The loose tea in the playdough adds texture and the aroma of the chai tea and spices smells amazing! Add cinnamon sticks and anise stars to your child’s play for a full sensory experience!

Chai Tea Play Dough Invitation to Play 

If you involved your children in the process of making the playdough (which I highly recommend) the invitation to play isn’t nearly as much about a verbal invitation as it is the provision of ingredients and supplies to encourage exploration and delight. Star anise and cinnamon sticks are the two items we already recommended having on hand. But it doesn’t have to stop there! A well-rounded collection of playdough tools and toys is an excellent investment.  Since we have a pretty large collection of these tools I like to rotate the selection to keep playdough play fresh and new. Here are a few of our favorites: 

• Playdough Rollers
• Playdough Stamps
• Playdough Cutting Tools

In addition to store-bought and playdough specific tools you can also gather items you already have around the house for your children to use. Since this is taste-safe playdough, you can use standard kitchen items like rolling pins, cookie cutters or cookie stamps, and child-safe knives. 

Other items from around the house can be great additions to your invitation to play! Think of things that can make impressions in the dough: varying sizes of bubble wrap, brushes, buttons, coins, straws, plastic silverware, plastic magnet letters, dice, etc. 

Though not taste safe, found items in nature can also be fun! Pinecones, rocks, sticks, holly leaves, acorns, walnuts, shells, and fossils are all great examples of things you can bring inside for playdough play. Ask your kids what else they can find to use in the playdough. They always have the best ideas!

Chai Tea Playdough Extension Activities

If the pure sensory experience a a delicious smelling dough with a funky texture isn’t enough for your kiddo, you can always add extra activities to tie the play dough play into other subject areas. From tie ins with great literature to reinforcing math concepts, play dough is a great learning aid. Here are a couple of examples.

Demonstrate simple math concepts using LEGO® impressions in the playdough. Practice addition (adding or counting the dots), subtraction (smoothing out the dots to subtract them), or multiplication (lining up the rows of impressions and counting. the outside two rows to multiply, then physically counting the full total to show how that worked.)

Read books such as Have You Seen My Acorn. Make impressions in the playdough with an acorn to mark the squirrels progress as he quizzes all the animals and chases down clues. Provide your child with a bag of Chai Tea Plaudough with an acorn hidden inside as you finish reading the book and provide an invitation to play, talking about the book as you play together. 

Chai Playdough Recipe

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1 Tablespoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 Tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3-4 bags of chai tea

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Add the flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cream of tartar to a medium mixing bowl. Open 2 tea bags and sprinkle the contents into the flour mixture. Whisk to combine and set aside.
2. Add the water to a medium saucepan and heat to boil. Remove from heat and add 1-2 tea bags and steep for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the vegetable oil to the hot tea mixture. Stir to mix.
4. Gently pour the flour mixture into the saucepan and stir continuously until a large lump of dough forms.
5. Allow the playdough to cool for 5 minutes before handling.
6. Transfer the chai tea playdough to a flat working space and knead for 3-4 minutes or until soft and pliable.
7. Store in an airtight container (or Ziploc bag) for up to 2 weeks.

Why Play with Play Dough? 

The sensory benefits alone make the mess of making and playing with play dough a worthwhile experience for children. The smells, the textures, and the proprioceptive feedback provided during playdough play will help a child feel more grounded and secure. As if the sensory benefits are not enough, your child will also be improving fine motor skills, developing cricital thinking skills (What will happen if I do it this way?) and practicing verbal skills (“Mommy, look at the cake I just made!”). If encouraged, playdough play can also lend itself toward pretend play, storytelling and more! Giving your child rich and enticing free play opportunities can only help in so many ways.

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We love creating taste safe sensory play recipes like our Edible Shark Fluffy Slime, Condensed Milk Edible Paint, or Edible Freezie Painting.

Pudding Playdough Recipe:

Supplies needed:

• ¼ cup vanilla flavored instant pudding mix (note: if you purchase the 3.4 oz. box, you will have some left over to make a second batch)
• 1 cup cornstarch
• ⅓ cup warm water
• mixing bowl
• mixing spoon
• candy sprinkles (optional)
• cookie cutters (optional)

Instructions:

1. Add the pudding mix to the mixing bowl.
2. Add half of the corn starch to the bowl.
3. Pour in the water.
4. Stir to mix the dough.
5. Add in the other half of the corn starch.
6. Mix well.
7. Finish by kneading the dough with your hands until you get the desired consistency. The dough should feel soft to the touch when you start mixing and should not be sticky.
8. If you find that your dough is sticky, add more corn starch.

If you want, you can add the candy sprinkles to the dough.

Your child can play with the playdough on the table or on a plastic play mat for easy cleanup.

You can set out cookie cutters to add a fine motor element to the playdough station.

When done playing, store any leftover dough in an airtight container in the fridge.

Sensory Benefits:

The dough naturally smells of vanilla because of the vanilla pudding mix, so there are many sensory elements to this playdough. It gives tactile (touch), olfactory (smell), proprioceptive from the squeezing and squishing of the dough, and gustatory (taste) sensory input. 

Why use taste safe playdough?

The high salt content in regular playdough can be dangerous when eaten. For young children who are at that age and stage of putting everything in their mouths or for older kids who have a hard time understanding not to eat the dough, taste safe dough provides a wonderful alternative.The ingredients are ones that you may already have in your pantry which is another benefit to choosing to make this edible pudding play dough.

Variations on this pudding playdough recipe:

• Use lemon pudding mix, chocolate pudding mix, or butterscotch pudding mix to change the flavour and the colour.

Looking for more awesome sensory play recipes for kids? You can grab a free sample chapter of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook here.

Check out some of our other taste-safe play recipes:

Condensed Milk Paint

Shark Fluffy Slime

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Apple Tree Colour and Counting Playdough Game:

Supplies needed:

• red, yellow, green, and brown playdough (you can use store bought or make your own)
• number dice
• colour dot dice

Directions:

1. Form the trunk of the tree using brown playdough by rolling it into a long rope. If you don’t have brown playdough, you can mix equal parts orange and blue playdough to create kind of a grey-brown. 
2. Tear off sections of the green playdough and flatten them out. These will form the leaves of the tree.
3. Invite your child to place the leaves on the tree trunk.
4. Have your child roll small balls of yellow, red, and green playdough. These will be the apples.
5. Set out one colour dot dice and one standard number dice.
6. Have the child roll both dice.
7. Encourage them to count the number on the dice and name the colour shown on the other dice.
8. The child can then add that number of “apples” to the tree in the colour that was rolled.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

Through the tearing, shaping, rolling, and squeezing of the playdough, the visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory systems are engaged.

Kids get fine motor practise by shaping the small “apples” and carefully placing them on the tree.

This playdough game is a great way to learn or reenforce colours as the child matches what is rolled on the colour block dice to the coloured balls. 

Early math skills are worked on both by counting up the numbers on the dice and by counting out the corresponding amount of balls to place on the apple tree.

If more than one child plays this game at a time, it can also work on social skills such as turn taking and encouragement. 

Vocabulary and communication are also improved in children by playing games such as these.

Colour Dot DiceRegular DicePlay-Doh Modelling Compound

Get a set of free printable alphabet playdough mats by entering your email address below. You’ll also be signed up to receive our email series Sensory Activities and Solutions.
You may also be interested in these playdough activities:

Rainbow Colour and Counting Playdough Game

Rainbow Playdough Fine Motor Activity

Transportation Alphabet Playdough Mats (free)

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This sensory play activity is engaging and a wonderful learning opportunity. If your child has seen the movies or read the books, they can recreate scenes or they can just use their imaginations to build their own Peter Rabbit world. They can then act out scenarios with the characters.

Using the playdough, they can create a garden or a field and have the characters interact with each other. This activity is cute for any time, but it would be especially appropriate for Spring or Easter time.

Peter Rabbit Playdough Recipe:

Supplies:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 Tbsp. cream of tartar
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• green food gel
• 1 cup water (boiling if making with KitchenAid)
• optional: a few drops of peppermint essential oil*

*a note about choosing a playdough scent: Some scents are calming while others are alerting. Peppermint is an alerting scent. This is great if you are wanting kids to stay focused. If you want this activity to be a calming one, be sure to choose a more calming scent.

KitchenAid Directions:

1. Put the dry ingredients into your KitchenAid mixer.
2. Add the oil and colour and begin mixing on low with the flat beater.
3. As it is mixing on the lowest setting, pour in the boiling water.
4. If you want to scent the playdough, add a few drops of essential oil in peppermint or the scent of your choice. Mix until it is the texture you want.
5. Store in an airtight container or resealable bag when not being played with.

Stovetop Directions:

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a pot and stir in the oil, water and the food colouring.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring, being sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the pot.
3. Cook until the dough forms a ball. Remove from heat.
4. Place dough on a piece of wax paper. Knead. If you want, add a few drops of essential oils for scent.
5. Allow to cool. Store the playdough in an airtight container or resealable bag.

Peter Rabbit Playdough Sensory Station:

Supplies:

• plastic tray with separated compartments
• playdough (make the recipe above or you can purchase it)
• twigs
• rocks
• wood slices
• plastic trees
• small Peter Rabbit figurines
• fruits and vegetables Toob

Peter Rabbit Poseable FiguresFruits & Vegetables ToobPlay-doh-resealable Green

Directions:

1. Set the green playdough in the middle compartment in the tray.
2. Place all the other items in the compartments around it.
3. Invite your child to explore, play, and create.

This activity is so sensory rich. Kids engage their visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory systems when they are squishing, moulding, sculpting, shaping, rolling, and pressing the dough and the other items in the invitation to play. If scented playdough is used, then they are also engaging their olfactory sensory system.

Are you looking for other easy sensory play recipes? Join us for a free five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Check out some of our other playdough invitation to play activities:

White Snow Playdough

Nativity Playdough Invitation to Play

Valentine’s Playdough Center

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This simple activity which also gives fine motor skill practise is great for preschools or home. For older kids, it can be a good way to involve sensory into a unit study.

Dinosaur Fossil Playdough Activity:

Supplies needed:

• dinosaur skull fossils
• playdough (store bought or homemade)
• toy rolling pin or if you don’t have one, a regular rolling pin (in a pinch, you can use the empty playdough can!)
• optional: other playdough tools

Directions:

1. Invite your child to roll out the playdough.
2. Set out the dinosaur fossils.
3. Encourage your child to press the Dino skulls into the playdough and carefully remove them. This will create a fossil impression.
4. Another way to use this activity is to have the kids create the impressions and then match the dinosaur skulls up like a puzzle.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

Kids get proprioceptive feedback by pressing into the dough and from rolling it out. They also get input from the visual and tactile systems with this activity. If using scented playdough, the olfactory system will also be engaged.

If you are doing a unit study on fossils or dinosaurs, this is an easy and relevant hands-on activity to accompany that.

Are you looking for other easy to create sensory play ideas? Join us for a five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Other great hands-on activities for a dinosaur unit study:

Dino Slime

Dinosaur Fossil Sensory Bin

Gross Motor Action Cube (dinosaur theme)

Dinosaur Sensory Bottle

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When we first brought home two of our kids from Ethiopia, not only were they trying to learn a new language, they were trying to learn a new alphabet. I tried all of the usual methods to no avail. My kids weren’t making any progress.

It was then that I decided to try a more sensory rich approach. A big part of that was using playdough mats. We also used salt trays and sensory bins. That made all the difference!

When using playdough mats, kids can shape the dough into the desired letter which provides a sensory experience and reinforces what they are learning. In addition, they are receiving visual cues. They can also use their finger to trace the letter or can draw the shape with a dry erase marker.

How to use alphabet playdough mats:

1. Print off the Transportation Alphabet Playdough Mats.
2. Laminate the pages or place them into a plastic sheet protector.
3. Have the child trace the letter with their finger as they say the name of the letter.
4. Set out some playdough. You can find our favourite homemade playdough recipe here.
5. They can then shape the playdough to form each letter of the alphabet and place it on the corresponding playdough mat.
6. Have the child say the name of the transportation example that begins with that letter so that they can practise the sound each letter makes.

Ways to expand on this activity:

• Use dry erase markers to trace inside the letter or colour the letter in.
• Name words that start with that letter.
• Set out cookie cutters in the shape of the letters. The child can then use that to press into the dough and reinforce learning of each letter.
• Put out alphabet stamps which can be used to stamp impressions into the playdough.
• Use slime instead of playdough to shape the letters.
• Fill the letters with stickers.
• Use bingo dabbers.
• Make a collage of things that start with each letter and glue them on the plastic sleeve around the letter.

The benefits of using these playdough mats printable worksheets:

• reinforcing the ABCs.
• practise fine motor skills.
• get visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory input (olfactory too if you use scented playdough!).

Get your free printable alphabet playdough mats by entering your email address below. You’ll also be signed up to receive our email series Sensory Activities and Solutions.

Check out some of our other free playdough mats for kids:

Pirate Emotions Playdough Mats

Birthday Party Emotions Playdough Mats

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One year to celebrate Valentine’s Day, we made Chocolate and Strawberry Playdough for the kids to create with, but this year, we stuck to something a bit more basic.

Valentine’s Day Playdough Recipe:

Supplies:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 Tbsp. cream of tartar
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• pink food gel
• 1 cup water (boiling if making with KitchenAid)
• red glitter
• optional: a few drops of essential oil in rose or lavender*

*a note about choosing scents: Some scents are calming while others are alerting. If you want this activity to be a calming one, be sure to choose a calming scent as opposed to choosing a more alerting scent if you are wanting to create an activity that helps keeps kids focused.

KitchenAid Directions:

1. Put the dry ingredients in a KitchenAid mixer.
2. Add the oil and colour and begin mixing with the flat beater.
3. As it is mixing on the lowest setting, pour in the boiling water.
4. Add in the red glitter. If you want to scent the playdough, add a few drops of essential oils. Mix until the playdough texture you want is achieved.
5. Store in an airtight container or resealable bag when not being played with.

Stovetop Directions:

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a pot and stir in the oil, water and the food colouring.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, being sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the pot.
3. Cook until the dough forms a ball. Remove from heat.
4. Place it on a piece of wax paper. Knead. Add glitter in at this point and if you want, a few drops of essential oils for scent.
5. Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container or in a resealable bag.

Valentine’s Playdough Sensory Station:

Supplies:

• tray with separated compartments
• playdough (recipe above)
• plastic hearts of various sizes
• pink Easter grass
• heart confetti
• heart shaped erasers
• cookie cutters in various sized hearts
• small plastic heart containers

I found most of my supplies at the Dollar Store.

Directions:

1. Set the playdough in the center of the tray.
2. Place the other items in the compartments all around it.
3. Invite your child to use their imagination to explore and play.

When kids interact with this playdough station, they engage their visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory systems as they push, knead, gather, roll, squish, and pull. If you use essential oils in the recipe, then their olfactory (smell) system is also involved.

Are you looking for other easy sensory play recipes? Join us for a free five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

You may want to see some of our most popular playdough recipes:

Frozen Inspired Microwave Elsa Playdough

White Snow Playdough

Calming Lavender Scented Playdough

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While we have made several Christmas playdough invitations to play in past years such as the Peppermint Christmas Tree Playdough or Scented Gingerbread Playdough Station, this year, I wanted to focus more on the reason for the season even in our sensory play.

With this in mind, our holiday sensory play this season has focused around the nativity with Nativity Slime, a Nativity Sensory Bottle, simple Nativity Sensory Bag, and O Holy Night Sensory Bin. I wanted to share them to show that there are many possibilities to include the story of Jesus’ birth even in sensory play.

These play opportunities create the chance for kids to engage with more than one sense while reenforcing the true meaning of Christmas.

Nativity Playdough Recipe:

Supplies:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 Tbsp. cream of tartar
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• brown food gel to make a light brown colour
• 1 cup water (boiling if making with KitchenAid)
• gold glitter
• optional: a few drops of essential oil in pine, orange, clove, or Frankincense*

*a note about scents: Certain scents are calming while others are alerting. If you intended this activity to be a calming one, be sure to choose a calming scent while if you are wanting to create an activity that keeps kids focused, use a more alerting scent.

Directions if you have a KitchenAid:

1. Put dry ingredients in KitchenAid mixer.
2. Add oil and the colour and begin mixing with the flat beater.
3. As it is mixing on the lowest setting, add the boiling water.
4. Add in the gold glitter. If you want to scent the playdough, add a few drops of essential oils. Mix until the playdough texture you want is achieved.
5. Store in an airtight container or resealable bag when not in use.

Directions if you don’t have a Kitchenaid:

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a pot and stir in the oil, water and food colouring.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, being sure to scrape the sides and bottom.
3. Cook until dough forms a ball. Remove from heat.
4. Place it on a piece of wax paper. Knead. Add glitter in at this point and if desired, drops of essential oils for scent.
5. Let cool. Store in an airtight container or in a resealable bag.

Nativity Playdough Invitation to Play:

Supplies:

• tray with separated compartments
• playdough (recipe above)
• Playmobil nativity set (or other children’s nativity set)
• rocks
• small wooden blocks
• raffia
• natural wood slices
• stars
• plastic animals

Directions:

1. Set the playdough in the center of the tray.
2. Place the other items in the compartments around it.
3. Invite your child to explore and play.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

Stretching, pulling, pressing, kneading, and pushing the playdough engages the proprioceptive sensory system.

Creating the scenes uses the tactile and visual sensory systems. If the playdough is scented, then the olfactory (smell) sensory system is also being used.

This Nativity Playdough pairs well with the Christmas story at home or in a Sunday School class. Students can listen to the story or read it themselves and then create their own manger scenes. Playing with playdough also lays foundation for concepts of engineering by allowing children to build and design something that solves a problem. In this case, the problem is how to create a manger scene or tell a story using the materials in front of them.

Set up a nativity learning center in your home, preschool, school, or Sunday school classroom. Include things such as:

• children’s nativity set
• crayons or markers and nativity colouring pages
• Nativity Slime
• Nativity Sensory Bag
• Nativity Sensory Bottle
• O Holy Night Sensory Bin
• costumes for kids to act out the Christmas story
• Christmas story books
• supplies to create Nativity Chalk Silhouettes

You’ll love these other holiday playdough ideas:

Peppermint Christmas Tree Playdough

Snow Playdough

Gingerbread Playdough

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Homemade Microwave Playdough Recipe:

Microwave Playdough Ingredients:

• • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 1 tsp. oil
  • 2 tsp. cream of tarter OR 4 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1 cup water
  • blue food colouring
  • assorted winter sprinkles

This Frozen Inspired Elsa Playdough recipe can be doubled if you’re making this for preschool, a classroom, or a large group. Directions:

1. 1. Start by adding your flour, salt, oil, cream of tarter OR lemon juice, and water to a large, microwave safe mixing bowl.
   2. Stir until it is well combined.
   3. Microwave for one minute and stir really well.
   4. Repeat two more times, microwaving one minute each time.
   5. Allow to cool.
   6. Add in food colouring until you get your desired colour. Knead dough well.
   7. Add in the edible sprinkles. Knead again.
   8. Let the kids play!

When you’re not playing with this dough, be sure to store it in an airtight container.

If you’re more of a visual learner, I’ve included a microwave playdough video below.

Note: Even though this recipe is taste safe, it is not safe for children to consume large quantities of salt at one time. Adult supervision is required.

Sensory Play and Learning Opportunities:

Have your child help with the stirring and kneading when making the playdough. This provides visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory feedback.

Stretching and rolling and squeezing and squishing and pinching and pressing all are great sensory play actions. Playing with playdough engages not only your child’s senses, but also their imagination. This type of preschool play is also good for developing fine motor skills and coordination.

Are you looking for other easy sensory play recipes? Join us for a free five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Check out some of our most popular playdough recipes:

Peppermint Scented Playdough

Snow Playdough

Calming Lavender Scented Playdough

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Seashell Fossils Sensory Play:

Pressing the seashells into the playdough provides good proprioceptive sensory feedback. As does rolling out the playdough. If you use scented playdough, you can add olfactory sensory input.

There are contrasting textures and colours with the soft playdough and rough and hard seashells which engage the tactile and visual sensory systems.

How to make Seashell Fossils in Playdough:

Supplies needed:

1. playdough (homemade or purchased)
2. seashells
3. rolling pin

Instructions:

1. Set out the playdough, a rolling pin, and a variety of seashells.
2. Have your child roll make a ball with the playdough and roll it out using the rolling pin.
3. The seashells can then be pressed into the playdough.
4. Encourage your child to use the rolling pin or their fingers to press the seashells further into the playdough.
5. Invite your child to carefully peel the seashells out of the playdough. Observe the faux fossils that are now displayed where the seashells used to be.
6. For younger kids, you can also have them match the seashells that are now out of the playdough with their imprint.

Expand this activity:

1. Set out books about seashells for your child to discover which type of seashells are in front of them and what sea creatures used to live in them.
2. Talk about what true fossils are and how they are formed. Here are some resources to help you teach about fossils.

• Explaining Fossils to Kids
• What are Fossils and how are they Formed? (video)
• Fossil Facts for Kids

Curious About FossilsWhere Do Fossils Come from?The Beachcomber’s CompanionSeashells, Crabs and Sea StarsSea Shells Mixed Beach SeashellsPlay-Doh Modeling Compound

Join thousands of others who have signed up for our Sensory Solutions and Activities email series and get a free sample from our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Some of our favourite homemade playdough recipes:

Calming Lavender Playdough

Peppermint Playdough

Snow Playdough

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