Keeping the kids entertained during the holiday season can seem impossible when your schedule is crammed full of shopping, wrapping, baking and parties. But if you have an army of gingerbread men to make and you want to include the kids without letting them near the oven, consider making some gingerbread playdough that will keep them busy while you’re baking!
This holiday-themed, kid-friendly craft comes from Chelsey, an elementary school teacher and the busy mom of two kids. Basically, she knows all about keeping kids occupied. She developed the Buggy and Buddy website so she could share ideas on how to keep the little ones engaged all year long. Her recipe for gingerbread playdough is particularly on-brand, as she advocates sensory play for children to keep their minds and hands active. Not only that, but it’s simple to make and certainly smells better than the store-bought Play-Doh!
We bet you already have everything you need — staples like flour, salt, vegetable oil and pumpkin pie spice — in your kitchen. And if not, you can find them in the holiday baking section of your favorite store.
Kelsey provides easy-to-follow instructions for mixing the ingredients and then cooking them on the stovetop in order to bring all of the ingredients together into a cohesive dough that is easily kneadable. Once the dough is cool enough to handle, knead it until it’s smooth and let the kids enjoy it!
They can roll it out, use cookie cutters or even mold it into shapes. Here’s that classic gingerbread man, looking cute as a button:
The dough stores well in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
And while it’s non-toxic thanks to the edible ingredients, you’d better save the eating for your regular gingerbread recipe. Let the kids roll out the fun with this batch!
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.
