Homemade Pumpkin Spice Playdough
Fall is my favorite season. Something about the cooler mornings, leaves changing colors, fresh baked goods, even the change in wardrobe for cooler months, that is just so cozy.
Pumpkins are a huge weakness of mine. I love to decorate with them and am guilty of caving in and buying more pumpkins than I probably need, but they are just so pretty and I love the character in the various colors and textures of pumpkins.
Because I love fall and pumpkins so much, I created this pumpkin unit study for preschoolers. We love to bake all the pumpkin things and do all the pumpkin crafts and activities. Pumpkin spice playdough is one of our favorite things and it is SO easy.
What are the benefits of playing with playdough?
1. Imagination: Playing with playdough gives children an opportunity to use their imagination as they turn a ball of dough into animals, cookies, buildings, and so on. Once you get comfortable making your own playdough it is really fun to experiment with adding different natural elements. Check out this post for how we make dandelion playdough.
2. Sensory Stimulation: Playing with playdough stimulates the senses and promotes sensory exploration. Adding elements such as flowers or spices to the playdough only increases this experience through the addition of more color, texture, and fragrance.
3. Fine motor skills: The motions of pushing, pulling, squeezing, rolling, chopping, and cutting playdough strengthen the muscles in the hands and fingers. This builds find motor skills and prepares children to hold a pencil and write. Some of our favorite tools and add ins here.
Why make your own playdough?
Playdough is remarkably easy to make yourself using ingredients that you most likely already have in your pantry. I love to make homemade play dough for several reasons.
1. I know exactly what is in it. It is made with simple, edible ingredients. I love knowing that if little ones do decide to eat some of it, I know exactly what they are eating and I don’t have to worry about them consuming artificial dyes or yucky ingredients.
2. It’s relatively inexpensive. Homemade playdough is basically three ingredients: flour, salt, and cream of tartar. Those ingredients are so inexpensive, making it incredibly cost effective to make your own playdough.
3. Endless combinations of color , fragrance, and texture. When you make your own playdough there are endless variations to the things that you can add in such as flowers, essential oils or spices.
What are the ingredients needed for playdough?
To make pumpkin spice playdough at home you will need:
Flour – I keep a cheap, inexpensive flour on hand for making playdough, but you can use whatever you have in your pantry. Keep in mind that if you use a whole wheat or gluten free flour blend it will effect the texture of your playdough and you may have to adjust the amount of flour and your liquid ratios accordingly.
Salt – Here again, I keep inexpensive table salt on hand for projects like this.
Cream of tartar – This is the magic ingredient in playdough. Cream of tartar gives the playdough that smooth, elastic texture. Trust me, if you omit the cream of tartar the playdough will not come together and will end up being a blob of flour and water dough.
Coconut oil or vegetable oil – Oil keeps the dough moist and pliable.
Water – Water is the liquid that brings everything together.
Pumpkin Pie Spice – This adds such a fun fall color, plus has all the smells of fall. Make your own spice blend using this recipe.
How do you make pumpkin spice playdough?
In a small sauce pan, combine the dry ingredients and whisk together. Mix in water and oil. Stir over medium heat until the mixture thickens and comes together. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Knead well.
Pumpkin spice playdough should be stored in an airtight bag or container and will stay fresh for 1-2 weeks.
Pumpkin spice playdough is a fun activity and a simple way to enjoy nature and the beauty of the fall season. Be sure and let me know if you try it!

Pumpkin Spice Playdough
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup salt
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 TB coconut oil
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan.
- Stir over medium heat until dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
- Remove from heat.
- Allow to cool until it can be handled.
- Knead until smooth.
- Store in airtight container