Homemade Playdough with Scents to Calm Anxiety

I am continually experimenting with ways to calm anxiety in both myself, my child, and my students.  After a long break in making homemade playdough, I returned to a recipe that has never let down. I am going to share a scented homemade playdough recipe that can be used to calm anxiety and boredom in children, teens, and adults.  

Years ago, when I taught kindergarten, I made homemade playdough weekly to be used in a learning center.  The playdough could be used by students to create letters and numbers (kinesthetic learning) while increasing muscle strength in their hands.  I often chose a color based on the season/holiday and would add scents such as peppermint as I saw fit.

I remember creating a small ball of playdough for me and mindlessly “playing” with it for hours after I made a new batch.  The texture was soothing to me. Even though I did this weekly, I never really gave it much thought as a way to calm anxiety.  

I had not thought of this in years. Last week, out of nowhere, I remembered playing with playdough.  I realized that I could add a calming scent to the homemade playdough which would allow for an added bonus in the calming qualities of homemade playdough.  

I have mentioned before that essential oils are used in our family to calm anxiety and to improve our overall health.  Each night, my daughter and I roll on a liquid Xanax recipe, the scent instantly bringing a feeling of contentment. I decided to try adding an enjoyable scent to playdough, bringing that feeling of ease each time I open the playdough and mindlessly squeeze it in my hands.  

 

Homemade Playdough Recipe

I made homemade playdough yesterday, using the recipe I share below. For this recipe, I added Young Living’s Bergamot essential oil.   It turned out really well. I plan to make small batches of this dough, placing each one in individual containers for myself and my children, along with a set for my classroom.  

(For parents wanting to send this to school with your child, is it important that ground rules are set prior to use.  As with all “fidgets”, playdough used in this type of situation, should be seen as a tool rather than a toy. That means it cannot be a distraction or messy.  Children should understand the expectations for using this in the classroom.)  

Here is the recipe for homemade playdough that I have used for years.  It has never failed me…but you do have to follow the directions! This recipe can be downloaded and printed from the freebies library. 

For more ways to help children manage anxiety at school, check out Helping Children Manage Anxiety at School.