Looking for a fun and easy way to entertain the kids on a rainy day or long summer afternoon? Look no further than Fluffy Cloud Dough! Made with just two ingredients for this cloud dough recipe – cornstarch and hair conditioner – this homemade play dough is soft, fluffy, and perfect for molding and shaping.
Fluffy Cloud Dough Recipe
Messy play is what all the kids are loving right now and there is a good reason for it. From slime to foam and finger painting all those messy fun things help kids learn while having fun. In the early years of being a mom, we were making slime and homemade fingerpaints before it was cool. Actually, many of my friends thought I was crazy to be giving my young children things that were messy that I was going to have to clean up. For me it was more about them having fun, working on things like fine motor skills, and just making a mess because that is something kids like to do.
I love hands-on play and getting the kids involved in making things and this homemade cloud dough is perfect! I have the kids help me make the fun hands-on projects that they love playing with after we make them. If you are looking for a quick activity to make with the kids on a hot day or rainy day then you are going to love making this 2 ingredient cloud dough.
Cloud Dough is perfect for sensory play. Kids will love how it feels in their hands, and parents will love how easy it is to clean up. It is moldable into any shape your child can imagine, making for hours of fun creative playtime. After making it a few times, my kids could make it on their own whenever they wanted to.
Sensory Play Experiences to make at home
What is cloud dough?
Cloud dough is an easy-to-make, fun-to-play-with material that can be used in a variety of ways. It’s perfect for sensory play, and can be used to create all sorts of shapes and sculptures. Best of all, it’s made with just a few simple ingredients that you probably already have at home.
Cloud Dough is the best sensory play experience for kids and parents! It is a cloud-like substance that’s soft, fluffy, and moldable. It’s made with just two main ingredients; corn starch and conditioner. You can add colors and scents if you want to.
There are different recipes that use different ingredients but I have found the combination of part corn starch and part conditioner makes for the best easy cloud dough recipe for kids.
What is the difference between Cloud Dough and moon sand?
While moon sand and Cloud Dough are both great for kids, to keep them entertained or placed in sensory bins, they have different textures. Moon sand is finer grained and feels more like actual sand. It can also be molded into shapes. Cloud Dough is more like a silky smooth play dough and feels similar to traditional play dough.
How to Color Fluffy Cloud Dough
If you want to have colorful cloud dough all you need to do is use a little bit of food coloring and add it in and you can make whatever color you want. I do not always color our cloud dough. My kids like it just the same whether it is colored or not. If we are making a large batch of cloud dough then the kids like to make a few different colors so they can build and create with them. You can easily double and triple this recipe so you have plenty of fluffy dough for all the kids to play with.
What is the best Conditioner to use?
To keep things on the cheap I use suave conditioner. They have many different scents and while being cheap it also works perfectly. You can use a more expensive conditioner if you want to, but I have not found any difference between using the cheap conditioners to the more expensive ones when making this fun cloud dough recipe.
Can I Make it Scented?
You can scent the homemade cloud dough easily. You can use a scented hair conditioner or you can add a few drops of essential oils to the cloud dough when you are mixing it together.
How to Color Cloud Dough
If you are coloring the dough with food coloring or leaving it its original color, you can scent it with essential oils or with fragrance oil.
How to Store Cloud Dough
Store the dough in an air-tight container or can store it in ziplock bags. If there are multiple colors I like to store them separately. You can store it at room temperature and it does not need to be refrigerated.
What do I do if my cloud dough is sticky?
If you find that after mixing the conditioner with the corn starch it is still sticky you will want to add more corn starch in 1/8 of a cup at a time. The temperature in your house can make a difference in how much corn starch you need.
How to play with cloud dough
Playing with this homemade dough is like playing with play dough and there are lots of ways for the kids to have fun with this fluffy dough. This easy recipe is seriously the best and ultimate sensory dough to make and there are so many different ways to play with it.
Sensory bin. Dump it into a plastic container with different objects to play with like plastic animals or plastic silverware. I find lots of small plastic toys that work great for sensory bins at my local Dollar Store.
Cookie Cutters. Using cookie cutters is my youngest’s favorite way to play. Using a rolling pin on a baking sheet she rolls it out and then uses cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
Shape with hands. My kids also love just squishing and playing with this and it makes a great sensory activity for the little kids who are learning about textures.
If you are working on any cloud themed activities or learning with the kids this is a great craft to do with them. You can also make a paper rain cloud, Cloud Crafts, and make a rain cloud at home.
Cloud Dough Ingredients
You will want to use this recipe for EACH color you are wanting to make.
- 2 Heaping cups of cornstarch
- 1 Cup of Conditioner.
- food coloring
How to Make DIY Cloud Dough
In a large mixing bowl add the corn starch, then add the conditioner. You can use a smaller mixing bowl but when I am having the kids make things like this a large bowl keeps us from having any spills.
Using a spoon or rubber spatula mix the conditioner into the cornstarch.
Once they are both combined add in the food coloring and continue to mix until the food coloring is mixed into the cloud dough.
Then continue combining the ingredients by kneading the dough with your hands until it is fluffy and cloud like.
Sensory Activities for kids
Homemade Cloud Dough
Materials
- 2 Heaping cups of cornstarch
- 1 Cup Scented Conditioner
- food coloring
Tools
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl add the corn starch, then add the conditioner. You can use a smaller mixing bowl but when I am having the kids make things like this a large bowl keeps us from having any spills.
- Using a spoon or rubber spatula mix the conditioner into the cornstarch.
- Once they are both combined add in the food coloring and continue to mix until the food coloring is mixed into the cloud dough.
- Then continue combining the ingredients by kneading the dough with your hands until it is fluffy and cloud like
