Homemade Snow Dough Recipe

Give your little ones something different to do with this quick and easy Homemade Snow Dough Recipe! You only need 2 ingredients to make this frugal, fun project!

Homemade Snow Dough

I always feel like once Christmas is over, winter is going to last forever. And in South Dakota, sometimes that can really seem true. Getting to January is only the middle of winter, not an indication that spring is on its way. In fact, January is typically our month with the coldest days. Plus, believe it or not, March is typically our snowiest month, although we’ve had large snowstorms snow late into May as well.

But January and into February it seems like the months get really long. We can’t start any of our gardening things yet, not even indoors, and the kids are absolutely going stir-crazy. Playing outside in the snow is wonderful but not when it’s 30 below zero.

So it’s during the winter that we come up with fun, but frugal things to do. Sure, we could spend a nice sum of money and get indoor passes to something that may keep the kids entertained. But that type of entertainment is expensive, a long drive to get to, and gets old after a while.

This winter we’ve been making up some of this Homemade Snow Dough whenever we have a chance. You only need 2 things to make it, both which you can easily pick up at the dollar store. It lasts for at least a week or two when stored in an air-tight container after use. And it’s not awful to clean up since it’s not sticky like playdough.

–Looking for regular playdough? Here are some fun Homemade Playdough Recipes.

Homemade Snow Dough Recipe

What You Need for Snow Dough:

• 1 cup Starch (corn or potato)
• 1 cup Lotion/Bodywash/Conditioner
• Snow Glitter (optional)

How to Make Snow Dough:

Here’s all you need. I used potato starch for my dough because that’s what I keep on hand, but if you have cornstarch it will work the same. I also used body wash for mine because that’s what I found for an unscented option when I went to the dollar store. If your children do ok with scents, you might be able to use something different. Lotion, body wash, or conditioner should all work in this recipe. Whatever you chose, there is no need to pay more than a dollar for it!

–Check out this list of Homesteading Supplies You Can Get at the Dollar Store

Combine the starch and the liquid of your choice in a bowl and mix until the mixture is not crumbly but is not sticky. You may have to add a bit more starch or vice-versa depending on the consistency of your liquid. Once it’s finished, it should somewhat be the consistency of a dry slime…if that makes any sense! You can add glitter at any point if you wish. Some Peppermint Essential Oil for a cooling sensation might be fun too.

This fun Snow Dough Recipe can be played with and then stored in an air-tight container for later play. If it dries out a little bit, just add in a small amount of lotion/shampoo/etc to get it back to the dough consistency.

—Looking for more winter fun? Make these Frugal Preschool Busy Bags!

Want more fun recipes just like this one? Make sure to check out my book, Little House Living: The Make Your Own Guide to a Simple, Frugal, and Self Sufficient Life. It has over 130 original recipes for everything from beauty to food products and I know you will love it!

Do you have any little ones in your home that will enjoy the Snow Dough?

This Homemade Snow Dough Recipe was originally published on Little House Living in January 2018. It has been updated as of January 2020.