Gluten-free playdough

Regular playdough, including products made by the Play-Doh brand, is made with wheat flour and thus contains gluten. This creates big problems for children with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. No matter how much you try, they’re going to put their fingers in their mouths afterwards or, even worse, eat small bits, thus making themselves extremely sick.

As a result, most kids on gluten-free diets have to give regular playdough a wide berth, which is a real shame as it’s one of the best arts and crafts to do at home. All that moulding, rolling and cutting shapes is great for firing tiny imaginations and helping develop motor skills.

Thankfully, gluten-free playdough does exist. You can buy it in stores, but it’s just as easy to make your own. Sealed up in a container or airtight bag it will last for ages and is much cheaper than the bought stuff. Even better, you can make it any colour you like! Just follow our simple recipe and help your kids reap the benefits of arts and crafts at home.

Ingredients

460g bicarbonate of soda
120g cornflour
290ml water
food colouring

Instructions

• Whisk everything together apart from the food colouring in a saucepan.
• Put the pan on a medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture starts to thicken.
• Take the pan off the heat and empty the dough onto a chopping board.
• Once cooled, divide the dough into four pieces and shape each into a ball.
• Make a deep indent with your thumb into the top of each ball.
• Add five to ten drops of food colouring of whatever colour you fancy into the top of the first ball. It’s a good idea to wear rubber gloves and protect the surrounding area to prevent staining when you do this.
• Knead the ball until the colour is completely mixed in – this may take a bit of work.
• Repeat with the other three balls, using a different colour each time.
• Hey presto! You’ve made your very own colourful, gluten-free playdough perfect for inspiring fun craft ideas for kids.