If you are looking for a winter-themed play activities to do with a child, make sparkling snow play dough. You can choose from traditional cooked recipes or simpler no-bake play dough recipes. Add glitter to make the dough sparkle, and children will be entertained for hours with activities that help them to develop their creativity and motor skills and explore the world with their senses.
Traditional Cooked Recipe
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Although homemade play dough is usually made with flour, use corn starch instead to create dough with a crisp, bright white color.
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Things You'll Need
Mixing bowl
Medium saucepan
1 cup corn starch
1/2 cup salt
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
1 cup water
Silver glitter
Step 1
Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.
Step 2
Pour in the oil and water.
Step 3
Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the dough forms a ball.
Tip
To skip the cooking part, add 1 cup of boiling water to the dry ingredients. Stir and allow the mixture to cool before kneading.
Step 4
Place the ball of dough on your work surface and allow it to cool.
Warning
Only adults should handle the stove, boiling water and any hot play dough.
Step 5
When the dough has cooled enough to be handled, knead it until it is soft and stretchy. If the dough is too sticky, add more corn starch.
Step 6
Break the dough into little balls. Sprinkle glitter on your work surface. Roll the balls of dough in the glitter to make the dough sparkle.
No-Bake Recipe
Things You'll Need
Large mixing bowl
1 cup water
4 cups flour
4 tablespoons oil
1 1/2 cups salt
Silver glitter
Step 1
Pour the water into the bowl.
Step 2
Add the flour and salt. Stir to mix thoroughly.
Step 3
Add the oil. Knead the dough until it comes together in soft balls.
Tip
The oil is the ingredient that makes the dough come together without cooking. If you find that your dough is too crumbly, add more oil, a few drops at a time, until it blends together.
Step 4
Pour handfuls of glitter onto your work surface. Knead the dough and glitter together to make the dough sparkly.
Variations and Additions
You are only limited by your imagination as to how many different variations of sparkling play dough you can make. Consider adding scents or colors for different playtime fun.
- Add a few drops of peppermint extract to make the dough smell like candy canes.
- Mix in a few drops of blue food coloring, fine white glitter and snowflake sequins for play dough based on the movie Frozen.
- Add pastel colors to make ice cream-colored play dough.