Easy Pumpkin Pie Scented Play Dough Recipe for Sensory Play
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Pumpkin pie is a classic! This easy pumpkin pie-scented play dough is a perfect fall sensory activity for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners.
I decided to try making my own homemade playdough this week for my daughter's sensory play.
This pumpkin pie-scented play dough is perfect for fall or autumn sensory activities of all ages. I love that my 1 year old could play with it and I didn't have to worry about her accidentally putting it in her mouth. She especially LOVED walking over it barefoot, which was so funny to watch.
This recipe is inspired by the Best Ever No-Cook Play Dough Recipe from The Imagination Tree.
Pumpkin Pie Scented Play Dough Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon spice blend/pumpkin pie spice
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
- 8-10 drops of red food coloring (all-natural food coloring option)
- 5-7 drops of yellow food coloring
Directions:
Mix your dry ingredients: flour, salt, and cream of tartar together.
Add the oil, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin puree and mix together.
Finally, add boiling water (you can add in batches) and stir with a spoon until everything is combined.
After the mixture has cooled, take it out of the bowl and knead it on the counter until it is not sticky anymore. You will need to add flour as you go, but just use your judgment with that.
For this recipe, I originally added only 2 cups of flour, but when I kneaded it I ended up adding at least 2 more cups while kneading it. I added one cup to the recipe, but you may need to add even more once you get to the kneading stage.
Hands-On Play Dough Activity
I already had a rolling pin which I had purchased from the Target dollar aisle a couple of weeks ago for her. I also had the tray from Hobby Lobby, which had been sitting on a chair, waiting for just the right activity.
At first, she just poked at it with her fingers, then I showed her the spoons and the rolling pin and she started pushing the spoon and the end of the rolling pin into it. She also started pushing her fingers down into it. I also grabbed some plastic bath toys and added them to the tray.
Then the socks came off. Wow did she love that! She started throwing her feet on top of the play dough and started walking all over it.
Functional Skills Used:
- Bilateral Coordination -Mixing the dough; kneading the dough, using the rolling pin with it; pushing down with cookie cutters or bath toys.
- Engaging the Senses – Smell – Pumpkin Pie Spice; Sight – Orange color; Tastes – if they decide to put it in their mouths as my daughter did once; Touch – Soft, cold, squishy, etc. Sound – In our case my daughter banging the rolling pin and spoons in it.
- Hand strength and endurance – rolling the rolling pin, using cookie cutters or bath toys to push down.
- Visual Motor Skills – Using the play dough to make shapes, pre-writing lines, letters in their name, etc.
- Pre-writing skills – Using the play dough to make letters in their name, words, and pre-writing lines (horizontal, vertical, circle shapes).
Easy Pumpkin Pie Scented Play Dough Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 mixing spoon
- 1 Tablespoon
- 1 Teaspoon
Materials
- 3 cups all-purpose flour you will need more for kneading the dough
- 1/2 cup salt
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon spice blend/pumpkin pie spice
- 1.5 cups boiling water
- 8-10 drops red food coloring
- 5-7 drops yellow food coloring
Instructions
- Mix your dry ingredients: flour, salt, and cream of tartar together.
- Add the oil, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin puree and mix together.
- Finally, add boiling water (you can add in batches) and stir with a spoon until everything is combined.
- After the mixture has cooled, take it out of the bowl and knead it on the counter until it is not sticky anymore.
Notes
Heather Greutman, COTA
Heather Greutman is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant with experience in school-based OT services for preschool through high school. She uses her background to share child development tips, tools, and strategies for parents, educators, and therapists. She is the author of many ebooks including The Basics of Fine Motor Skills, and Basics of Pre-Writing Skills, and co-author of Sensory Processing Explained: A Handbook for Parents and Educators.
Hi, I know this is an older post, but I want to try this recipe with some of my speech therapy clients tomorrow. Looks so fun! I was wondering, when do you add the food coloring, and how much?
Thank you!
Hi Julie,
I added 8-10 drops of red and 5-7 drops of yellow food coloring after I had mixed all the other ingredients together and added the hot water. I hope your clients enjoy it!
I can’t wait to try this with my kids! I love fall play dough. 🙂 Thank you for joining the party at the Learn & Play Link Up. You are featured this week on the Christian Montessori Network blog!
I was wondering how long it keeps for? I am a pre school teacher and want to make it with my kids but don’t want to have to keep making it all week. Thank
Hi Stephanie,
We kept it in an air tight container and it kept for a couple weeks that way. Or you could wrap it up in saran wrap or something like that.
Thanks so much for this recipe and these ideas. We’ll be playing with your playdough on National Play Dough Day! Thanks for the post.
Awesome. Hope your family enjoys it.
That is interesting to add the pumpkin puree. We always do play-dough on a tray.
Nothing like the smell of pumpkin in the fall! Love the idea of scented play dough. I made some home made play dough when my oldest was little — great to know exactly what they are putting in their mouths. Have to say I haven’t made a bunch of play dough of my own lately… We may need to try this one! Pinning!
It has been my fav so far!! Thanks for pining!
I never ever thought to make a scented play dough. How creative!