No Cook Pumpkin Pie Playdough
It’s finally fall, my favorite season! The leaves are falling, the air is crisp, and there’s pumpkins everywhere! There’s so many fun, creative, and festive things to do with your toddlers in the fall! From apple and pumpkin picking, to fun fall art and sensory play, and baking yummy Autumn treats, the possibilities are nearly endless. But, sometimes our mom brains draw a blank on what to do with our kids during those indoor fall days. Look no further than this fall scented, super soft, no-cook pumpkin pie playdough recipe for toddlers! [Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission on items purchased through these links at no additional cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.]
If you’re looking for a fun and easy activity to keep your toddler entertained, then this no cook pumpkin pie playdough recipe for toddlers is a delightful sensory packed experience that is perfect for little hands to play with and explore. This fun fall activity is sure to brighten up any gloomy fall day!
Why Choose No Cook Playdough?
I love no cook playdough recipes! They are so easy to make, your children can help make it with you (which is another activity in itself-bonus!), it comes together quickly, and you don’t have to worry about ruining any of your pots in the playdough cooking process (which I have totally done before). You can’t go wrong with this simple no cook Pumpkin Pie Playdough recipe for toddlers. It’s super easy, is so soft and squishy, and smells divine! If stored properly you can use this playdough over and over again for tons of squishy, pumpkiny play time.
Are you ready to make this amazing, no cook pumpkin pie playdough recipe for toddlers? Let’s get to it!
No Cook Pumpkin Pie Playdough Recipe for Toddlers
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup salt
- 2 tbsp cream of tartar
- 2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil (I used canola)
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup boiling water
- Food coloring (orange or red and yellow)
Materials Needed:
- Airtight container or gallon size ziplock bag
- Mini pie tins (optional)
- Disposable baking tins (optional)
- Mini rolling pin (optional)
- Pumpkin Cookie Cutters (optional)
- Playdough Tools (optional)
Instructions: How To Make Pumpkin Pie Playdough Step By Step
1. In a mixing bowl add the flour, salt, cream of tartar and oil.
2. Next, Add the pumpkin spice and cinnamon and mix well with a rubber or silicone spatula.
3. Add your orange food coloring, or red and yellow) to the boiling water to dissolve. (I used neon lime green and neon hot pink because that’s all I had at the time, and ended up with a more retro light orangey color you see in the photos).
4. Slowly pour the dyed boiling water into the flour mixture and mix well with a rubber spatula.
5. Let the dough cool slightly until it’s manageable with your hands and kead the dough until it’s no longer sticky. If it’s too sticky still, add some more flour 1 tbs at a time.
6. Wait for the dough to cool completely then it’s playtime!
That’s it! Your no-cook pumpkin pie playdough is ready for your toddler to play with and explore.
How to store pumpkin pie playdough:
Wrap in a plastic wrap and store in an airtight container, or store in a gallon size ziplock storage bag making sure to squeeze out all of the air.
No cook pumpkin pie playdough tips:
1. Store playdough in an airtight container when not in use to keep it fresh.
2. If your playdough is too sticky add more flour 1 tbs at a time and knead well. If it’s too thick or dry, add more hot water 1 tbs at a time.
3. You can revive playdough thats drying out with 1 tbs of canola or vegetable oil and 1 TBS hot water. This will give you a few more uses depending on how old it is.
4. Add in fun playdough tools that go with your pumpkin pie theme like mini pie tins, disposable pie plates, mini rolling pins, playdough knives, mini bowls, and pumpkin cookie cutters.
5. Let children make the playdough with you! Making Playdough is a fun and simple activity that kids love doing! Yes, even toddlers and 2 year olds can do it, I promise you! (Only adults should pour the boiling water!)
Alternative Color Mixing for Older Children:
For preschoolers or older children (or for classrooms) you can skip adding the food coloring to the water and instead let the children knead it in. Do this by shaping the playdough into a ball. Use your fingers to make a well, then add in your food coloring and close the playdough ball back up. Place it in the gallon ziplock bag and seal it. Now let the kids take turns on squishing the bag of playdough to mix in the color. It’s a great sensory experience that I did with my pre-k classes all the time because they loved it! You can also do this with individual sandwich size ziplock bags and kids can choose their own color!
Learning by Playing with no cook pumpkin pie Playdough – learning objectives:
Fine motor skills: Playdough is excellent for developing fine motor skills! Toddlers develop fine motor skills by squishing, rolling, pinching, pulling, and cutting the dough with playdough tools.
Imaginitive Play: Playdough enhances creativity and imagination as children shape and mold the playdough into different things like balls, pumpkins, animals, foods, and shapes. You can also pretend to make pumpkin pie and play pretend baking. This encourages pretend play with so many pretend possibilities!
Sensory exploration: The texture and smell of this Pumpkin pie playdough provides a rich sensory experience for toddlers. Children get to use their sense of smell to smell the pumpkiny fall scent, and sense of touch by manipulating and touching the soft, squishy dough.
Regulation Skills: Playing with playdough can be a calming and relaxing activity. This can be a great regulation activity to calm down little bodies, or use it as a transition activity before rest time.
Play Ideas With Pumpkin Pie Dough
There are so many ways to play with pumpkin pie playdough!
Here are some ways to play depending on your little ones interests and developmental level:
- Roll out pumpkin pie playdough and pretend to make pumpkin pie. Press playdough into mini pie tins for extra pretend play.
- Use a pumpkin cookie cutter to cut out pumpkin shapes from the playdough.
- Press letter stamps for clay into the playdough for an extra layer of learning.
- Shape playdough into pumpkins to create a playdough pumpkin patch. Add in real leaves, sticks, and other fall nature items from your yard to add to the sensory experience.
Remember This:
Play is the vehicle children use to get to learning; they learn best through play! Playing and doing meaningful activities with your toddler creates a rich learning filled environment. I hope this pumpkin pie playdough recipe for toddlers provides you and your little one with tons of fun playtime and learning experiences! Let me know in the comments if you have any questions or would like more play ideas.
For more fall activities for little ones check out this mess free fall canvas finger painting or this soft fall sensory bin for babies!
