Hot Chocolate Playdough Recipe: How To Make & Enjoy With Kids

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This hot chocolate playdough recipe is a creative and frugal way to boost sensory play for kids.

With only 3 steps and common ingredients, you can quickly whip together this incredible smelling hands-on material. It's fantastic for use during the holidays, winter, and any time of year you want to have some chocolatey fun. This variation of our favorite homemade playdough recipe is one of my boys' top picks.

Find out how to make this easy DIY playdough and get my tips for enjoying with your children.

Add a Cozy Touch to Your Sensory Play Time

"Hot! Hot! Ooh, we got it!"

The Hot Chocolate Song from The Polar Express movie is now the first thing that I think of when I hear of hot cocoa anything. It's a catch tune!

When my oldest was little, my mom gifted us with The Polar Express book. My oldest absolutely adored that story and how I used different voices for characters.

The movie was released when he was a little over two years old. It was the first film that we took him to see in a theater. What a magical way to enjoy the holiday season!

I wanted to build off of his enthusiasm by adding some Christmas fun activities that we could enjoy together at home. After a few attempts, I finally found a way to tweak my mom's homemade playdough recipe for this delightful hot chocolate version.

Ingredients for This Homemade Hot Chocolate Playdough

One of the many things that I love about this recipe is that it uses common ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen or pantry. Before making, I do recommend that you have enough of each ingredient, especially if you'd like to double or triple the amount (like we do!).

Here's what you'll need to make your hot chocolate playdough:

How to Make This Hot Chocolate Playdough Recipe

WooHoo! This playdough cooks up in no time. It's an awesome choice when you need a quick activity for kids. And you just might want to bring your kids over to watch (or help) to see the transformation that occurs when you mix the ingredients together and get a ball of dough to play with.

You'll need these materials, as well as the ingredients listed above:

• large cooking pot (or saucepan)
• Measuring cups (for liquid and dry ingredients)
• Measuring spoons
• spoon (I like to use a wood spoon because it's more sturdy and less likely to have the playdough stick to it while I'm stirring.)
• wax paper or parchment paper
• sealable plastic sandwich bags (or other containers that can be sealed) for safe storage and to extend the life of your DIY playdough

The final product of hot cocoa playdough should be ready after a cook time of about 4-5 minutes.

3 Steps for Making This DIY Playdough Recipe

01

Mix dry ingredients.

In a saucepan or pot, add all the dry ingredients. Stir to combine.

02

Mix in wet ingredients.

Add the water and oil to the dry mixture. Place the pot (or saucepan) over medium heat.

03

Heat and stir.

Stir frequently for 4-5 minutes until a ball of dough forms. Take the pot off the heat. Move the dough to a piece of parchment paper to begin cooling. Enjoy when fully cooled!

Ideas for Using for Hot Chocolate Fun with Kids

If you'd like a frugal and easy way to take hands-on activities to the next level, this homemade "hot" chocolate playdough recipe is a sweet pick. You can use it any day of the year for a fun pick-me-up and it's especially great for:

• Christmas fun
• Holiday party activities
• Christmas homeschool fun activities
• Cocoa Day (December 13)
• Hot Chocolate Day (January 31)
• World Chocolate Day (July 7)
• International Chocolate Day (September 13)

If you'll be using the dough with multiple students, I recommend that you divide it into 6 portions and then hand out. Those portions will be small so it's a good idea to make more.

Prior to storing, wait until the dough is completely cooled. By doing this simple step, you'll prevent condensation from building up in the plastic bag (or other storage container).

Easily boost your playdough fun with frugal ways to decorate your creations. A few things to try include:

• Pom poms (especially white ones for mini-marshmallows)
• Cotton balls
• Small cups or mugs
• Candy molds (to make your playdough creations look like mini-chocolates)
• Beads (pony beads, wood beads, beads with letters for spelling fun!)
• Pipe cleaners (for pretend straws or stirrers)
• Aluminum foil (can tear into small pieces and make your own playdough Hershey Kisses)
• Wood craft sticks (popsicle sticks)

Hands-On Fun with Hot Chocolate!

You may have a few worries that this type of hands-on activity could get messy. I totally get it! Determine a few clear rules and expectations to go over with your students on how to properly contain their work. Also, kid-safe plastic or wood tools made for using with playdough are smart ideas.

Printable playdough mats (like our Christmas, emotions, and number playdough mats) are can boost learning AND provide a specific area for young learners to use their playdough.

After you make and use this hot chocolate playdough recipe, I'd love to hear what you think. Share your experiences and what you did to make it super fun. Let me know in the comments area at the bottom of this post!

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