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    Home » Sensory Activities

    Sand Playdough Recipe

    Modified: Jun 10, 2025 · Published: Jul 13, 2018 by Vicky · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

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    Do summer days make you long for the beach? If you have a kid who loves to play in the sand, you can now bring the beach to them with this easy Sand Playdough Recipe. If you are looking for summer activities for kids, this is one to try!

    For more beach-themed activities, check out our Bubbling Shell Craft and our Watercolor Painted Shells.

    This easy sand playdough recipe provides a fun sensory experience for kids. It is easy to make and virtually mess free for kids to play with. Almost as fun as a day at the beach!

    Please supervise your child while playing. This is not edible.

    If your kids play in the sand often then surely you have had to deal with the mess that sand creates. It gets in their shoes, clothes and all over the house. What I love about this sand playdough recipe is that it is virtually mess free. So kids get the fun sensation of sand play (more like wet sand) while the mess is kept to a minimum.

    Sand Playdough Recipe

    You will need:

    1 cup Flour
    1 cup Fine Sand
    ¼ cup Salt
    1 Tbsp. Cream of Tartar
    1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
    ¾ cup Boiling Water
     Shells, Small Glass Stones

    ingredients for sand playdough recipe

    To make this sand playdough recipe, mix together the flour, sand, salt, and cream of tartar in a large bowl.

    sand flour and salt in a bowl

    Add the oil and boiling water to the dry ingredients and mix well.

    mixing sand playdough

    Knead the dough for 1-2 minutes until it is all smooth and combined.

    mixing sand playdough

    sand playdough with shells

    Now it is time to add some fun items to this diy sand playdough recipe. You can use small shells and glass stones to really make it feel like you are at the beach.

    sand playdough with shells and glass beads

    The fun thing about using shells and glass stones with this playdough is that they make cool imprints in the dough. They almost look like fossils.

    sand dough recipe

    Whenever my kids play with playdough, I add some cups and scoops or spoons. It offers kids a great opportunity to measure, pack and mold the sand.

    sand dough with shells and stones

    This beach sand playdough is wonderful for open-ended play. You can switch out the items you provide to extend the fun.

    Another fun playdough recipe to try is this Ice Cream Edible Playdough Recipe. Kids will love it!

    how to make sand playdough

    If you liked this Sand Playdough Recipe, you'll love:

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    Crushed Cereal Sand Dough

    Watercolor Painted Seashells

    Sensory Soap Dough

    No Cook Lotion Dough

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    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Sapana V says

      July 14, 2018 at 12:12 pm

      Indeed a great gift for kids in summer. Will try this soon.

      Reply
    Vicky from Mess for Less

    I'm Vicky, the founder of Mess For Less, which I started in 2011 to share easy, family-friendly recipes. With over a decade of experience as a home chef and recipe developer, I love creating meals that bring people together. I also design play and learning activities for kids, using my background as a former teacher with a Master’s degree in education. Learn more about me.

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