Snow Playdough: Made With Only 2 Ingredients!

When the weather outside is frightful, but you still want a dash of wintery fun, snow playdough is the perfect craft to try! My three kids absolutely love this activity – it’s like bringing a piece of the snowy outdoors into the warmth of our kitchen. This homemade playdough has a wonderfully soft, almost magical texture that feels just like real snow, minus the cold. It’s a fantastic sensory play activity that encourages creativity and fine motor skill development.

The best part about snow playdough is that it’s incredibly easy to make, with just two household ingredients and minimal mess. It’s perfect for a last-minute playdate or a quiet afternoon at home. Plus, it’s a great way for children to explore their senses, especially touch and sight, as they mold and shape their snowy creations.

This craft not only keeps little hands busy but also sparks imagination as they create their own mini winter wonderland. From snowmen to snowflakes, the possibilities are endless. So, let’s get started and create some snow playdough magic!

Materials

• 1 + 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup lotion
• Bowl
• Spoon
• Silver glitter (optional)
• Winter themed cookie cutters

How to Make Snow Playdough

1. Mix the Ingredients: In your bowl, combine the 1 cup cornstarch and 1/2 cup lotion. At first, the mixture will seem extremely sticky. Don’t worry, that’s perfectly normal!

2. Stir with a Spoon: Use the spoon to mix the ingredients together. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the cornstarch. Slowly add the 1/2 cup of cornstarch a little bit at a time and mix with the spoon until the mixture starts to form a ball and peel away from the bowl.

3. Knead by Hand: Once the mixture is roughly combined, dust your hands with a bit of cornstarch and start kneading. It will be sticky at first, but as you continue to knead, the mixture will start to come together.

4. Add More Cornstarch if Needed: If the mixture remains too sticky, lightly dust your hands with more cornstarch. Continue kneading until you reach the consistency of playdough – moldable but not sticky.

How to Play with Snow Playdough

Once the snow playdough is ready, the real fun begins! There are countless ways to play with this delightful substance. You can encourage your kids to use cookie cutters to make snowflake shapes or roll it into balls to create a miniature snowman. Maybe they can craft a snowy landscape or even imprint patterns using forks, combs, or anything with an interesting texture. My kids particularly enjoyed turning the playdough into a wintery scene, complete with snow-covered trees and a small snow fort.

Their imagination truly knew no bounds! Seeing their individual creations, I ended up making three batches of snow playdough so each child could have their own mound of ‘snow’ to mold, shape, and play with. They even incorporated small toy figures and cars, creating snowy adventures and stories, which not only kept them engaged for hours but also sparked a lovely blend of creativity and narrative play.

Tips for Success

• If the playdough is too dry, add a bit more lotion until you reach the desired consistency.
• Engage your kids by asking them to describe the texture and how it changes as they knead.
• Add glitter or use a pleasant smelling lotion.
• It doesn’t matter what type of lotion you use for this play dough but you may need to add all of the 1/2 cup of corn starch for thicker lotion or you may need to use a bit less for thinner lotions.

Snow Playdough Cleanup

• Simply wipe down your surface and wash the bowl and spoon with warm, soapy water.
• Store the snow playdough in an airtight container to keep it fresh for future play. It will last about 7 days.
• If your play dough dries out during storage or while playing, you can bring it back by simply adding a few drops of lotion and kneading it until it has reached the desired constituency.

Skills Learned

• Sensory exploration: Feeling the unique texture of the playdough helps children understand and articulate the differences between wet, dry, sticky, and smooth.
• Fine motor skills: Kneading and molding the playdough strengthens hand muscles and coordination.
• Creativity: Imagining and creating shapes enhances creative thinking.

This snow playdough activity is more than just a craft; it’s a mini sensory adventure that’s perfect for indoor days. It provides a wonderful opportunity for tactile play and creative expression. So, gather your materials, and let the snowy fun begin!

Age Suitability

This sensory activity is great for toddlers aged children 2 years old and up with adult assistance.

Mess Level

The mess level for this sensory activity is medium.

Difficulty to Create 

Easy.

Toddler and Preschooler Curriculums, Books & TV Show!

Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers

There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!

But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.

Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.

Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again! 

These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!

Click here for more information: Play2Learn

Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.

Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids

Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon. 

Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.

Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.

Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids

Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more. 

Find out more and grab your copy here.

Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.

Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids

Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.

• 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
• Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
• Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.

Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!

Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.

TV Show: Curious Crafting

I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.

Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!

Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.

In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create. 

Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.

This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up. 

The Best Sensory Play Kits for Kids

Play is at the core of learning during the early years and it can take many forms. One of the most important of these is sensory play because it engages all of a child’s senses (taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing) and has a enoumous positive impact on brain development.

Our Sensory Play Kits are some fun and easy ways to keep your child engaged while at the same time using sensory play to nurture their mind!

Shop our ready made play kits here.

Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.