If you’re looking for a great homemade and natural gift idea for kids then read on. Have you considered making your own play dough kits and packaging them up as a fun gift? It’s not only a frugal gift idea since it doesn’t cost as much as the store-bought variety, but it’s made from all natural ingredients – so no nasties. And you can make heaps at once! The kids will love these homemade playdough gift ideas.
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Play Dough Kits
Play Dough Vs Play Doh
If you are anything like me, then you want to make sure that your kids are not exposed to toxic chemicals, especially during play. I know that we’ve all been around play doh forever, but did you ever stop and think about some of the nasty chemicals that it contains? Especially when you consider that young kids love having a taste when we’re not looking!
Here is the ingredients list of store bought Play Doh:
• starch-based binder
• retrogradation inhibitor (I don’t know what that is but it screams chemical to me)
• lubricant
• surfactant (chemical compound)
• preservative
• hardener
• humectant
• fragrance
• colour
• petroleum additives
Read on for some handmade all natural play dough to the rescue – that you can make into a super DIY play dough kits.
Homemade Playdough Gift Ideas
First off, you’ll need a great recipe for a natural play dough. I have an all natural play dough recipe here. The other items you’ll need for your homemade playdough gift set include:
- large ziplock bags (sandwich bag size)
- baking paper (from your pantry)
- sticky tape
- cardboard gift box
Optional items you might like to add to your play dough gift
- chunky glitter
- child-safe essential oils
- Avery labels / stickers
- little toys
- play dough tools
- cookie cutters
Play Dough Gift Boxes
Once you’ve made your play dough simply let it cool (add glitter or not) and then roll it into a ball and press it flat into ziplock bags. You could stack the play dough packs and wrap them with baking paper and some ribbon. I added stickers but you don’t have to. If you tied some colorful curling ribbon around the baking paper it would look just as cute.
I also wrapped the play dough tools and cookie cutters into separate little packs as well. Then seal up the box and wrap it again with your favorite gift wrap.
In this play dough gift box each ziplock flat pack would fit around 500g / 17oz of dough. So if you added 4 packs and some toys or cutters it becomes a very cool (and heavy) gift box. Keep in mind the store bought tubs hold about 112g / 4oz each. So the recipient will be overjoyed with an abundance of play dough to have fun with.
Play Dough Gift Tubs
If you’re looking for a smaller play dough gift then another option is to pack it into little tubs. You can find these tubs anywhere – they are food grade plastic storage containers. Plastic tubs like this would work or these.
Simply make your play dough and squeeze as much as you can (leaving a little room at the top) into the tubs. You can also add some fun little plastic animals to the side of the tubs where they can be seen. Or hide them in the dough as a surprise.
I made some stickers using round Avery labels but you don’t need to add them if you don’t want to. There are lots of fun possibilities with the little plastic toys.
Here’s an animal play dough tub.
A dinosaur play dough tub will always be well received by dinosaur lovers, and great to make dinosaur fossils out of.
If you can find some under the sea creatures then you could make this tub with blue play dough. Or do two layers, half blue and half yellow for a beach theme with the little creatures.
The bug dough is fun idea and the spiders make great patterns in the play dough.
Lastly, if it is a Christmas play dough gift then why not add a star cookie cutter to the top of the tub like the one below.
Glitter Play Dough
Add glitter or not to any of the above tubs. Just remember to use the super chunky glitter like this one here. If you use the fine glitter you may not see it as well in the play dough.
Also check out the difference between store bought sparkly play doh and homemade play dough (on the right). There’s no contest really. Homemade play dough will win every day of the week.
And the boys like it too. Think blue/black play dough with glitter for some galaxy space play dough fun! Just add some glow in the dark aliens.
Or add some awesome colorful ninjas. Both boys and girls will love these.
Or robots!
Or add some fairies and magic wands to your tubs for some sparkly fairy dough.
I sincerely hope that you have enjoyed these homemade playdough gift ideas that would be great for birthday or Christmas presents. Thanks for reading it.
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Related Posts: Check out my Easter Play Dough Gift guide for more seasonal DIY ideas.