It will not be long til all school age kids are off for the summer and I am excited to be able to spend more time with the kids. But if your kiddos are anything like mine, after a couple of weeks, I go from being a full time stay at home mom, to a full time REFEREE!
This is why I make sure and have plenty of things for my kids to do on the days we are all home so that they are busy having fun with activities and crafts, therefore, there are fewer moments where I have to play referee! As a former teacher, now a stay at home mom, I make sure they are doing fun crafts and activities but I also take this opportunity to either teach or reinforce learning skills.
Homemade Play Dough
Reinforce math skills and save money by making your own play dough! Have your kids do the measuring and all the mixing. It’s fun and easy and your kids will enjoy playing with it because they made it!!
Homeade Play dough
2 cups plain flour
2 cups water
4 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
2 Tablespoons Oil
1 cup salt
Food coloring
Poor all ingredients, except for food coloring in a mixing bowl, then transfer to a pot stirring constantly on medium heat until it forms a dough ball by pulling away from the sides. (I do the stirring on the stove for safety reasons) Remove from heat and knead until it forms the texture of playdough. Put the dough in a gallon size ziplock bag. Add the food coloring and knead while still in the bag. (This prevents your kids from having stained hands.) Keep kneading and adding the food coloring until you get the color you want. Store the playdough in the ziplock bag or place in a plastic storage contalearning
Note: For a no cook playdough, disolve salt in boiling water, then mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl until it is a dough consistency.
Learning Activities Using Homeade Play Dough.
Play Dough Pictures
Using a piece of cardboard, card stock, or construction paper have your child create a picture using different colors of play dough to construct and place on the paper. Additional activities depending on the age of your child: Write a story before or after they make their play dough story, either mom or child can label the picture.
Create “Snakes”
Kids love making snakes out of play dough! Have your child make snakes and then review or teach by having your child put the snakes in order shortest to longest.
Create “Balls”
Review or teach by having your child put them in order from biggest to smallest and then smallest to the biggest.
Make Patterns, Sort and Count
Have your child make patterns using different colors, then sort, and count. Discuss different types of patterns like AB(red, white), ABA(red, white, red), AABB(red,red,white,white), and ABBA(red, white,white,red), depending on the age of your child. Start with simple patterns first, then expand to the more complex patterns.
Create Letters, Words, and 
Names
Have your child write there name or letters of the alphabet with the play dough. For younger children, trace the letter(s) on a piece of paper so your child has a template. For older children, have them create words or practice spelling and/or high frequency words. For FREE templates of letter cards that your child can use to create the letters, visit this page from Making Learning Fun. She has LOTS of different learning activities and free printouts to use with play dough.
Explore with Objects
This is where I look around the house for manipulatives that my kids can use: plastic spoons, cookie cutters, pipe cleaners, toothpicks(for older children) googly eyes, water bottle lids, etc……
Learning Skills
Who would of thought that making and playing with play dough, would result in your child learning so many different skills and concepts. Here are concepts and skills your child will review or learn with the activities that I have shared:
Measuring skills, one-to-one correspondance, number recognitiom, understanding of paterns and relationships through ordering shortest to longest and smallest to biggest, problem solving, connecting math and reading with everyday activities, letter recognition, literacy development, and exploring matter and how it can change.
Want more Crafts and Activities? I will be posting more crafts and activitie so weekly so keep checking back!!!
More Play Dough Recipes and Activities
Tags: Dough, homemade play dough, Homemade playdough, Learning with play doh, Make playdough, Play dough activities, Play dough learning, Play dough recipe, Play-Doh
Moms Looking 2 Save 
So many good ideas. Thank you for referencing my blog.
Anita
Your welcome:-)))) Thank you!!