One of the activity books I have been using with Andrew is 365 Ways to a Smarter Preschooler. It has a lot of great activities and most of the stuff you need for the activities are things you already have around the house or can get cheaply. One of his favorite activities from the book is the peanut butter play dough.

Andrew loves peanut butter and would eat it three times a day if I let him, which makes this activity right up his alley! The best part is that the dough is edible, so he gets to eat and play with his food at the same time! I will make a batch of this a few times a month for his lunch, put him at the table and he’ll stay there eating/playing for an hour (or more, if he could!). Here’s the super-simple recipe:

Peanut butter Playdough

Ingredients:

1/2 cup peanut butter; 1/2 cup powdered milk; 1/2 teaspoon honey (Can you tell that I use a lot of no-name brand foods! LOL!)

→Measure ingredients into a bowl and using clean, dry hands, kneed them into a dough-like consistency. if the dough is too sticky, add more powdered milk.  (I usually have Andrew measure out the ingredients & knead the dough himself.) Once the dough is malleable, the child can play to his/her heart’s content. 🙂

Of course, don’t forget to provide measuring cups, spoons, cookie cutters and/or a rolling pin for extra fun. I also provide other edibles to round out the meal such as raisins, carrot and/or celery sticks, M&Ms (occasionally), fruit or whatever else I have at hand.

***For easier clean up, I have him play on a large cutting board. That way, all I have to do is bring the board to the sink to clean up.  🙂 Enjoy!

(This recipe is linked to the Offering Hospitality Recipe Swap and Recipe Roundtable.)

Other recipes you might like:

Sausage, Peppers and Potatoes

Peas and Macaroni

Corn Pone