloring, add 4-5 drops and mix in.
4. Place the Cool Whip mixture back into the container and refreeze overnight.
5. Add the Cool Whip mixture into a bowl.
6. Add another cup of cornstarch and mix well with a spoon.
7. If the mixture is still sticky, add another 1⁄2 cup of cornstarch and knead with your hands.
8. Play!

Pro Tip: If the Cool Whip play dough is still sticky, add the remaining 1⁄2 cup of cornstarch and knead well. More cornstarch may be needed as the dough absorbs moisture in the air over the next few days.

How to Store Cool Whip Play Dough

This is not the kind of play dough you can keep on the counter. Instead, store your leftover edible playdough in an air tight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Variations

You can substitute some of the cornstarch with chocolate cocoa powder or strawberry drink mix powder for different flavors. 

A bit of peppermint flavoring (not extract) will make this the perfect Christmas or winter play dough and add that amazing smell for sensory play. I don’t recommend using extracts because of the bitter taste of uncooked alcohol, but you can find alcohol-free flavoring oils in the cake decorating section of your local craft store.

Playing with Play Dough

I’m always looking for common household objects that will make our playdough play more fun. Set out the play dough with a few interesting possibilities and create an invitation to play. Here are some fantastic ideas for things that either cut play dough or make fun imprints, and most of these you already have or can grab at the dollar store.

• Plastic Cups
• Plastic Cookie Cutters (letters and numbers are fabulous!)
• Cookie Press Cutters 
• Dough Roller
• Toy Rings or Jewelry
• Lego® or Duplo®  (this may be a permanent sacrifice, so proceed with caution). 
• Plastic silverwear (knives, forks, spoons)
• Combs
• Plastic Beads
• Bubble Wrap
• Hair Brush
• Whisk
• Plastic Animals
• tooth brushes
• doggy toothbrush 
• leaves, flowers, and plants

Pro Tip: Contain the mess with play dough mats. I hear parents mention repeatedly that the reason they don’t do “XYZ” is because they don’t like the mess. As grown-ups we can figure out ways to contain and deal with that mess for a few years so that our kids get the powerful benefits of sensory play. Our Play Dough Mats Bundle can help you, and will even extend the fun! As a side note, this edible play dough wipes up easily with a hot wash cloth, and stray pieces on the floor may be snapped up by your pets.

The Benefits of Play Dough Play

This playdough provides significant sensory feedback, including tactile (touch), proprioceptive from the squeezing and squishing of the dough, and gustatory (taste) sensory input. If you add smelly food-safe flavoring oils it can also add olfactory (smell) sensory input just like our Pudding Playdough or Melting Ice Cream Playdough.

Besides sensory input, play dough also builds fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, imagination, concentration, and problem solving.

Like most sensory play, playdough is therapeutic and can relieve stress or tension as a calm-down activity for both kids and adults. Try our Calming Lavender Scented Playdough.

This is a huge list of benefits, and doesn’t even touch on ideas for using play dough to extend learning in math, science, and other academic areas — check out Dinosaur Fossils in Playdough as an example!

Tips to Keep Play Dough Time Fun and Interesting

Even though the sensory input is invaluable, some kids might find play dough boring after a while, and need inspiration to keep enjoying the experience. Here are some ideas.

Change up the toys. Don’t give your child all the things for play dough all at once, keep a few different bags of play dough tools and toys to rotate through. 

Change up the recipes. We have a huge and growing collection of play dough recipes on our site!

Connect it to hobbies and interests. Whatever your child is into right now can be connected to sensory play whether its play dough or sensory bins. Dinosaurs? No problem. Counting. Easy! Flowers? Piece of cake! 

Change the smell. Some kids may dislike the natural smell of our play dough recipes. Add a drop or two of essential oils, extracts, or food-safe flavorings to keep it fresh. *Make sure to use food-safe ingredients if your child puts everything in their mouths!

More Thematic Play Dough Recipes Your Child will Love

Frozen Inspired Elsa Microwave Playdough

Peter Rabbit Playdough Invitation to Play

Apple Tree Colour and Counting Playdough Game

Rainbow Playdough Colour and Counting Game