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Pumpkin Pie Play Dough Sensory Recipe

This recipe is a staple in our teachers’ toolbox during playtime with their families

Recipe PDF (english)

Receta PDF (español)

We like this recipe because it’s easy to make, it’s a fun sensory experience, and it’s non-toxic, so if your child wants to eat it, it isn’t harmful. Your kitchen will smell fantastic! The secret – it’s flavored with pumpkin pie spice.

Double the recipe so siblings can also join in the fun!

With each step, we provide sensory suggestions for you to try with your child. You can follow one or all of the suggestions – touch, taste, see, smell, and hear.

When you’re done playing, put the dough in an airtight bag in the refrigerator. It will keep for two to three days. When you play with it again, you might need to add a very small amount of water to it.

Utensils

• Large mixing bowl
• Measuring cups
• Mixing spoon
• Tablespoon
  

Ingredients

• One 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree
• 3 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2-3 cups corn starch
  

Recipe Steps & Suggested Sensory Directions

Step 1.
Gather the ingredients and the utensils.

• TOUCH. What do they feel like? Are their textures rough or smooth? Does the mixing bowl feel warm or cold?
  
• LISTEN. What happens when you bang the utensils together or against the bowl?
  

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Step 2.
Empty the can of puree into the bowl and mix in the pumpkin pie spice.

• SMELL. What does it smell like?
  
• TOUCH. What does the puree feel like? Wet? Cold?
  
• LISTEN. Does the pumpkin mixture make any sounds when you stir it?
  
• SEE. Talk about the bright orange color. Does the color “pop” in your bowl?
  

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Step 3.
Slowly add the corn starch slowly,
½ to 1 cup at a time

• TOUCH. Is the mixture hard or easy to stir?
  
• LISTEN. Listen for any sounds the mixture makes when you stir it, and talk about what you’re doing.
  
• TOUCH. If any corn starch spills on your work surface, let your child touch it with its hands or feet. Trace some shapes. Is the cornstarch soft and silky, or does it feel coarse and crumbly?
  
• SEE. How can you create visual contrast? Corn starch on a dark surface is easier to see than on a light-colored surface. Similarly, orange dough on a white plate is easier to see than on a red plate.
  

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Step 4.
Keep adding corn starch until you have the same consistency as store-bought Play Doh. Form the dough into a ball.

• SEE. Let your child watch you stir and mix the dough.
  
• LISTEN. Talk about how you’re forming the ball of dough. Use action words like “stir,” “scoop,” “mix,” and “knead” to label what you and your child are doing.
  
• TOUCH. Allow your child to help you make the ball. Let your child place their hands over yours as you roll the dough
  

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Step 5.
Now put your ball of dough on your work table

• TOUCH. What does it feel like? Is it sticky? Soft?
  
• LISTEN. Smoosh the dough. Poke it. Smash it and listen to the sound it makes.
  
• SMELL. What does the dough smell like? Pumpkin? Cinnamon? Cloves? Talk about the different scents that create “Pumpkin Pie.”
  
• 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.
  

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Step 6.
Be creative! Roll the dough out and use cookie cutters to make different shapes.

• TASTE. This dough is safe to eat, and it’s gluten free. Give it a lick or a bite. What does it taste like?