A few weeks ago my child wanted red playdough to make strawberries. We had a few other colors at home, but no red. I told her I would order more and that it would arrive in a few days. That didn’t stop her from asking for red playdough repeatedly over the next half hour — she can be quite persistent and still believes that mommy can magically produce anything on demand. Then I remembered seeing homemade playdough recipes online and thought, maybe I can make some myself.
I started with the simplest recipe: flour, salt, and water, and colored it with watercolor paints we had around the house. The result was dough-like but a bit mushy, and it tended to stick inside small molds. We couldn’t make strawberries that day, but I liked the idea of homemade playdough and decided to try a different recipe. I ordered a few missing ingredients — cream of tartar and food coloring — and planned a second attempt.
Yesterday we tried again, this time following a more tested recipe that required a bit more effort and ingredients but had excellent reviews. The result was worth it: the dough felt just like store-bought playdough, held together nicely, and released cleanly from molds. It was soft, stretchy, and perfect for shaping strawberries and other small figures.
Making the playdough turned out to be a fun activity rather than another chore. My child helped mix and color the dough, and she loved every minute of it. It became an art-and-craft project in itself. Many of my own childhood memories involve watching my mother or grandmother make things by hand — DIY Halloween costumes, boxed cakes from a red package, my grandmother making dumplings, traditional Korean cookies, or dyeing nails with balsam flowers (봉숭아꽃). Those moments bring a warm, nostalgic feeling. I hope my child will remember making playdough with me with the same fondness.
When Sweet Pea woke from her nap she joined in at the table. I put together a small snack platter for them to share while they played. One advantage of homemade playdough is I don’t worry as much about little ones tasting it, since it’s made from edible ingredients.
I stored the extra playdough in plastic bags for another day. It felt satisfying to know we could make and save more for future play sessions.
Of course, reality intervened: Sweet Pea got into the bags and tossed them in the trash. Next time I’ll keep the playdough on a high shelf and only bring out a small portion for the day. That way I can discard the used portion and offer fresh dough the next time. It’s a simple change that should keep our play area cleaner and the dough ready for new projects.