Make this wonderfully scented, natural lavender cloud dough recipe for some fantastic sensory play fun with your kiddos! With only three simple ingredients to mix together and lasting up to 6 months, this makes a great sensory play material to make together or give as a gift too.

The super simple cloud dough recipe is one of the best sensory play recipes out there, containing easy to obtain ingredients from the kitchen cupboards and taking literally 2 minutes to make together. It is one of the most satisfying play recipes too as it feels so wonderfully soft and silky in your hands and can be easily formed into shapes and “castles” just like the consistency of damp sand. It also keeps SO well when kept dry and can be reused many times.

We have made this in the past on a number of occasions and this time we decided to colour it purple and add some natural lavender scent to make it a calming play experience (we will try anything that might work!)

Lavender Cloud Dough Recipe:

8 cups plain flour (all purpose)

1 cup vegetable/ olive or baby oil (avoid baby oil if your child likes to taste things)

2 tbsps purple powder paint

5 sprigs of fresh lavender, with the little flowers pulled off and sprinkled through

[alternatively, you can use 4-5 drops lavender essential oil]

We simply tipped the flour into our Tuff Spot (this is a large, flat sensory play tray which is used by builders for mixing and makes a FANTASTIC, contained space for messy play!), and then mixed through the oil using our fingers. It is much like making a basic pastry and will quickly come together if you use your fingertips to rub all of the oil through.

When it has become like the consistency of damp sand it is ready! Next, stir through the powder paint and then add the lavender flowers and mix them through well. If they are fresh flowers then it will be wonderfully scented straight away.

Simply add in some small plastic cups, sand moulds, spoons and cookie cutters and start to play!

We built lots of mini sand castles, towers, roads, tunnels, mountains, houses, cupcakes and more! The extra lavender stalks made beautiful decorations, as would mini paper flags, cocktail sticks, straws and other items from the kitchen cupboards.

Add in a chocolate box tray insert to create your own lavender sweets and chocolates! Use cup cake cases and candles to make birthday cakes for pretend play. Add mini figures and vehicles to create a little townscape to play in. There are so many ways to play, let your child be the leader!

What they are learning as they play:

creativity: building, designing, storytelling through play

physical: experiencing materials using the senses, shaping and moulding malleable materials, building structures, fine motor skills development

See our huge gallery of SENSORY PLAY ACTIVITIES for more ideas!

See our PLAY RECIPES gallery for loads more sensory play ideas to try together.

Follow our SENSORY PLAY and PLAY RECIPES boards on Pinterest too!
Follow Anna @ The Imagination Tree’s board Sensory Play Ideas on Pinterest. Follow Anna @ The Imagination Tree’s board Play Recipes on Pinterest.

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