DIY Putty for Children's Fine Motor Play | Pathways.org (2024)

Playing with putty is a great way for children to develop hand and finger strength along with fine motor skills.

DIY Putty for Children's Fine Motor Play | Pathways.org (1)

There are tons of brands and varieties of “Silly Putty” and “Play-Doh” you can buy in stores, but making your own from ingredients in your kitchen is much more fun and a great sensory

experience for your child.

The smooth and sticky texture of the putty, as well as its ability to absorb heat makes it a great toy for sensory development. Save yourself a trip to the store and added expense by making it at home with your child.

Try out our DIY putty recipe! Another bonus of making your own putty is the ability to control ingredients. While we don’t recommend eating it, this recipe is entirely non-toxic and edible.

Putty Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of flour
  • ¼ cup of salt
  • ½ cup of water
  • Food coloring – a few drops

Directions for Making Your Own Putty:

1. Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.

DIY Putty for Children's Fine Motor Play | Pathways.org (2)

2. Stir a few drops of food coloring into the water and stir until it’s well mixed. Make the water a bit darker than you want the putty to turn out because the whiteness of the flour dilutes the color.

DIY Putty for Children's Fine Motor Play | Pathways.org (3)

3. Slowly drizzle the dyed water into the flour mixture while stirring.

DIY Putty for Children's Fine Motor Play | Pathways.org (4)

4. Knead the ingredients with your hands until it forms a nice, smooth putty that feels like “Silly Putty”.

DIY Putty for Children's Fine Motor Play | Pathways.org (5)

5. Let your child play with beads and other plastic pieces by pressing them into the putty. Make sure to store the putty in an airtight bag or container. It typically keeps fresh and usable for a couple weeks.

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If you’re looking for something to have your kids do with putty, try this fun exercise routine for hands and fingers!

These exercises are appropriate for anyone old enough to play with putty, approximately4 years and older.

DIY Putty for Children's Fine Motor Play | Pathways.org (2024)

FAQs

DIY Putty for Children's Fine Motor Play | Pathways.org? ›

Instructions. Mix 1 part liquid starch to 2 parts glue. Whatever amount of liquid starch you use, double that amount for the glue. We used 1/4 cup of starch and 1/2 cup of glue, which made 2 large balls of silly putty.

What are the ingredients to make putty? ›

Instructions. Mix 1 part liquid starch to 2 parts glue. Whatever amount of liquid starch you use, double that amount for the glue. We used 1/4 cup of starch and 1/2 cup of glue, which made 2 large balls of silly putty.

How to make silly putty for kids? ›

How to Make Silly Putty
  1. 1/4 cup white glue.
  2. 1/4 cup water.
  3. 1 tablespoon Borax.
  4. additional 1/8 cup water in a separate bowl.
  5. food coloring of your choice.

How to make Silly Putty at home easy without borax? ›

1 cup of flour. ¼ cup of salt. ½ cup of water. Food coloring – a few drops.

How to make Silly Putty with cornstarch and dish soap? ›

STEP 1: Pour 1 cup of cornstarch into a bowl. STEP 2: Pour ½ cup of dish soap into the same bowl. STEP 3: With a spoon, stir the mixture together till all ingredients are combined thoroughly. STEP 4: Once all mixed, take it out of the bowl and have fun!

How to make Silly Putty with cornstarch? ›

Instructions
  1. Pour the cornstarch and dish soap into a container. Add a few drops of water to help the goop bind, then fold it all together with a spoon. ...
  2. Mold the putty with your hands until most of the starch and soap is used up. If the mixture is too dry and crumbly, squeeze in some extra soap. ...
  3. Play with it.
May 6, 2020

How to make homemade silly putty? ›

Silly Putty
  1. Step 1: Supplies. 1/2 cup white glue. ...
  2. Step 2: Glue and Water Mix. Mix together 1/2 cup of glue with 1/2 cup water. ...
  3. Step 3: Borax and Water Mix. In a separate container, combine 2 tbsp Borax with 1/4 water. ...
  4. Step 4: Throw It All Together! Combine both mixes. ...
  5. Step 5: Play! and Store.

What is kids putty made of? ›

The original coral-colored Silly Putty is composed of 65% dimethylsiloxane (hydroxy-terminated polymers with boric acid), 17% silica (crystalline quartz), 9% Thixatrol ST (castor oil derivative), 4% polydimethylsiloxane, 1% decamethyl cyclopentasiloxane, 1% glycerine, and 1% titanium dioxide.

What is Crayola silly putty made of? ›

Silly Putty is made primarily from silicone and color pigments. Silly Putty was discovered in 1943 by James Wright and introduced to the public in 1950 by Peter Hodgson. Crayola acquired the exclusive manufacturing rights to Silly Putty in 1977.

How to make silly putty at home easy without borax? ›

1 cup of flour. ¼ cup of salt. ½ cup of water. Food coloring – a few drops.

How to make putty with dish soap? ›

STEP 1: Pour 1 cup of cornstarch into a bowl. STEP 2: Pour ½ cup of dish soap into the same bowl. STEP 3: With a spoon, stir the mixture together till all ingredients are combined thoroughly. STEP 4: Once all mixed, take it out of the bowl and have fun!

What is silly putty for kids? ›

Silly Putty is a toy containing silicone polymers that have unusual physical properties. It can flow like a liquid, bounce, stretch, or break depending on the amount of physical stress to which it is subjected.

How do you make homemade wall putty? ›

If you're looking for an inexpensive way to fill holes, you can make the putty that's used for spackling by mixing basecoat plaster with a little water. And all you need are a glue stick and a plastic lid if you're looking for the type of putty used to hold posters on the wall, which is often called sticky tack.

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