Let's make salt and flour play dough for the child!

We have brought you interesting facts and tips about one of the most popular toys! Salt-flour play dough – like clay – has been a familiar ingredient for centuries, not only among children, but adults also made ornaments from it in the past. It became a toy mainly because it was easy to make, cheap and natural. Its value has not been lost to this day. Mothers and kindergarten teachers often choose this natural play dough for their children, despite the fact that beautiful and attractive products are also available in stores.

Why is plasticine important?

You have probably read about fine motor skills in children many times. This term refers to the subtle and coordinated movements of certain parts of the body. We perform fine motor movements not only with our hands and fingers, but also with our mouth and eyes, for example. If this area needs development in a child, we can also use simple games (packing small objects, playing with tweezers, puzzle games), such as plasticine.

Why is plasticine one of the best developmental toys?

Because almost every child loves it! While playing with plasticine, the muscles of the hand – palm, wrist, fingers – strengthen, but eye-hand coordination also develops. The child's creativity almost takes flight, he freely uses shapes, colors and tries to create figures in 3 dimensions that he has already seen elsewhere. You could say he copies them in space, which develops his spatial vision . If the child's imagination is initially restrained, we can show him a few "tricks", shapes that he will enjoy. Let's think about the fact that plasticine is also great because it develops even if he just presses and kneads it in his hands. 

What movements does the child use while playing with clay?

He squeezes, flattens, rounds, rolls it. He can make a larger ball with two hands, but if he wants to make eyes for a figure, he tries to form regular little balls by circling them with his tiny fingertips. At the same time, he also pays attention to making the two eyes the same size! This means that his aesthetic sense is also developing.

You can shape the clay between your hands, but you can also use the surface of the table. For example, if you are making a snake, you can roll out the oblong shape with one hand. You can also add additional elements! If you get a small rolling pin, you can roll it with two hands, using larger movements. Cookie cutters are great because to make mini salt and flour cookies, you first have to flatten the clay, then fit the mold on it, press it, and then very carefully release the cookie from the “dough”. This is a complete process that has a sequence and requires manual dexterity, strength, patience, and perseverance.

Source: Csimborasszó Health Center , Budapest Pedagogical Service

What is good plasticine?

Simply put: it's easy to play with and create with. Let it be 

• soft and flexible, easy to knead even with small hands, 
• a mold holder that will hold the figures in place after they are finished,
• It is made from natural ingredients, as we must always consider that small children may accidentally put it in their mouths.
• Let's be careful not to
• crumbly, as it is necessary for it to hold together well to form shapes, 
• sticky, does not stick to hands and tools, 
• quickly drying,
• none of its ingredients should be toxic. 

Should it be scented? Well, maybe it's better not to focus on that. On the one hand, there is no advantage or point in having a scent for the plasticine toy from the child's point of view, and on the other hand, it would make it more attractive to them and easier to taste.

What is salt and flour play dough and why do we love it so much?

If we mix together a few basic ingredients that can be found at home from the kitchen cupboard, we get a completely natural , well-molded, easy-to-make plasticine material. It is popular because it is safe, cheap, versatile and environmentally friendly. Creative works, games, decorations can be made from it, it teaches, develops and gives a real experience to both the child and the parent. It also offers a good opportunity for a joint parent-child program . 

One of the great advantages of salt-flour play dough is that it can be dried, so you can make toys from it that you can store in the children's room, such as toy cakes for the cooking corner, figurines, ornaments, or even for the Christmas tree.

Is it important to be colorful?

No. Salt-flour play dough is usually natural white. If you still want to, you can color it with natural plant materials. Advantages of solid white play dough :

• If there is no choice of colors, the child focuses more on shaping
• If we look at the white plasticine as an empty base, then after it dries, the child can color it and paint it however they like, thus showing them a complex creative technique.
• Natural play dough creates a clean and natural effect, which can help children understand the origin of materials and the value of naturalness.

We can see that white plasticine is a perfect play tool. Of course, colored plasticine also has its advantages. Since children are used to colorful toys, they can be more attractive to them. They are more visually interesting, so they can motivate them better and keep them interested longer because they are more varied.

This is how you make salt and flour clay!

You need to prepare four simple ingredients and a large bowl. Pour 250 g of salt, 250 g of fine flour, 1 dl of water and 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil into the bowl, then knead thoroughly!

If it's too sticky, add a little flour, if it's too hard and crumbly, add a little water. 

What kind of creations can we make from salt and flour clay?

Basically, the essence of plasticine is that the child can express himself , his inner spiritual world, his desires, and create the things and thoughts that live within him. In the meantime, he naturally develops a lot, which we can help him with from time to time by showing him some clever tricks and ideas!

The little ones will try out the basic elements, flattening, rounding, poking, rolling and pressing them. The older ones can make their favorite fairy tale characters, small animals and flowers. 

If you want to create something lasting, you can use cookie cutters to make beautifully shaped Christmas tree ornaments. You can use them for any holiday, be it Easter, Mother's Day , or Father's Day . 

We can make flat pictures that can be hung, which the child can paint on. We can fill the doll's kitchen with creative salt-flour plasticine vegetables , fruits, pastries, or even make a house out of it. Mini plasticine cacti , colorful autumn leaves, and hanging decorations are cute.

We can also try alternative ingredients!

If your child is gluten-sensitive, it is better to try gluten-free flour when making salt-flour play dough. Although you are careful not to put it in their mouth, it can still happen at any time, and it can also stick to their hands, which they can lick off. To make the game feel safe, you will need to experiment a little, because all grain flours, as well as corn and rice flours, behave differently in the mixture. Basically, use the same amount instead of all-purpose flour. Finding the right ratio can be the key to making gluten-free salt-flour play dough not crumbly and sticky.

If you want colored salt and flour play dough , we recommend using natural ingredients instead of food coloring! Turmeric, even in small amounts, gives a very nice yellow color, ground red pepper gives an orange color, and cocoa powder gives a brown color. If you want green, you can achieve it with chopped dry parsley leaves. 

+3 tips for successful plasticine play 

• To make the clay last longer, wrap it in an airtight container and put it in the refrigerator!
• If the case dries out, you can revive it with a little water and oil.
• To make your workspace easy to manage, set up a tablecloth specifically for your artwork!

We wish you fun and pleasant creation!