Easy Candy Cane Playdough Recipe for Christmas Sensory Play

This easy candy cane playdough recipe combines soft homemade playdough, festive red and white colors, and the cheerful scent of peppermint. It is a simple Christmas sensory activity that toddlers and preschoolers can enjoy throughout the holiday season.

It’s that time of year when we break out the candy cane playdough! When I make our first batch, it officially feels like the start of the holiday season in my home daycare. We usually make it around Thanksgiving and continue playing with it well into the new year.

Every time I make a new scented playdough recipe, I think it might be my favorite—but this peppermint playdough really is at the top of my list. The scent makes the whole room smell festive, although it also makes me crave a peppermint mocha every time the children play with it!

Why We Love Candy Cane Playdough

This homemade Christmas playdough is easy to make with basic pantry ingredients. The cooked recipe produces a soft, pliable dough that is easy for little hands to roll, squeeze, flatten and shape.

Making one red batch and one white batch lets children twist the colors together to create playdough candy canes. You can also add Christmas cookie cutters, small rolling pins, and other child-safe tools for an easy holiday invitation to play.

This activity is:

• Easy to prepare
• Festive without requiring an elaborate setup
• Appropriate for toddlers and preschoolers with supervision
• Helpful for strengthening fine motor skills
• Open-ended enough for creative and pretend play
• Easy to store and reuse throughout the holiday season

Candy Cane Playdough Recipe

The ingredients below make one batch of playdough. To create the full red-and-white candy cane effect shown in the photos, I make two separate batches: one red and one white.

I prefer making two batches because the food coloring blends more evenly when it is added to the water before cooking. You can make one batch and divide it before kneading in the red coloring, but each color will be smaller and kneading in the food coloring can be messier.

Candy Cane Playdough Ingredients

For one batch, you will need:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup salt
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup water
• ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon peppermint extract
• Red food coloring for the red batch

For a lighter peppermint scent, start with a smaller amount of peppermint extract. We enjoy a strong candy cane scent, so I use the full tablespoon.

Supplies

• Medium saucepan
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Mixing spoon
• Cutting board or heat-safe surface
• Airtight containers or resealable bags for storage

How to Make Peppermint Candy Cane Playdough

1. Add the flour, salt, and cream of tartar to a medium saucepan. Stir the dry ingredients together until they are evenly combined.
2. Stir the vegetable oil and peppermint extract into the water.
3. For the red batch, mix several drops of red food coloring into the water before adding it to the dry ingredients. Adding the coloring to the water helps distribute it more evenly throughout the playdough.
4. Pour the liquid ingredients into the saucepan and stir until combined. A few small lumps are fine at this stage.
5. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently. It will begin to thicken and pull away from the sides of the pan.
6. Continue stirring until the mixture forms a ball and no longer looks wet. The actual cooking process usually takes only a few minutes.
7. Remove the playdough from the pan and place it on a heat-safe surface.
8. Allow it to cool until it is comfortable to touch. Knead the warm playdough until it becomes soft and smooth.
9. Repeat the recipe without food coloring to make the white batch.

Adult supervision is required while making this recipe. An adult should handle the stovetop cooking, and the dough should be completely cool before children begin playing with it.

How to Fix Sticky or Dry Playdough

Homemade playdough can vary slightly depending on how accurately the ingredients were measured, how long it cooked and even the humidity in your home.

If your playdough is sticky, it may need to cook a little longer. If it is still sticky after cooling and kneading, add flour one tablespoon at a time. Knead after each addition so you do not accidentally make the dough too dry.

If the playdough feels dry or crumbly, knead in a few drops of vegetable oil. Add only a small amount at a time.

Christmas Playdough Invitation to Play

Once both batches were cool, I placed the candy cane playdough on the table with rolling pins, playdough tools and Christmas cookie cutters. Then the children were off!

They rolled the red and white dough into long pieces and twisted them together to make candy canes. They also made Christmas trees, stars and all kinds of holiday creations.

You could add:

• Candy cane, star or Christmas tree cookie cutters
• Small rolling pins
• Child-safe playdough tools
• Plastic forks for making patterns
• Letter or number stamps
• Small holiday plates or trays
• Red and white pipe cleaners for supervised inspiration
• Small gift boxes for pretend play

Choose accessories that are appropriate for the ages of the children using them. Avoid small loose parts when working with toddlers or children who still put objects in their mouths.

Candy Cane Playdough Ideas for Preschoolers

The red and white dough naturally encourages children to make candy canes, but there are plenty of other ways to use it.

Invite children to:

• Roll long red and white playdough snakes and twist them together
• Make large and small candy canes
• Create Christmas trees, ornaments, stars or pretend cookies
• Form the letters in their names
• Count playdough balls or holiday shapes
• Press patterns into the dough with child-safe tools
• Create a pretend Christmas bakery
• Make gifts for friends during dramatic play
• Tell a story using their playdough creations

I like that there is no single finished product for this activity. Each child can use the same materials in a completely different way.

What Children Learn Through Playdough

Candy cane playdough may look like a simple Christmas activity, but it offers plenty of opportunities for hands-on learning.

As children squeeze, pinch, roll and flatten the dough, they strengthen the small muscles in their hands. These are the muscles they will later use for skills such as holding pencils, using scissors, fastening clothing and manipulating other small objects.

Playdough activities can also encourage:

• Fine motor development
• Hand-eye coordination
• Sensory exploration
• Creativity and imaginative play
• Early math vocabulary
• Language development
• Social interaction
• Problem-solving

You can introduce descriptive words such as soft, smooth, sticky, stretchy, minty, twist, roll and flatten. Children can also compare the sizes and lengths of their candy canes or count the shapes they create.

How to Store Homemade Playdough

Store each color in a separate airtight container or resealable plastic bag. Press as much air as possible out of the bag before sealing it.

When it is stored properly and handled with clean, dry hands, our homemade playdough usually lasts for several weeks and sometimes longer.

The red and white colors will eventually turn pink if children mix them repeatedly. I usually give each child a small amount of both colors to twist together while keeping most of the batches separate for future play.

Discard the playdough if you notice mold, an unusual odor or a significant change in texture.

Candy Cane Playdough Safety

Although this peppermint playdough is made with common kitchen ingredients, it is not intended to be eaten. Its high salt content makes it inappropriate for tasting.

Closely supervise toddlers and children who still put materials in their mouths. I use peppermint extract rather than peppermint essential oil in this recipe.

Children with allergies, asthma, or sensitivities to fragrances may need an unscented version. You can leave out the peppermint extract without affecting the basic playdough recipe.

Candy Cane Playdough Questions

Can I make one batch and divide it into two colors?

Yes. Make one batch, divide it in half, and knead red food coloring into one portion. However, the portions will be smaller than those pictured, and kneading in the coloring can temporarily stain your hands or work surface.

For full-size red and white batches with evenly blended colors, I recommend making the recipe twice.

Can I make this playdough without peppermint?

Yes. Leave out the peppermint extract to make an unscented red-and-white Christmas playdough.

Is candy cane playdough edible?

No. This playdough is for sensory play and is not intended for eating. It contains a large amount of salt, so children should be supervised closely.

How long does homemade playdough last?

It can last for several weeks when stored in an airtight container and handled with clean hands. Always discard it if you see mold or notice an unusual smell or texture.

Why did my playdough turn pink?

The red color will blend into the white playdough as children twist and knead the colors together. This is part of the fun! Keep the main batches separate and provide smaller portions if you want the red and white dough to last longer.

Why is my playdough sticky?

It may need to cook a little longer. If it remains sticky after cooling, knead in flour one tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.

This candy cane playdough recipe is one of those simple activities that becomes part of our holiday traditions. The peppermint scent, festive colors, and open-ended play make it perfect for quiet December mornings when the children are excited about Christmas and need something engaging to keep their hands busy.

I only wish you could smell it through the screen. If you love peppermint, you need to make this one!

For more seasonal sensory play, try our pumpkin pie playdough recipe or peppermint-scented Christmas snow sensory bin. You can also add our Christmas songs and fingerplays to your preschool holiday plans.

What is your favorite kind of scented playdough? Tell me in the comments!