We love making homemade play dough and today we’re sharing a fun and easy-to-assemble Butterfly Play Dough Kit perfect for Spring!

Butterfly Play Dough Kit Gift

It’s supposedly Spring, but winter just will not cooperate – so we’re welcoming Spring in with this fun homemade Butterfly play dough kit as we stay cozy and warm inside, waiting for the snow to melt!

Since my daughter was really little, we’ve been putting together themed play dough kits nearly every month for the kids in our daycare to play with – and then, as she got older she would bring the kits to her kindergarten classroom.

While we used to have a big tower of play dough toys, I found that the kids were always the most excited for these kits – and unlike most play dough toys, you can use the items in these bins over and over again in other ways. (Throw the butterflies into a sensory bin, make flower crowns with the flowers, use the glass beads for counting practice, etc.)

These play dough kits also make great homemade gifts – or a nice quiet time bin for kids who have outgrown nap time. Even my daughter’s six and seven year old friends love getting into the play dough when they come over. I think if you make it engaging enough, play dough can be a fun option for most ages of kids.

I use Ikea sectioned containers (something I learned from Jen over at Mama. Papa. Bubba. – the queen of the homemade play dough kits) because they keep all of the supplies organized and are super easy for kids to keep tidy and put away. I usually keep the play dough in these kits for about a week, without additional wrapping, but you could store the play dough in plastic bags if you want to use your homemade play dough kit for longer or are worried about your play dough drying out.

We used our no-cook homemade play dough recipe in this play dough kit, which is easy enough for kids to help make – they just might need some assistance when it comes to adding the boiled water.

Check out our video to see how to make the play dough and all the fun ways there are to play with it!

Materials for Butterfly Play Dough

• 2-3 batches of homemade play dough in different colors
• Variety of flowers
• Glass beads
• Butterfly or insect toys
• Heart-shaped cookie cutter
• Butterfly-shaped cookie cutter

Tip: swap out these materials for anything you already have on hand, including:

• Pipe Cleaners
• Straws
• Tongs <– we love these plastic tongs for the kids, they’ve lasted for years and are great for practicing pencil grip

Ingredients for Homemade Play Dough:

• Water
• Vegetable Oil <– you can use melted coconut oil but if it’s cold where you are, it will make the play dough a bit tough at the start of playing (will soften with the heat of hands playing)
• Flour
• Salt
• Cream of Tartar <– I buy the big container or from a bulk store as those little jars are so expensive! A bulk container will last us for months of play dough making – and can also be used for soft sugar cookies, snickerdoodle cookies, etc.

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

How to Make Butterfly Play Dough

Combine all dry ingredients for the homemade play dough (flour, salt and cream of tartar) and stir well.

Add the oil and food dye into the measuring cup with the water and pour into the dry ingredients.

Stir well, then knead for approximately 2 minutes when cool enough to touch. Add more flour if the mixture is too sticky – or more oil if a bit too dry.

Assemble your homemade play dough kit by placing one type of object in each section. (Feel free to use more or less of the objects that we featured – or swap them out for objects you already have on hand.)

If changing out the objects, try to keep them open-ended so that the kids can play with them in a few different ways. For example, the flowers were used to make little gardens for the butterflies to visit – but also used to make impressions in the play dough and as baskets to hold the glass pebbles.

Manipulatives like the glass beads are great for encouraging counting or other math concepts to come into your child’s play. Different colors of manipulatives also allow for patterning.

Pin this Butterfly Play Dough Kit:

Grab your free printable instructions for our homemade no-cook play dough recipe:

This homemade butterfly play dough kit is an amazing homemade gift and a fun way to bring some spring sensory play into your home – or use it as a fun way to start learning about insects!

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:

Ladybug Life Cycle Wheel // The STEM Laboratory

Bug Puzzles (Beginning Sounds) // Fairy Poppins

Bug Subtraction Cards // The Kindergarten Connection

Printable Ladybug Letter Puzzles and Sensory Bin // Fun-A-Day

Simple Outdoor Ant Experiment // Science Kiddo

Ladybug One More One Less Activity // Fantastic Fun and Learning

Bug Jar Addition and Subtraction Mats // Fun Learning for Kids

Counting Ants Math Game // Mrs. Jones’ Creation Station

Insect Theme Prewriting Practice // Stay at Home Educator

I Spy Bugs Sensory Bin // Teach Me Mommy

Bug Counting Clip Cards // Playdough to Plato

Ladybug Counting Cards 1-20 // Powerful Mothering

Butterfly Life Cycle Mini Book Freebie // The Primary Post

CVC Bug Matching Game // Sweet Sounds of Kindergarten

Bug Story Problems // Recipe for Teaching

Bugs: How Many Syllables? // Liz’s Early Learning Spot

Bug Theme Bingo Cards // Schooling a Monkey

Buggy Partner Cards // Simplified Classroom