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Tie-Dye Play Dough

Aug 14, 20136,775 views
Sensory Play
Play dough play : Tie Dye play dough recipe Save
colorful play dough Save
completed marbelized play dough Save
completed play dough with crepe Save
peeling off the paper Save
fine motor with sticking Save

by TurkeyMom in Sensory Play

Ages2–5 yrs
Prep10 min
Activity30 min
Leveleasy
MessHigh
Works for1:1 · Small group · Class

Kids stick torn bits of color-bleeding crepe or tissue paper onto balls of plain white play dough and wet them with water. Once it dries a little, they peel the paper off to reveal bright, marbled tie-dye dough.

⚠️ Safety first

  • Bleeding paper dye stains hands, clothes and surfaces. Cover the table and dress kids for mess.
  • Homemade play dough is usually flour-based. Check the recipe you use for wheat/gluten and other allergens.
  • Play dough and wet paper bits are not food. Supervise closely so toddlers don't mouth or eat them.
  • Supervise sensory play at all times.

Before the kids arrive

  • Make 4-5 balls of white play dough (no food color) with your usual play dough recipe.
  • Check that your tissue or crepe paper actually bleeds: wet a scrap and see if the color runs.

Steps

  1. Tear the crepe paper or bleeding tissue paper into small bits. Feel the bits as you go.

  2. Set out the white play dough balls, the paper bits and a small cup of water for each child.

  3. Pick up tiny bits of paper and carefully stick them onto the play dough.

  4. Wet the paper with water so the color runs onto the dough.

  5. Overlay lots of colors until the dough is covered.

  6. Let the play dough dry for a while inside a sealed container so it doesn't get too dry.

  7. Peel off the paper.

  8. Reveal the bright, marbled play dough.

  9. Knead, fold and roll the dough into a ball to get color inside as well as outside.

Tips

  • The type of tissue paper is very important because the color HAS to run! A lot of crepe paper is the no-run type these days, so make sure you know what you are buying.from the author
  • I told the kids we were going to color the outside of the play dough, and they thought I was so silly to color without markers!from the author
  • My toddler wanted to really drench the crepe paper with water and did a mega overlay of many colors. My preschooler was very organized and detail-oriented. Both work.from the author
  • Kids won't just stop at the activity. My toddler drenched the dough until it was super soggy, which turned into wet play dough messy play with fingers poking through like lollipops.from the author
  • The dough will be white inside if it's flat. Knead and fold it a bit into a ball for color all around, inside and out.from the author

Make it your own

  • Let toddlers drench the dough for soggy, wet play dough messy play.
  • Knead the colored dough into balls for color all the way through.
  • Mix crepe paper into the dough instead for paper play dough, with the texture on the inside.

The story behind it

By TurkeyMom · August 2013
materials for craft
As usual we gathered our uber-versatile crepe paper and went to town tearing them up. Tearing the paper and feeling the bits was quite the sensory activity.
1 / 10

Tie-Dye Play Dough: the original post

The kids really LOVED making these multi-colored play dough using crepe paper/bleeding tissue again. Yep, we are finding more ways to create with streamer paper/crepe paper. Check out our “just add water” art, crepe paper sensory painting and our latest play dough play idea with paper dough. Today we are combining play dough and crepe paper/streamer paper again, except this time the fun is on the outside unlike the paper dough where the super unique texture was on the inside. Materials Bleeding Tissue Paper Crepe Streamer Paper Playdough supplies The type of tissue paper is very important because the color HAS to run! Lot of crepe paper are no-run type of paper these days so make sure you know what you are buying. Bleeding tissue paper from the above links as the name suggests will bleed. That’s a good fit. However I really love the texture of crepe paper and would personally use that if I know that that type does bleed. As usual we gathered our uber-versatile crepe paper and went to town tearing them up. Tearing the paper and feeling the bits was quite the sensory activity. materials for craft I used our usual play dough recipe mentioned in our flowers play dough play post to make 4-5 balls of white colored play dough. ( read no added food color)

set up

The creation or fun begins now. I gave the kids a small cup of water and invited them to stick and play on the play dough. How fun and easy is this play dough play idea? Any tissue paper that bleeds colors will work in this play dough play activity.

fine motor with sticking

I told the kids that we are going to color the outside of the play dough and they thought I was so silly to color without markers! Although my preschooler remembered that crepe paper gives out colors and very proudly advised her younger sis ” remember we painted with this crepe stuff” Picking up the tiny bits of paper and carefully pasting them on to the play dough was quite the fine motor activity.

toddler sticking crepe paper on play dough

My toddler wanted to really drench the crepe paper with water and did a mega overlay of many colors

completed play dough with crepe

My preschooler true to form was very organized and detail-oriented during the play dough play activity.

another completed play dough

Of course the kiddos are NOT going to just stop with present play dough activity. They will explore, they will mess around and combine the elements. My toddler after being done with the paper thought it would be fun to completely drench the play dough and make is super soggy.

messy play with wet play dough

Thus ensued the wet play dough messy play with 2 cute little fingers poking through pretending the play dough to be lollipops.

messing around with wet play dough

Well we eventually let all the play dough dry for a while. If you are doing this play dough play activity remember to let them dry inside a sealed container. You don’t want them to be too dry! Then all we did was peel off the crepe paper which was another fine motor activity.

peeling off the paper

The reveal? ta da! Bright and cheerful play dough with a marbled look.

colorful play dough

Don’t they look cool? The play dough would obviously be white inside when the play dough is flat. If you would rather have color inside as well all you have to do is knead and fold a bit and make the dough into ball. You would get the color all around- inside and out.

completed marbelized play dough

Thanks for reading!

tie dye play dough play recipe

For more play dough play ideas visit the category page

Nope, you want more play dough ideas? Sure we have a book for that too!

homemade-play-dough-recipe-11

Don’t forget to see the earlier paper dough with a unique texture INSIDE the play dough

paper play dough thumbnail

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