homemade cinnamon playdough for fall

A little cinnamon playdough, a rolling pin, and a few cookie cutters make an easy fall activity to pull out at home. The cinnamon gives this homemade dough its warm brown color and cozy scent without adding food coloring or fragrance.

You can keep the setup simple. Set out the dough with pumpkin or leaf cookie cutters, or let your kids roll little pumpkins and press patterns into them. There doesn’t need to be a finished craft to make it worth doing.

Cinnamon playdough ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more if needed

• ½ cup ground cinnamon

• 2 tablespoons alum powder

• ½ cup salt

• 2 tablespoons oil

• 2 cups water

You’ll also need a saucepan, a mixing bowl, and a sturdy spoon.

How to make cinnamon playdough

1. Mix the flour, cinnamon, and alum powder together in a separate bowl.

2. Add the water and salt to a saucepan and bring to a boil.

3. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the oil and the dry ingredient mixture until everything comes together into a dough.

4. Let the dough cool until comfortable to handle, then knead until smooth. If it’s sticky, work in a little flour at a time.

5. Let the dough cool completely before giving it to children.

A simple fall playdough setup

Pick a few things you already have: a rolling pin, pumpkin or leaf cookie cutters, or a muffin tin for pretend cinnamon muffins. For younger children, rolling, squishing, and flattening the dough can be the whole activity.

If your dough feels sticky

Let it cool before deciding whether it needs more flour. If it’s still sticking to your hands after cooling and kneading, work in a small sprinkle of flour at a time until it’s comfortable to handle.

How to store homemade cinnamon playdough

Once completely cool, store the dough in an airtight container or sealed bag between uses. Discard it if you notice mold, an unusual smell, or other changes.

For play only. This dough is not edible and contains alum powder and a large amount of salt. Supervise children during use and keep it away from children who are likely to taste or mouth the dough.