Don’t worry about buying it, homemade glow in the dark playdough is so easy to make, and is awesome for sensory play with your kiddos! This fun and easy playdough recipe uses glow in the dark powder. Enjoy glowing playdough, with or without a black light! Check out how to make this glow dough, and follow our easy activity suggestions below.
Homemade Playdough
Playdough is an excellent addition to your preschool learning activities! Even create a busy box from a ball of homemade playdough, a small rolling pin, and cookie cutters.
Kids can explore shapes and fruit themes creatively with our homemade playdough. See below for playdough activity ideas and a free printable playdough mat.
There are so many fun variations of playdough to make and enjoy with young kids. Here are a few of our favorites…
- No Cook Playdough
- Strawberry Playdough
- Super Soft Playdough
- Edible Frosting Playdough
- Kool-Aid Playdough
- Jello Playdough
Tips For Making Glow In The Dark Playdough
Tip 1: Match the color of the food coloring to the color of the glow in the dark pigments. Lighter colors will glow better than darker colors!
Tip 2: A black light is unnecessary for this glow in the dark playdough but might enhance the experience!
Tip 3: The glow in the dark pigments must be charged in sunlight to glow in the dark. The longer they charge and the more pigments used, the longer the playdough will glow.
Tip 4: Wear gloves when mixing colors to avoid discoloring your hands!
Glow In The Dark Playdough Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup salt
- Two tablespoons cream of tartar
- One tablespoon oil
- 1 cup boiling water
- Food coloring
- 1 teaspoon cosmetic-grade glow-in-the-dark pigments
How To Make Glow In The Dark Playdough
STEP 1. In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, and cream of tartar.
STEP 2. Combine the oil with the boiling water. Stir the oil and water into the dry ingredients. Mix well.
STEP 3. Remove the dough and knead until it is no longer sticky. Divide into equal parts with one part for each color.
STEP 4. Indent each portion of dough to create a small hole. Add drops of food coloring and glow in the dark pigments to each portion.
STEP 5. Knead and twist the dough until the pigments and coloring are evenly distributed.
Enjoy your glow in the dark playtime!
Get Your FREE Printable Rainbow Playdough Mat!
Fun Things To Make With Playdough
Math Activities
Turn your playdough into a counting activity and add dice! Roll and place the correct amount of items on rolled out playdough! Use buttons, beads, or small toys for counting. You could even make it a game and the first one to 20, wins!
Add number playdough stamps and pair with the items to practice numbers 1-10 or 1-20.
Make a sorting activity. Roll out the soft playdough into different circles. Next, mix up the items in a small container. Then, have the kids sort the items by color or size or type to the different playdough shapes using the tweezers!
Practice Fine Motor Skills
Mix small items into your ball of playdough and add a pair of kid-safe tweezers or tongs for them to find things with.
Use kid-safe playdough scissors to practice cutting their playdough into pieces.
Simply using cookie cutters to cut out shapes, which is great for little fingers!
STEM Activities
Turn your playdough into a STEM activity for the book Ten Apples Up On Top by Dr. Seuss! Challenge your kids to roll up 10 apples out of playdough and stack them 10 apples tall! See more ideas for 10 Apples Up On Top here.
Challenge kids to create different size playdough balls and put them in the correct order of size!
Add toothpicks and roll up “mini balls” out of the playdough and use them along with the toothpicks to create 2D and 3D shapes and structures.
Printable Playdough Mats
Add any these free playdough mats to your early-learning activities!
How Long Does Playdough Last
Keep your playdough stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Resealable plastic containers work well and are easy for little hands to open. You can also use zip-top bags.
TIP: Wash hands before using playdough to keep it as clean as possible and it will last longer!
More Fun Glow In The Dark Ideas
Have leftover pigment? Here are some more fun and easy ways to use it.
- Glow In The Dark Slime
- Glow In The Dark Bath Paint
- Glow In The Dark Moon Craft
- Glowing Jellyfish Craft
Bonus Sensory Play Recipes To Make
We have a few more recipes that are all time favorites! Easy to make, only a few ingredients and young kids love them for sensory play! Looking for more unique ways to engage the senses? Check out more fun sensory activities for kids!
Make kinetic sand that is moldable play sand for little hands.
Homemade oobleck is easy with just 2 ingredients.
Mix up some soft and moldable cloud dough.
Find out how simple it is to color rice for sensory play.
Try edible slime for a taste safe play experience.
Of course, playdough with shaving foam is fun to try!
Printable Playdough Recipes Pack
If you want an easy-to-use printable resource for all your favorite playdough recipes, including this one, and exclusive (only available in this pack) playdough mats, grab our printable Playdough Project Pack!
- Homemade Playdough Recipes including traditional, no-cook, super soft, and even taste-safe ideas!
- Playdough Mats with an Early Learning Theme, including space, seasons, volcanos, bees, and more!
- Playdough tips, tricks, and ideas!
