Gingerbread Play Dough

Add a bit of Christmas magic to your playdough with Little Learners!

I love making playdough for my kids when I need an activity that will keep them engaged (and quiet!). It’s so easy to make, and they can get creative and practice those all-important fine motor skills. It’s fun all year round, but in the winter we add a bit of festive sparkle with the warm scent of ginger! Make sure you have cookie cutters and objects or sprinkles to decorate with. Here’s the recipe I use to make this amazing gingerbread playdough:

• 2 cups plain flour
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
• Ground ginger (to your taste – add lots for a stronger scent and colour)
• Yellow gel food colouring (a very tiny amount)
• 1 cup of boiling water plus water to add in increments
• 1/2 teaspoon glycerine (optional, but it makes it lovely and soft)

Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the oil and glycerine and mix well. Add the food colouring to the cup of water, just so it faintly colours the water – you can always add more to make the colour stronger, but I find the ground ginger gives most of the ‘gingerbread’ colour. Mix the water in, then start to knead the mixture with your hands. Add small increments of water until the playdough starts to feel sticky, then knead knead knead until it is a lovely, non-sticky, soft texture.

Now get decorating! I broke out the Christmas cookie cutters and sugar sprinkles, and found some sparkly pom poms to decorate with. My little one loved cutting and decorating his gingerbread playdough. Eventually we moved on from the Christmas theme and his gingerbread playdough people became “zombies”… Not as festive, but as long as he’s having a good time, I’m happy!