My kids love sensory activities. We often do creative kids projects after school, such as making DIY cloud dough. Glitter cloud dough is soft and fun to stretch and mold. It’s not salty like playdough and it won’t dry out kids’ little hands. You can make this fluffy homemade dough with just two main ingredients!
How to Make Glitter Cloud Dough
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup hair conditioner
- food coloring and glitter (optional)
Homemade glitter cloud dough is easy and fun to make. Kids can help too! First gather the two main ingredients; cornstarch and hair conditioner. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and hair conditioner together with a spoon until fully blended.
The cloud dough will be sticky at first as you mix the cornstarch in. If you are going to use food coloring, add a few drops into the mixture and stir to combine. When the cloud dough starts to form, you can switch to kneading it with your fingers.
Knead the cloud dough until it’s stretchy and soft. The dough will become more moldable as you knead it and the cornstarch fully absorbs the moisture. Add a little more cornstarch if the cloud dough seems too sticky. If it gets too dry, knead in a squirt of conditioner.
Once the cloud dough is ready, it will be stretchy and soft. You can mix in glitter, confetti, sprinkles and other sensory accents.
The more you knead the cloud dough, the stretchier it gets as the cornstarch absorbs the moisture. Kneading will also evenly mix in the food coloring.
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Homemade cloud dough feels both stretchy and spongy. My favorite thing about this conditioner-based dough is that it doesn’t contain salt and doesn’t dry out kids’ hands. The hair conditioner actually feels moisturizing and adds a soothing fragrance.
Add Sensory Mix-ins
You can also mix tiny treasures into this DIY cloud dough. We used beads, barbie shoes, gems and crystals. My girls had a lot of fun playing with their princess-inspired cloud dough.
Cloud dough is fun for the whole family! I even enjoy playing with cloud dough alongside my kids. Older kids can help make this DIY cloud dough and choose their own colors and mix-ins. Toddlers and preschoolers can practice their motor skills and play with cloud dough to strengthen their hands.
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Kids can also make cloud dough cupcakes with silicone cupcake holders. They can cut it up with kids utensils and roll it into balls. Once you are finished playing with this homemade cloud dough, you can store it in an air-tight container for next time!
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Sprinkles, large glitter, gems and small treasures are all fun mix-ins for DIY cloud dough.
Which colors and mix-ins will you use to make homemade cloud dough?
Hi, I’m Katie! I live with my husband and 3 kids in beautiful Coeur d’Alane, Idaho. I love Jesus, coffee, DIY projects, photography, homeschooling my kids, traveling, and serving people. I’ve previously worked as a graphic designer, web designer, journalist and barista. I started Create. Play. Travel. to share some of our creative projects and family adventures. I hope you enjoy the highlights of our creative family life!
