Make some calming eucalyptus play dough with this super simple, 4 minute no cook recipe, for an all natural play activity with the kids! Perfect for screen-free, end of the day wind down time to calm and re-focus overtired little minds, (and big ones too!)
After eight years of writing this blog it’s no secret that I’m a HUGE lover of play dough and it’s many benefits for all ages and stages, both in terms of its learning and also therapeutic value. Indeed I’ve written this post dedicated to the many benefits of play dough which you can read and share here!
One of my favourite ways to continue to make play dough relevant and enjoyable even for my older children (now aged 9, 8, 6 and 3) is to add essential oils and use the Invitation to Play set up out for them as an after school activity. After the busy demands of the classroom and the attention they need to give all day long, being able to simply unwind and play freely with dough is a great benefit for de-stressing and also a tool for talk while they play (it’s much easier to get alongside them and find out their worries or priorities when playing in this way.)
The addition of the essential oils helps the mind to relax without screens and other modern life distractions too. To be honest, I also feel much better after pounding, rolling and smooshing the aromatherapy dough too, I’m sure we all do!
Here are my favourite 10 NATURAL PLAY DOUGH RECIPES to bookmark and try!
We’ve made a CALM DOWN LAVENDER PLAY DOUGH before which is equally lovely for a calming, before bed activity. This EUCALYPTUS play dough also offers wonderful benefits of being: microbial, anti-fungal, antiseptic, great for colds and coughs and to help you feel refreshed and clear-headed overall. That also makes it great for a group activity where lots of little fingers will be touching and sharing it together!
How to make Eucalyptus Play Dough:
To make this we whipped up a batch of our BEST EVER NO-COOK PLAY DOUGH RECIPE (click for link)
To the oil (which can be olive, vegetable, baby or coconut) I simply added 4-6 drops of Eucalyptus Essential Oil and mixed it before adding to the dry ingredients. The oil works as a carrier oil and it’s important to add it in this way.
Always remind children not to EAT the dough and that they shouldn’t lick their fingers either. It’s unlikely to do any harm as Eucalyptus oil can be ingested, but only in small quantities, so use common sense and watch smaller kids.
Once made, I set this out for the kids to find alongside:
blunt end scissors
[Amazon affiliate links]
They enjoyed filling pots with dough and adding their arrangements of flowers and leaves, rolling out the dough then stamping with the leaves and pine cones to make patterns, making miniature gardens and plenty more.
The eucalyptus play dough can last for months if stored in an airtight container and is a good one to make for shared play!
If you enjoyed this play dough idea you will really love jumping into the HUGE PLAY DOUGH ARCHIVES! There are SO many ways to play hidden in there like gems to be mined!
Here are some quick links to: NATURAL MINT PLAY DOUGH, ORANGE AND LEMON PLAY DOUGH, and NATURAL SPICES PLAY DOUGH to get you started!
And here are dozens upon dozens of other PLAY RECIPES for sensory and wind down play times with kids of all ages.
[This post contains Amazon affiliate links to help you find products that I love and recommend easily.]
