Easy Homemade Gingerbread Playdough Recipe
Homemade gingerbread playdough is a great way have fun with your young children during this holiday season!
Whenever winter break comes along, I find myself looking for Ideas that can entertain the kiddos. We love getting outside and playing in the snow, but it helps to have extra indoor ideas as well.
Homemade playdough is my go to because it actually doesn’t take a lot of time to whip up and this gingerbread playdough recipe is SUPER EASY.
Benefits of homemade gingerbread playdough
Making things from scratch is one of my favorite things to do if I can. Homemade playdough is great because it seems that I always have a little one who’s curiosity wins them over and they just HAVE to eat the play dough. Every time.
This gingerbread playdough smells like the real thing so I don’t blame the kiddos for wanting to sneak a taste. There are wholesome, natural ingredients in here so there is no harm in it. That being said, it doesn’t taste good and the little one will learn that quickly!
Other benefits
- Works a child’s fine motor skills
- pretend play (I love giving my kids real kitchen baking sheets that they can put their “cookies” on so they can pretend to cook them and sell them in a bakery)
- sensory play activity
How long does it take to make homemade gingerbread playdough?
This recipe is literally the easiest way you can make playdough and it doesn’t take a long time at all. It is the best thing to throw together when you find your out of ideas don’t want to run to the store!
You can have a fresh batch of homemade gingerbread playdough in less than ten minutes of time and only seconds of kneading.
What ingredients do I need?
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup salt
- 1 tablespoon of cream of tarter
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
- 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon of ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
- gel food coloring (optional)
Do I really need cream of tarter?
YES! I know it is tempting to leave this one out, but your playdough will not come together as well and won’t be as soft if this is left out.
I use cream of tarter to make royal icing and it is a must have for that recipe too. I try to keep cream of tarter in my spice cupboard at all times because every now and then I come across a recipe that needs it!
What if I don’t have all of the spices?
No problem. Homemade gingerbread playdough can use different amounts of spices. If all you have is ginger, that is fine. If you just have cinnamon, that works too.
You won’t get as strong of a gingerbread cookie smell, but it will still smell like the holidays! You can even throw in pumpkin spice for a fall pumpkin playdough!
Because you aren’t eating this, you don’t need to worry about taste. The goal is just to create that sensory smell that your kids will love.
How to make homemade gingerbread playdough
- Gather all of your supplies as this recipe goes fast.
- pour all of your ingredients into a medium sauce pan
- stir
- cook over medium heat stirring constantly
- keep stirring as the dough forms (it will become a little bit difficult to stir as it becomes more like workable dough)
- take off the heat once the dough isn’t wet anywhere
- dump dough onto the counter and knead for a few seconds
- now it is ready to go! It can be a little warm and you may need to let it cool before little hands play with it.
How to store
You can store your gingerbread playdough in an airtight container. We usually use plastic bags, but you could also use a jar as well.
This recipe of homemade gingerbread playdough can easily be stored at room temperature and will last several months.
I have a little tote that I store all the playdough toys in. I will usually just store our bagged playdough in this tote as well. That way all the supplies are together.
Extra supplies
Things I like to provide with the gingerbread playdough are: googly eyes, rolling pins, cookie cutters that are for making sugar cookies, a gingerbread man cookie cutter specifically, baking sheet, toothpicks, etc.
Other homemade playdough ideas
You can really get creative with this playdough recipe. Use the base recipe and add pumpkin spice for a fall playdough.
Add pastel colors for a spring or easter playdough. Often times I let the kids pick the colors and smells on their birthday. You really can have so much fun with this!
