Wee Inspirations

Festive Playdough

  1. The Basic Idea

    The secret to this fragrant dough is to steep spices in hot water – cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves and ginger are all classic gingerbread spices. Once cooled, mix the fragrant water with flour to make a smooth dough.

  2. Over To You, Wee One

    Let them mix the cooled water with flour – cups, scoops and pipettes can all be used to explore how to get the texture the way they want it. The mixing is as much part of the experience as the finished dough, so make sure they have time and space to explore and play.

  3. Cheeky Bonuses

    • Engaging lots of senses (touch, smell, sight) at once is great for “grounding”, or getting in tune with our own bodies
    • Having time to explore and problem solve builds confidence and resilience
  4. Variations

    • Put on the Christmas tunes and have a Dough Disco, moving your fingers and hands along to the music! Chat about how different music makes you feel
    • Chat about the different characters in The Gingerbread Man – can you build them with dough?
  5. And Remember...

    Making dough together is a low stakes way to explore lots of the processes of mixing, kneading and shaping without having to worry about the end product. If you want to try your hand at making dough you can eat, see Gingerbread Bakes!