Edible Play Dough Sensory Recipe

This play dough is fun to make AND safe to eat.
Play dough is fun to squish, roll, poke, cut into shapes, or make handprints – no wonder it’s an easy, tactile experience for children with visual impairments. For children who like to explore with their mouth, this recipe is also edible. It’s made with ready-made vanilla frosting, confectioners’ sugar, corn starch, and food coloring so it tastes and smells very sweet. And, no hot stove or microwave oven is required to make it.

Try making it with different frosting flavors or food coloring. Store leftover dough in a Ziploc bag or covered container for up to one week.

Utensils

  • Large mixing bowl
  • 8-oz. measuring cup
  • Measuring spoons
  • Spatula or mixing spoon

Ingredients

  • 1 cup ready-made vanilla frosting (or try a different flavor!)
  • 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 2-4 tablespoons corn starch
  • Food coloring of your choice

Recipe Steps & Suggested Sensory Directions

Step 1.
Gather the ingredients and the utensils.
  • TOUCH. What do the utensils feel like? Are their textures rough or smooth? Does the mixing bowl feel warm or cold?
  • LISTEN. Shake the measuring spoons or hit the mixing spoon against the bowl. You made a kitchen band!
Step 2.
Wash your hands and workspace well since you’ll be kneading the dough with your hands.
  • TOUCH. When you clean your workspace, it feels wet and slippery until it dries.
  • LISTEN. Children with visual impairments can miss subtle cues to let them know what’s happening around them. The sound of running water is a cue that it’s time to wash your hands before you start this recipe. It can also be used for tooth-brushing or bath time.
  • LISTEN. Sing a simple handwashing song while you apply soap and water to your child’s hands, or to your own. Songs, poems, and stories are a fun way to promote early literacy and social emotional connection.
Step 3.
Open the container of frosting and fill the measuring cup with one cup of frosting. With your spatula or spoon, scoop out the frosting into your bowl.
  • SMELL. Smell the frosting. What flavor did you choose?
  • TASTE. Put a dab of frosting on your child’s hands or on their feeding tray and try a taste. Do you taste vanilla, or maybe lemons?
  • SEE. If your frosting is white, make the color pop in a dark or metal mixing bowl.
  • LISTEN. As you measure the frosting and spoon it into the mixing bowl, describe out loud what you’re doing with your spatula or spoon with action words like “fill,” “scoop,” and “scrape” to make this part of the recipe come alive.
Step 4.
Add the food coloring of your choice, in drops, and stir until smooth.
  • LISTEN. Count the drops of food coloring out loud as you squeeze the bottle. “One, two, three, four…now we’re done!”
  • SEE. If you used vanilla frosting, the food coloring is easy to see because it contrasts with the white frosting. Maybe your child can point to the food coloring in the bowl. Using contrast in everyday routines makes it easier for your child to look at or reach for objects, such as food or toys. As you stir the frosting, the colors blend together.
  • TOUCH. Let your child place their hands over yours as you stir the frosting mixture and feel your arm move in circles around the bowl.
Step 5.
Fill a measuring cup with one cup of confectioner’s sugar and add it to the frosting mixture. Stir until smooth. Add the remaining cup of confectioner’s sugar and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Mix the dough.
  • TOUCH. Sprinkle some confectioner’s sugar on your work surface and let your child touch it with their hands or feet. Trace some shapes. The sugar feels soft and powdery.
  • TASTE. Sprinkle confectioner’s sugar on your child’s hand and encourage them to taste it. It’s sweet too, just like the frosting!
  • SEE. Let your child watch you measure the ingredients and add them to the dough.
  • TOUCH. Give your child a spoon to scoop the confectioner’s sugar and dump it into the measuring cup on their own or with your help using hand under hand.
Step 6.
The dough will be coarse and crumbly, so turn it out onto your work surface or a cutting board dusted with the remaining corn starch. Knead the dough until it’s smooth and well combined.
  • LISTEN. Talk about how the consistency of the dough changes as you knead it with your hands, from coarse and crumbly to stretchy and smooth. Smoosh the dough. Poke it. Smash it and listen to the sound it makes.
  • TOUCH. Encourage your child to touch the dough. Is it sticky? Soft? You might need to add a little more cornstarch for the right consistency.
Step 7.
Now you can play with your homemade dough! Be creative! Roll the dough out and use cookie cutters to make different shapes.
  • TOUCH. Have fun making handprints or footprints. Feet are less tactilely sensitive than hands, and new sensory experiences can be easily introduced through the feet.
  • LISTEN. Describe out loud what you and your child are doing with the dough and how it feels when you touch it.
  • TOUCH. Cookie cutters come in many different shapes and colors. Simple shapes like a star or a heart are easier for small hands to work with. Cutting out shapes builds your child’s tactile dexterity and strength.
Step 8.
This dough is safe to eat!
  • TASTE. If your child likes to explore new experiences with their mouth, don’t worry! This dough tastes very sweet because of the confectioner’s sugar. If your child to not ready to take a bite, that’s ok – licking or kissing the dough is also a fun way to learn with our mouths!
Recipe and photo courtesy of I Heart Naptime

A Shared Vision: Partners in Pediatric Blindness & Visual Impairment

EIN 81-4227664