arts & crafts

1 – Slowly add one cup of cold water to two cups of cornflour in a bowl.

Stir until the water is absorbed by the cornflour.

Add colour if you like.

Put the gloop in ice-cream or large containers with spoons, cups and other utensils.

2 – Great just with fingers on a flat surface.

1 – Dissolve one cup of soap flakes in 2 litres of warm water.

Add colouring if you like.

Allow the mixture to stand until it becomes thick and slimy.

Beat the mixture with an egg-beater to make it frothy.

2 – Put the slime in a wide, open container or trough with egg-beaters, spoons, funnels, cups, sponges, sieves and whisks for children to experiment with.

3 – Slime can be kept for several days in a covered bucket.

Note: Be sure to check first that children do not have skin allergies.

Some children’s skin can be sensitive to soap flakes.

1 – In a large bowl or basin mix 2 cups of cornflour with one cup of cold water.

While stirring this mixture slowly, pour in the boiling water.

Keep pouring and stirring until the mixture turns smooth and thick.

Once the mixture turns smooth and thick (add more hot water if the mixture is too thick) add 1/2 cup of soap flakes and stir well.

Split the mixture into different bowls or pots and add tempera paint into each bowl or pot, making sure each pot has a different colour.

2 – Put the mixture into small containers (such as a margarine container) and fingerpainting can start.

3 – Fingerpaint can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days.

Note: Some children’s skin can be sensitive to soap flakes. If this is the case, leave it out of the recipe.

Rice can easily be coloured and scented and stores well for ages!

Make a tub and put it on a tarpaulin on the floor.

This is great play indoors or under shelter on a wet day.

• Coloured rice or pasta is great for sensory play.
• You can put it inside plastic bottles and make rattles for babies (just be sure to secure the top).
• Rice can be sprinkled onto contact paper or pre-glued paper to make pictures or coloured macaroni can be used for threading.

• Put your pasta or rice into the containers (one container for each colour).
• Drizzle a small amount of food colouring to each container and mix through until all the rice or pasta is coated.
• If you are using powdered food colouring, add a small amount of water to make a liquid consistency before adding it to the pasta/rice.
• Leave out until the rice/pasta is dry.

Playing with spaghetti is always a big hit and it’s so easy to do!

This activity takes a little while to prepare, but it’s really good for sensory play and the kids will love the way it feels.

What you need:

• Food colouring
• Cooking oil
• 1 packet spaghetti
• A container for each colour you will be using (four is a good amount)

• Divide the uncooked spaghetti evenly among four.
• Cook the spaghetti as per the packet instructions, adding a few drops of food colouring to the boiling water as it cooks.
• Drain the spaghetti when it’s cooked and add a little cooking oil to the coloured spaghetti, this will stop it sticking together.
• Repeat the process for each colour.

Once the spaghetti is cool it’s ready to play!

Kids can make shapes and faces out of the spaghetti or just explore the way it feels in their hands.

A box or tray of oats or dry cereal can provide a fab dry play material!

Add trucks and diggers and it can become a building site.

Pour water in too and start mixing up some concrete!

This is a great sensory experience with wonderful texture.

For the home you an use a sand table or even just a plastic tub filled with clean white sand.

Sand can also be played with at the park or beach.

Try adding colour to the water, or ice blocks to discuss temperature.

Add water creatures one week then cups and funnels another.

Less is sometimes more; try adding toys on just one theme rather than putting all the toys in every week.

a shredded paper sensory bin is simple to use, very inexpensive to create, and lots of fun to play with.

is an amazing, messy, sensory experience that uses touch, sight and smell.

Keep it plain or add in a few drop of food colouring and let the kids have fun mixing it together.

Nature is a playground of textures, smells, and new sensations.

Let the kids jump in puddes, make mud pies, dig holes or jump / throw leaves.

Possibly one of the easiest and cheapest activities to create; you will need a large container and a selection of objects with different textures.

They can be natural objects (rocks, twigs, leaves) or small toys of different textures.

You can fill the bins with water, rice, and cotton wool or leave the objects uncovered.

Add a blindfolded element for more sensory exploration.

Sensory bottles are an excellent strategy for both mindfulness and self-regulation.

They are made up of water, clear glue, food colouring and glitter, and can be tipped upside down to see the glitter fall slowly down to the bottom.

Just be careful to check the lid is tightly glued shut!

Hang some large pieces of paper onto an outdoor surface (a fence is perfect), dilute water-based paint with water on a paper plate and place some cotton balls in the paint.

Your children will aim and fire at the paper, creating an abstract masterpiece whilst exploring sensory textures.

Messy play without the mess!

Place blobs of thick paint into a sturdy ziplock bag with a piece of paper inside.

Your child will move the paint around with their hands, feeling the squishy sensation whilst creating artwork.

Double win!

Hoola hoops or a wire coat hanger are the best for creating giant bubbles.

Dip them into a washing up liquid and water mixture, and swirl them in the air.

The shiny colours from sunlight bounce off the bubbles creating a sensory feast for the eyes.

Lava lamps or LED lights around a darkened room are excellent visual stimulation for young children, as sight is their first explored sense.

The introduction of a water sensory table is recommended for starters.

With a large, deep water tray and different sized containers, children can use funnels and pipettes to collect the water.

It is an excellent introduction to capacity in early Maths.

The logic-defying science experiment is perfect for sensory exploration.

You will need cornflour and water (you can add non-staining food colouring but take care with regular food colouring as it will stain).

Once the water is mixed into the cornflour, the mixture becomes both a solid and a liquid!

Slime can be created a hundred different ways, mainly from kitchen-based products like bicarbonate soda, pva glue and non-staining food colouring.

Research different recipes as some slime can be soft and squishy whilst others slimy and sticky- offering a sensory range!

Back to the roots or the ground with this next idea, good old fashioned mud pies.

This involves a selection of movements for push and pull stimulation as well as the difference in soil when it is wet and dry.

Following perfectly on from messy play, this activity can promote handwashing habits as well as engage with sensory stimulation.

Place some washing up liquid, some non-staining food colouring and water in a blender.

This will create soap foam.

Lay it in a shallow tray and explore the texture.

You can add small objects (sequins, small toys, shells, buttons) into a large bottle and fill it ⅔ of the way with dry rice.

The children will shake the bottle to try to find the objects.

It can be useful to record which items you put in as you do it to create a checklist for searches.

Using an ice cube tray, pour different paint into each section.

When semi-frozen you can place an optional lollipop stick in for fine motor skills.

Using a large piece of card or paper, wipe the melting paint cubes to make an image.

You can also add food colouring into some of the water before freezing.

Creating musical instruments is a sensory treat!

Add some dried beans, rice or pasta into different sealable containers.

Ear muffs/defenders can be used to reduce overstimulation.

Due to the difference in dry and wet sand textures as well as being able to grab and crush sand between hands and even bare feet.

Fruit can be tangy, sweet or even a little sour.

Begin to introduce different fruit during snack times.

Green fingers can stimulate lots of sensory experiences as well as increase responsibility and fine motor skills.

Introduce the use of a trowel or other digging implement to further their coordination skills.

This is an unusual sensory opportunity to interact with both soft and squishy material (dough) as well as the finished product (harder external material).

Although this can take longer to complete, this is an activity that offers endless sensory exploration.

Find yourself with bubble wrap you need to recycle?

Add paint to the mix and we have a bubble wrap paint party!

Your child will need some adult supervision in case the surface becomes slippery.

Place a piece of paper or card on a wipeable floor, blob a mixture of paint colours to the page and lie the bubble wrap on top.

The children can pop the bubble wrap and make art!

Place some small, plastic toys in a beaker of water and allow them to freeze.

Your children can explore the different touch feelings of cold and warm.

Explore smashing the ice from a height if they enjoy the additional push and pull sensory feelings.

Rubbery Goop looks and feels like basic play dough but it is textured differently.

It is smooth, soft and slightly stretchy.

Moulding it in the hands is very addictive as the texture is delightful.

It is so much fun to play with, you can pull the goop apart and roll it back together to form a smooth ball.

You can squeeze it and it will squish through your fingers

Ingredients:

• 2 cups bi-carbonate soda (baking soda)
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 cup of cornflour (corn starch)
• Food colouring (optional)

Instructions:

• Combined all ingredients into a saucepan.
• Mix the ingredients together using a whisk to remove lumps.
• Heat on stove stirring with a wooden spoon.
• Bring the mixture to the boil continuously stirring.
• Small lumps will begin to appear, continue to stir until a thick mixture has formed.
• Turn out onto the bench. Be careful the Rubbery Goop will be very hot!
• Knead together to form a smooth ball of Rubbery Goop.
• Store in a plastic zip-lock bag or air tight container.

There are no preservatives in this recipe and depending on how many children play with the Rubbery Goop, it can last up to two weeks.

If you haven’t made Gloop yet, then this is a must for any toddler or child to try.

It is super fun and super messy!!

Gloop is an interesting mixture with a unique texture to explore and play with.

Playing with Gloop is a fabulous sensory and science activity to learn about the concepts of what a solid and liquid is.

You will need

• 2 cups of corn flour (cornstarch),
• 1 cup of water,
• two drops of food dye
• and a large container or bowl.

Place the cornflour into a large container and place a few drops of colouring into the centre.

Have the water ready for your child to pour into the container.

Mix the water into the cornflour and colouring.

It will take some time to mix together but encourage your child to play with the gloop before it is mixed.

What does it feel like?

Encourage your child to mix and play with the Gloop before it is completely mixed together, the fun and learning starts here.

Explore the texture and talk about what it feels like, sticky, slimy, cold and powdery.

Sand Foam is perfect for sensory exploration.

It is made up using only two ingredients, sand and shaving cream.

Kids will love running their hands and fingers through the fluffy, textured mixture.

You will need clean sand, shaving cream and a large tray or tub.

There is no real defined amounts for the ingredients, the sand and shaving cream amounts can be adjusted until you are happy with the consistency.

We started off with

• 3 cups of sand and
• 200ml of shaving cream,
• however, we added another 3 cups of sand to our mixture to explore what would happen.

Instructions:

• Add 3 cups of sand to the tray.
• Gradually add the shaving cream and combine using hands.
• Add more shaving cream until desired consistency is made.

• Add dinosaurs, shells and toy cars to extend the play and encourage imaginative play stories.
• The shells would make a great beach theme activity, the dinosaurs to create a sandy dinosaur world and the toy cars creating roads or moving sand construction site.
• Hide plastic alphabet letters, numbers or other items to create a hide and seek game.
• Use descriptive language to describe the experience, how does the sand foam feel? It feels soft, fluffy and gritty.
• Draw and write in the sand foam tray. You can write your name, letters, numbers, draw shapes and pictures.

Homemade Edible Finger Paint is perfect for babies aged 6-18 months , toddlers and children who are more likely to place paint covered fingers into their mouths. It is also a great paint for their ‘first’ painting experiences when you are unsure if bub is going to try and consume the paint.

This Homemade Edible Paint Recipe is super easy to make and uses regular items found in the cupboard.

It is safe for children to put into their mouths but bland and not tasty to discourage eating the paint.

It is not a sweet or sticky paint and has a wonderful smooth texture….perfect for finger painting sensory play!

Ingredients

• 4 Tablespoons of corn flour (corn starch)
• Cold water
• 1 Cup of boiling water
• Liquid food colouring

Method:
I have played around with this method a few times and find this process the most successful for me in get a great consistency for the homemade paint.

• In a medium saucepan, mix the cornflour with enough cold water to make a paste. (Not too runny).
• Pour in 1 cup of boiling water and stir thoroughly so there are no lumps.
• Turn on medium heat on the stove and mix. The mixture will start to change and you will notice some clear streaks forming in the mixture. Once you see this, turn off the heat and continue stirring. It will start to thicken and turn into a wonderful, custard-like consistency.
• Spoon equal amounts into empty jars, cups or containers and add food colouring. Mixing until completely combined. For each colour, we added 3 drops of yellow, green, red and blue. To make orange, we added 1 drop of red and 2 yellow and to make purple, we added 1 drop of blue and 2 red.
• Store in the fridge covered with cling wrap for up to 2 weeks.
• This paint recipe does not have any preservative in it, so it is important to check that the paint has not expired before giving it to children.

Tip: If the mixture has harden from being in the fridge, adding a little bit of boiling hot water or leave the paint our for a few hours will return to its smooth consistency.

Cloud Dough which can sometimes be called Moon Sand is a homemade mixture used for sensory play experiences.

The consistency of Cloud Dough can be powdery like flour and also mouldable, a bit like damp sand.

It is perfect for moulding, shaping, squeezing, pressing and sculpting into different shapes.

Cloud dough has a silky smooth texture and scented by the baby oil.

It provides a great hands-on sensory learning experience for children.

• 4 Cups of Plain Flour
• ½ Cup Baby Oil
• Large tub and wooden spoon for mixing

This recipe provides a descent amount of cloud dough for one or two children to play with.

I double this recipe when using it for 3 children of more at one time.

How to make it?

• Measure and pour the flour into the large tub.
• Add baby oil.
• Mix with a wooden spoon.
• Using your fingers, squeeze and press the cloud dough to blend the oil throughout the flour.
• Store in an air tight container.

Please Note:
Please always supervise young children around things that they may place in their mouths.

Baby oil should not be ingested.

This activity was FUN, REALLY FUN!!

Kids love to get messy, it comes with being a kid as they explore their natural curiosity about the world around them.

Messy-sensory play provides so many opportunities for learning, development and growth.

Soapy Slime is a great mixture to encourage and promote this messy play with kids.

To make Soapy Slime you will need

• 1 cup of Soap Flakes,
• 3 cups warm water,
• food colouring,
• large mixing bowl,
• large container or tray
• and an electric beater.

You can find soap flakes (like Lux brand) at your local supermarket in the washing powder isle.

As you beat the water, food colouring and soap flakes the mixture multiples, so I placed the large bowl on top of our container to catch the over flow.

You can make two different colours, yellow and red with the intention of creating a new colour, orange when you mix the two colours together.

You can have scoops and funnels to play with the soapy slime but the kids prefer their hands often.

Don’t mention anything about the two different colours mixing together, leave this for them to discover and they do in time as the two colours became one giant blob of orange soapy slime.

What child doesn’t enjoy playing with bubbles?

Take it to the next level by making bubbly, colourful, scented soap foam!

Ingredients

• Water
• Clear, unscented dish soap
• Flavored gelatin
• Liquid watercolors (optional)

Directions

• I used our stand mixer to make this soap foam, but I’m sure a hand mixer would work well too. Using a whisk might be fun for kids who’d like that!
• Put 1/4 cup of water, 3 tablespoons of your chosen Jell-O powder, and 4 tablespoons of dish soap into a bowl. The gelatin makes somewhat pastel-colored foam, so add liquid watercolors for a deeper color. 

• Mix on the highest speed for a few minutes, until the foam “rises”. The consistency will appear thicker when it’s ready. Keep in mind that these measurements are what I used, but you might need to adjust them a little. The goal is to have a thick collection of foamy bubbles!

Make multiple batches for different colors and scents. Be sure to make them one right after the other, as the soap foam will eventually settle.

Poor everything into a large bin, then let the children get into the bubbly goodness!

Mix up a batch of this sidewalk chalk paint, head outside with the kids, and create some beautiful transient art!

The chalk paint recipe is so easy, and you just need a few ingredients to make it.

Chances are, you already have those ingredients in your kitchen!

Then store the sidewalk paint, ready for a pretty spring or summer day.

I love that you can use the liquid sidewalk chalk for all kinds of art with the kids.

And you don’t have to use it just outside!

Grab some black construction paper and let the kids’ creativity go wild.

I’m sure you’ll see so much sidewalk chalk art ensue.

• Cornstarch
• Water
• Food coloring or washable tempera paint
• Small containers with lids
• Paintbrushes (thick bristles work best)
• Mixing bowl (preferably with a spout)
• Whisk or spoon

This chalk paint recipe is super simple. Be sure to get the kids involved in making it!

Directions

• Start off by adding 1 cup of cornstarch and 1 cup of water to your mixing bowl.
• Then add about 10 drops of food coloring to the bowl. In the pictures, you’ll see what the neon food coloring looks like.

• Use a whisk or a spoon to combine the chalk paint mixture.

• The cornstarch will harden a bit with the addition of the water. Just keeping mixing until it’s the consistency you prefer.

   

• Pour your sidewalk chalk paint into a container and seal the lid.

Repeat the process if you want additional colors, storing each color in a different container.

Once you have the paint the way you’d like it, it’s time for the kids to get creating!

(I highly suggest doing a spot test on your driveway/sidewalk first. I’ve never run into staining issues, but it’s best to try it out on your own to make sure you won’t.)

The fake snow recipe below is NOT taste-safe, as it contains baby oil.

Simply use vegetable oil in place of the baby oil if you’d rather it be a taste-safe version.

Technically, you really don’t want kids eating handfuls of raw flour either . . . so be sure to review your expectations with the kids ahead of time.

I chose to use both flour and cornstarch to give it a finer texture.

I haven’t made a version with all cornstarch yet, but I bet that feels beautiful, too.

Below is what we used to make our flour snow.

You can make adjustments based on your personal preferences or the materials you already have on-hand.

• 12 cups All-purpose flour
• 12 cups Cornstarch
• 3 cups Baby Oil
• White iridescent snowflake sequins
• White iridescent sequins
• Silver glitter
• White glitter

First, measure the flour and cornstarch. Pour the dry ingredients into your sensory bin.

The children helped me count out and dump the flour and cornstarch into our large sensory table. They really got into feeling the flour and the cornstarch!

Next, add in the baby oil (or vegetable oil if that’s your preference). Mix everything together well.

We used slotted spoons to mix the oil and the dry mixture.

I showed the kids how to press the spoon down and wiggle it around to help the oil combine with the flour and cornstarch. After some elbow grease, they were ready to add in the sparkles!

Then it’s time to add the extras!

Glitter and snowflake sequins give your fake snow a lot of extra sparkle.

Regular sand can be tricky with little ones who still have a tendency to put things in their mouths.

This sand recipe is taste-safe, making it an ideal alternative to regular sand.

We don’t really want to encourage the kids to eat it.

But it is made with ingredients from the kitchen, so I’ve never worried about a little one tasting a little.

There are only two ingredients in this simple recipe.

Here’s what you’ll need

• Whole-wheat flour
• Vegetable oil

The whole-wheat flour is what gives this recipe the look and feel of sand from the beach.

If you don’t have vegetable oil, you can use another type of cooking oil. 

If you’re not worried about making a taste-safe sand, you can use baby oil in place of the vegetable oil.

• The basic toddler-safe sand recipe is 8 parts whole-wheat flour to 1 part vegetable oil.
• We started out with 4 cups flour and 1/2 cup vegetable oil, but you can adjust it based on how much you want to make.

• All you have to do is add the flour to a bin and then pour in the oil. Let the kids help measure and pour!

   

• Then it’s time to mix it all together. Again, the kids can help with this part.

   

• The play sand has the consistency of damp beach sand, without being sticky or wet.

   

• It’s a light brown color, too, which makes it look even more like sand.

   

• On top of that, it is moldable just like real beach sand!

Squishy bags are perfect for sensory play without the mess.

They are cheap and easy to make and your child will enjoy manipulating and playing with them.

The squishy bag is perfect for practicing letters, numbers, name writing, drawing pictures, shapes and words.

Your child can practice hand and finger movements for pre-writing development on the squishy bag.

There are so many different ways to make squishy bags, I have seen others use glue, paint, hair gel, baby oil and shaving cream.

Today I am sharing with you how we made our Squishy Sensory Bags using flour, water and food colouring.

For one sensory bag, you will need

• 1 cup of flour,
• 6 tablespoons of water
• and food colouring.
• You will also need zip-lock lunch bags (22cm x 22cm),
• sticky tape
• and a small mixing bowl.

Adjust the flour and water amounts if you are using a smaller or larger zip-lock bag.

Step 1:

Place flour into a small bowl.
Add food colouring.

Step 2:

Now add the water.

Step 3:

Mix until all the ingredients are well blended.

Step 4:

Scoop the flour mixture into the plastic zip-lock bag.

Step 5:

Before fastening the end, place the squishy bag onto a flat surface.
Gently push any excess air out to avoid air bubbles.

Step 6:

Press the clips of the bag closed and ensure there are no holes.

Step 7:

Place sticky tape along the opening to secure the opening.

Some ideas:

• Place the squishy bag onto a light table/panel.
• Use your finger, soft paint brush or a cotton wool bud (Q-Tip) to write your name, letters, numbers and shapes.
• Explore the squishy bag for a sensory experience, watch what happens as you squeeze, squish, press, etc. Cause and effect, one action creates a another reaction.

Edible mud is easy to make at home using items from your pantry and safe for your kids to put into their mouth.

It’s a really fun messy play activity which comes with lots of sensory benefits too.

Younger children will love to just play, taste and explore the mud with their fingers, whilst older kids may make up stories and imaginative play scenarios.

Playing with this edible mud recipe will help kids to learn and create in a safe, stimulating play environment.

It will also help them to widen their vocabulary, develop coping mechanisms for new experiences and feelings and learn by feeling.

What you’ll need for this edible mud recipe

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 cups water
• Large tin foil roasting tray or plastic container
• Spoon

Optional

• 1 packet of udon noodles, or similar noodles or spaghetti
• Saucepan
• Water for boiling the noodles
• Black food colouring

How to make edible mud

1. Mix the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar and white sugar together in the large container with the spoon.

2. Slowly add the water to the dry ingredients and mix together until you have a runny, gloopy and tasty mud. Add more water if required.

3. Boil the noodles in the extra water with a few drops of the black food colouring. Once cooked, drain out the water and leave the noodles to cool.

4. Add the noodles to the mud mixture.

Your mud is ready to go!

If you’re worried about the amount of sugar in the recipe, you can remove the sugar and use extra flour instead to get the muddy consistency.

Adding the noodles to make edible worms is optional, but it does add to the fun of playing in the mud.

You could also add some farm animals, mini construction vehicles, other small toys or baking equipment such as measuring cups, spoons or funnels to the mud.

The edible mud is great to play with outside as it can get quite messy, or inside with your floor covered to help when it comes to clearing up time!

If the mixture starts to solidify, just add a little more water until you get the right consistency.

For this activity, just fill an empty ice cream container with water and place a plastic toy or small plastic toys inside.

Put the container into the freezer until the water has frozen, then turn out the frozen block into the sink, a big bucket or large container.

Get your toddler or preschooler to use their plastic tools, toy cutlery or cooking utensils to begin excavating their frozen treasure!

All you need for this sensory play idea is white rice and different food colouring colours.

For each colour, place 2 cups of rice into a zip lock bag, then add 5 pumps of hand sanitiser and 2-3 drops of food colouring.

Zip the bag shut and shake the bag to coat the rice.

Spread the rice out on newspaper to dry (approximately 25 minutes), then put the rice into separate containers or mix it together in one big container and let your toddler and preschooler explore!

To make your sensory soup, take a trip out to the garden, to the beach or park and help your toddler or preschooler to collect some treasures including flowers, grass, sticks, leaves, pebbles, shells or seaweed.

Fill the sink or a large container up with water, add the treasures and watch as your little enjoys stirring, scooping and pouring their sensory soup into different bowls or containers.

This a great indoor sensory play idea that your toddler or preschooler could do in the bath too.

For this activity grab a small container and fill it with balloons filled with small amounts of water.

Try to use regular balloons as water balloons will pop easily.

This sensory play activity is a great way to encourage your toddler or preschooler to squeeze their hands and pick up wobbly objects.

It’s also perfect for developing their gross motor skills.

Play dough is easy to make and hours of fun for kids of all ages!

It’s the perfect sensory play activity they can do indoors and outside.

Play dough ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 2 tablespoons cream of tartar or baking soda
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 teaspoon food colouring

How to make play dough

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together.

2. Add the oil, boiling water and food colouring and mix really well.

3. The mixture may seem quite wet to start with, but will soon begin to dry out.

4. Store the play dough in an airtight container when your kids have finished playing with it.

Play dough ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 2 tablespoons cream of tartar or baking soda
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 teaspoon food colouring

How to make play dough

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together.

2. Add the oil, boiling water and food colouring and mix really well.

3. The mixture may seem quite wet to start with, but will soon begin to dry out.

4. Store the play dough in an airtight container when your kids have finished playing with it.

To start with all you need are cookie cutters and a rolling pin to help make the shapes.

Try using other objects around the house for lots of variety.

Add glitter for a sparkly, textured effect.

Create nice smells by using scented oils or old perfumes.

If you add small pieces of coloured paper to plain play dough, the paper will soon absorb the moisture and start to turn the play dough different colours.

Add a 1/3 cup of cocoa instead of the food colouring and make lovely chocolate play dough.

Perfect for making pretend cookies!

Have a go at this very easy recipe for glitter glue!

Perfect for adding sparkle to all sorts of kids crafts, paintings and creations.

Makes approx 6 cups of glitter glue.

What you’ll need

• 1 cup of cornflour
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 6 cups of hot water
• 2 tablespoons of white vinegar
• Medium/large saucepan
• 6 baby food jars or small jars
• 6 different coloured glitters*
• Paint brushes

* use 2 heaped tablespoons of glitter per cup of glitter

How to make your glitter glue

1. Whisk all the ingredients except the glitter in a medium/large saucepan.

2. Place the saucepan on a high heat and constantly whisk the mixture until it turns translucent. This should only take a minute or two. Do not leave the mixture unattended as it thickens quickly. Add some hot water to the mixture if it becomes too thick.

3. Once the mixture is ready, divide it equally between the baby food jars/small jars and allow to cool.

4. Once the mixture is cool, mix 2 tablespoons of the first glitter colour into the glue. Repeat with the other 5 glitter colours.

5. You are all set to go! Using a paint brush, brush the glitter onto your homemade crafts and artworks.

6. Once dry the glue will go clear, leaving just the sparkling glitter on the artwork.

The mixture will store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

If it does set hard like jelly when refrigerated, all you need to do is add a teaspoon or two of hot water to soften the mix.

You can also add some food colouring to the mixture to make a brighter finished colour.