Have you ever felt that dough sold at retails stores are too pricey? Why not engage in a dough making activity with your child this weekend?

Dough making is an exciting process which allows children to explore with their five senses. It gives children the opportunity to experience the different textures of ingredients while they mix and knead them. It also builds on children’s vocabulary as they are introduced to a list of things required to make dough. Here’s a safe and cost-effective guide on how to make dough which you can involve your child:

Things you need (adapted from Beyond Social Services – Healthy Start Child Development Centre)

• 2 cups of plain flour 1 cup of corn flour 1 cup of potato starch
• Food colouring (optional) Water Mixing bowl
• Plastic gloves (optional)

Suggestions on where you can get the things:

▪ Plain flour from Cold Storage (e.g. 1kg: Prima – $2.60, Bake King – $3.20), FairPrice > Baking needs (e.g. 1kg: Prima – $2.50, FairPrice – $2.25, Bake King – $2.65, Pagoda – $1.85), neighbourhood (e.g. market, convenience store)

▪ Corn flour from Cold Storage (e.g. Maizena 200g – $1.15, Pagoda 454g – $1.70), FairPrice (e.g. Maizena 200g – $1, 400g: Maizena – $1.75, Pagoda – $0.85, Flying man – $0.70, FairPrice – $0.95), neighbourhood (e.g. market, convenience store)

▪ Potato starch from FairPrice > Baking needs (e.g. 350g: Windmill – $2, Pagoda – $1.50), neighbourhood (e.g. market, convenience store)

▪ Mixing bowl from Daiso Japan > Kitchen section

Food colouring from:

▪ Cold Storage (e.g. Bake King 28ml egg yellow colour – $1.40, Star 25ml – liquid apple green colour, liquid egg yellow colour, liquid artificial cochineal red colour – $1.45/bottle)

▪ FairPrice > Baking needs (e.g. Bake King 28ml – orange colour, apple green, egg yellow, cochineal red – $1.10/bottle, Star 25ml – liquid true blue colour, liquid artificial cochineal red colour, liquid orange colour, liquid apple green colour, liquid egg yellow colour, liquid rose pink colour, liquid chocolate colour – $1.10/bottle)




Steps to make your own dough

1. Pour the plain flour into the mixing bowl (you can replace a mixing bowl with a big empty container)
2. Add the corn flour
3. Add the potato starch
4. Mix the flour and starch together and add water as you go along (Mix the ingredients well)
5. Knead the mixture until it’s mushy and neither too wet nor stiff; you get dough
6. Add a few drops of food colouring if you want coloured dough
7. Knead the dough until the colour has been evenly spread out
8. If the dough is a little or too sticky, knead a tiny bit of flour into it. If it is too stiff, add more water

Now, time to play!

Dough playing is spontaneous and it gives children the empowerment to create something from nothing. Furthermore, it promotes children’s creativity and imagination and helps them to think outside the box. Have fun making and playing dough with your child!

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”
– Fred Rogers

By Joyce, Gui Ling and Joanna.

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