Hand-on activities help facilitate a variety of language opportunities. Using recipes and experiment during your sessions can create an engaging, language enriched environment and does not require a lot of prep time. This is the easiest play dough recipe- you only need TWO, yes, TWO ingredients (food coloring not included). Not only was I able to target sequencing, following directions, describing, requesting and making predictions, I was also able to provide sensory input as well.
Ingredients/Materials
For this recipe, you will need the following items:
- corn starch
- lotion
- food coloring (optional)
- measuring cups
- bowl
- spoon
- gloves (optional)
I also created visuals for each step to help guide my students through the process. Enter your email address below and I will send you these visuals for free.
Play Dough Recipe
First, add 1/2 cup of lotion into the bowl. I used unscented lotion for this recipe to avoid any negative reactions to certain fragrances.
Next, add 2-3 drops of food coloring into the bowl and mix together.
Then, add 1 cup of corn starch to the bowl and begin mixing together. During this process, I discovered that it’s important to make the measurements as accurate as possible to get the right consistency.
After mixing the lotion and corn starch, take the mixture out of the bowl and knead the ingredients until they are combined.
Using this play dough recipe prompted several opportunities to target language skills. Here are a few of the skills I targeted:
- Following Directions- I prompted students to use the recipe cards to follow each step. Having each step on a separate card, helped student stay focused and on task.
- Sequencing- After making the play dough, I had students sequence the steps using times words such as: first, next, then and last.
- Turn Taking- Students had to share supplies during this activity, so this prompted students to practice waiting for their turn.
- Describing- After making the play dough, I had students use a description visual to describe their play dough including, texture, color and function.
- Requesting- This activity provided opportunities for students to request the items and ingredients they needed from the recipe cards.
