Cloud Dough is a wonderful sensory tool. It is super soft, mouldable and fluffy that makes it almost an instant hit with children.
But what really earns it the bonus points, from parents, is how easy it is to make cloud dough at home and boost cognitive learning through sensorial play!
Just 5 minutes (or less) plus 2 staple ingredients from your home and your DIY sensory cloud dough is ready!
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How To Revive Dried Cloud Dough
Cloud dough is a favourite among children because not only is it fun to play with but also easy and fun to make. Kids love to make their own playthings as it gives them a sense of accomplishment and boosts their confidence.
Our recipe is fail proof and just perfect for kids who are getting started with DIY stuff.
What is Cloud Dough?
Cloud dough is a play dough made out of corn flour instead of regular flour. It is a sensory play material that is made by mixing cornstarch with body lotion.
These two common ingredients, when mixed together, create a beautiful fluffy, play dough-like substance that is magically soft, wonderful to the touch and so much fun to play with!
This is one of the best play dough for kids with dry skin. As it is made out corn flour instead of regular flour, it does not dry out hands. Also it is gluten-free, which makes it suitable for kids who have gluten intolerance.
Cloud Dough Recipe
Making your own cloud dough is an inexpensive and easy way to keep the little ones entertained. With just two ingredients, you can make cloud dough in less than 5 minutes!
What’s more, this recipe is super simple, quick to make and a perfect way to get even little kids involved.
Related: Looking for fun things to do with your toddler? Here are 60 Low-Prep, Fun Toddler Activities to keep them happy and learning.
So get ready to make homemade cloud dough with this simple no-cook recipe!
Cloud Dough Ingredients
– 1 cup corn flour
– 1/2 cup white body lotion or white hair conditioner
– Mixing bowl
– Spoon
– Food coloring (optional)
How To Make Cloud Dough
Time needed: 5 minutes
- In a large mixing bowl take half a cup of body lotion. You can use a white hair conditioner or even baby oil, coconut oil or any vegetable oil.
We like to use body lotion as it makes fluffier, nicer smelling play dough.
- Add 1 cup corn flour to the lotion and combine it with a spoon.
If you are making taste-safe edible cloud dough, replace lotion with coconut oil or clear vegetable oil.
- Knead the dough.
Once the mixture has become crumbly and hard to mix, use your hands to knead the dough till it is nice and smooth. It is great hand exercise and we suggest letting your kids do this to strengthen their motor skills.
If the playdough still feels sticky, add more cornstarch to the mixture to get the desired texture. In case it feels too crumbly, squirt a few drops of lotion to bring it together.
To avoid mess, you can either make it outdoors or line your countertop with wax paper to minimize the mess.
- Colour the dough
To color cloud dough, we followed the same process as we did to make homemade play dough. (If you haven’t tried diy play dough yet, now is the good time…it is an excellent no-cook, fail-proof recipe to make the softest playdough that really lasts!)
Anyways, all you need to do is divide the cloud dough into small balls according to the number of colours you have. - Flatten the balls and add food coloring in the center.
- To prevent food coloring from staining your hands, we suggest you wear gloves and knead the cloud dough till the color is evenly spread and well absorbed into the cloud dough.
As an extra precaution, we always line out the kitchen top with wax paper to prevent it from staining.
Your cloud dough is ready! Homemade cloud dough is an excellent sensory tool that can provide hours of tactile exploration.
Related: Since you are already working with cornflour, try your hands at Oobleck as well. This non-newtonian fluid will boggle your kids (and you!) with it’s weird properties.
It can be used in a variety of ways. Try using cookie cutters to create fun shapes, or use it as a base for building towers and castles or simply incorporate it in your child’s messy play.
Add it to sensory bins, use it on playmats or make scoops of it for your kiddo’s pretend play ice-cream cart… wherever your child’s creativity takes it.
Related: Take sensorial play a level higher with DIY Kinetic Sand. Inexpensive and easy to make, Kinetic Sand will amaze your kids with its crazy texture.
DIY Glitter Cloud Dough
Making glitter cloud dough is just as easy! With just one simple addition, you can transform your regular cloud dough into a magical sparkling cloud dough that is perfect for fairy tale pretend play.
How To Make Glitter Cloud Dough
Follow through the first step of homemade cloud dough. Just before adding the corn flour, add in biodegradable sparkle to the lotion and mix it well to evenly spread the glitter in the lotion.
After you have mixed in the glitter, go through the remaining steps starting from step 2 of the cloud dough recipe.
It is that easy to make sparkly glitter cloud dough that is simply enchanting!
How to Store Cloud Dough
Just like DIY Moon Sand, cloud dough needs to be stored in an airtight container.
This recipe dries out much faster than the traditional homemade play dough, hence we recommend you to wrap it in cling wrap before storing it in an airtight container to make it last longer.
Alternatively, you can also use ziplock bag to store fluffy dough. If you have made colored cloud dough, keep them in separate ziplockbags. This will keep the colors intact and prevent them from bleeding into each other.
How To Soften Dried Cloud Dough
Like we mentioned, cloud dough dries faster than the classic playdough. But Don’t throw away the dried cloud dough before trying this easy tip to revive it!
A few drops of body lotion are just enough to breathe life again into the dried play dough.
Make sure to knead it well once you add the lotion to make it soft and moldable again.
Quick Tip: Apply a lotion on your hands as well before you knead the dough.
Final Thoughts
This soft, silky play dough is an excellent tactile material for little kids as well as older children who like sensorial play. It’s wonderful texture makes it hard to put down, even for adults. Give it a try!
FAQ
Cloud dough is softer and silkier than regular play dough. Unlike play dough, it does not leave the hands sticky after play.
Edible cloud dough is safe for young children who like to put everything in their mouths. Edible cloud dough is safe to taste and has a little chance of being eaten in large quantities as it does not taste great. In any case, adult supervision is always recommended even with taste-safe edible cloud dough.
Cloud dough can last for a week when stored properly. It should be thrown and replaced if any residue builds up on the cloud dough.
To keep the cloud dough soft, wrap the dough in a plastic cling film and then store it in an air-tight bag or container.
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