Air plasticine is a substance for creativity. It is pleasant to touch, and the finished sculpture does not lose its appearance for a long time. Such material can be made at home.
On the benefits of playing with plasticine
All children enjoy sculpting, and if you stock up on enough airy plasticine, you can create a whole collection of figures.
Modeling activities bring great benefits to children:
- develops motor skills;
- teaches them to think logically;
- teaches you to use your imagination;
- promotes the development of both hemispheres, since the child works with both hands at once;
- helps children who have problems with speech therapy.
As soon as the baby reaches one year of age, you can begin to teach him modeling.
How to easily make air plasticine at home
There are various ways to make air plasticine at home.
Shaving Foam Recipe
This is a simple recipe that requires shaving foam and starch. Sometimes a coloring pigment is added to it. This is only advisable when the color of the material is of fundamental importance. Acrylic paint can act as a dye. Having prepared these 2-3 components, you can begin manufacturing.
The work takes place in 3 stages and takes several minutes:
- You need to put the foam in a wide container. If you plan to use dye, you can add a few drops. Mix everything thoroughly.
- Add starch to the mixture. It can be any, for example, potato starch. However, it should not be added all at once, but gradually. After each spoonful added, mix well.


- Mix the mixture with your fingers until you reach the desired consistency.
You can mold various figures from the resulting plasticine. It is important to consider that the pieces do not stick to each other well.After playing, starch may remain on your hands, but it can be easily washed off with plain water.
Plasticine as Play Doh
The Play Doh company is extremely popular because the plasticine it produces is of high quality. It is suitable for making a variety of toys. You can mold everything from delicious baked goods to fine hair for dolls.
The price of such high-quality material is high, so Play Doh is not available to everyone. For those who want to mold excellent toys, but do not want to spend money, there is a way to make such material at home from improvised means.

You will need 7 components:
- flour;
- salt;
- water;
- vegetable oil;
- citric acid;
- coloring pigment;
- special oil for aromatization.
Any food coloring can serve as a coloring pigment. You can also take gouache paint. The flavored oil can also be any. As for the volume, the optimal ratio of components is 200 g of flour, the same amount of water and 100 g of salt.

You can make airy plasticine at home a la Play Doh if you follow these steps:
- Give the water the desired color. To do this, add a coloring agent to a glass filled with it. Pour 2 teaspoons of citric acid here.
- Mix all the contents of the glass well.
- Heat the flour and salt. To do this, pour both into a frying pan, then put it on the fire and wait until the bottom of the pan starts to heat up. Using a spatula, carefully mix the ingredients.
- When the contents of the frying pan become hot, pour in the prepared solution. Add 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil. Thanks to it, the plasticine will become soft.
- Add 2 drops of flavoring to the pan.
- Start mixing. The fire should be medium. It is necessary to wait until the whole mass becomes homogeneous.
- The airy plasticine similar to Play Doh is ready. All that remains is to put it on a plate, wait until it cools down, and knead until all the salt dissolves.
Light plasticine made from glue
Glue is a substance that is suitable for making air-filled plasticine.

In addition to this, you will need 3 more components:
- shampoo;
- sodium tetraborate;
- coloring pigment. Gouache paint can play this role.
You can make air plasticine at home using glue by following these steps:
- Pour glue and a little shampoo into a wide container.
- Add the dye and stir until the mixture reaches the desired color.
- To make the plasticine thicker, add a few drops of sodium tetraborate.
- Using a spoon, stir the mixture until it stops sticking to the sides of the container.
The resulting plasticine will be very similar to slime.
Salt dough
You can make airy plasticine from regular dough.

Its components will include:
- 200 ml cold water;
- 15 ml sunflower oil;
- 200 g fine salt;
- 650 g flour;
- 20 g starch.
The manufacturing process consists of the following stages:
- Add flour to water. To avoid lumps, add flour gradually and stir the resulting mass constantly.
- Add starch to the total mass. This should also be done gradually.
- Pour oil into the total mass.
- Mix the dough thoroughly. The result will be white plasticine.
The color of the plasticine can be changed by adding dye to the dough at one of the stages of production.
Homemade Plasticine That Glows in the Dark
You can make unusual plasticine that will glow in the dark. To do this, you should add a special component to the mass - vitamin B. You can buy it at almost any pharmacy. The unique property of this substance is that it glows when exposed to ultraviolet rays.
The following can be used as other components for luminous plasticine:
- starch (200 g);
- baking soda (400 g);
- cold water (300 ml).
All the ingredients are mixed, heated over low heat and stirred until a homogeneous dough is formed. After heating, the mass must be allowed to cool. To do this, cover it with a damp cloth or cling film.
By means of heat treatment
A microwave oven will help you make airy plasticine.
To do this you need to take:
- 200 g salt;
- 400 g flour;
- 200 g slightly warmed water;
- 1 tbsp. regular sunflower oil.

The cooking process is as follows:
- Pour salt into a glass container, add flour and mix thoroughly.
- Pour water into the mixture. Do this gradually, stirring thoroughly. The salt should dissolve completely.
- To make the plasticine more elastic, add oil.
- Mix everything thoroughly until the consistency at which the dough stops sticking to your hands, place the container in the microwave and set the parameters - 800 W, 2 min. Before this, cover the container with a lid so that the mass does not dry out during the upcoming heat treatment.
- After the dough has cooled, divide it into small pieces.
- Protect your hands with gloves and dip each piece into the dye, mixing thoroughly.
Handgam plasticine
Handgum is a plasticine with amazing properties, the recipe for which was kept secret for a long time.

Its main components are:
- PVA glue;
- sodium tetraborate;
- liquid dye.
The cooking process takes place in 3 stages:
- Pour glue into a small container, add a little dye and stir.
- Add a few drops of sodium tetraborate and stir again.
- Remove the resulting mixture from the container in which it was prepared and squeeze out excess moisture.
Handgam can be given additional properties.One of the most interesting types of plasticine that can be made at home is magnetic. Its main component is handgam.
The composition also includes a developer, a substance used for printers. The ratio of handgum to developer is 2:1. All you need to do is mix the components in a deep container. The resulting plasticine will be able to attract metal. This property will last for about a month.
Plasticine from starch and hair balm
You can make airy plasticine at home using hair balm. In this case, it will be soft and pleasant to the touch, and will retain its shape perfectly.
The main components are taken in a ratio of 3:2. For 100 g of starch, you will need 150 g of hair balm. To give the mixture a certain color, food coloring is added to it. You can also add a little essential oil to give it aroma.
Edible plasticine
The recipes for making airy plasticine are so varied that among them there is an edible version.
To make it, you need to take ingredients suitable for consumption, namely:
- 3 cups flour;
- 1 cup of water;
- 0.5 cup salt;
- 5 g citric acid;
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil;
- some food coloring.
Once you have prepared the ingredients, you can start cooking.
The work takes place in 5 stages:
- Make a dough from water and 2 cups of flour.
- Add the remaining glass of flour to the mixture gradually, achieving the desired consistency. The future plasticine should not spread over your hands.
- Add food coloring of the desired color.
- Salt the dough.
- Pour oil into the mixture and then mix everything well.
Marshmallow Play Dough
Another way to make edible plasticine is based on the use of marshmallows.
To prepare you will need:
- Take 10 marshmallows, put them in a bowl, pour 2 tbsp of coconut oil, then put in the microwave for half a minute.
- After a short heat treatment, pour a little food coloring of any color into a bowl. Mix everything thoroughly.
- When the mixture has a uniform consistency, add cornstarch to it. After that, mix everything thoroughly again. The result is soft and safe plasticine.
Plasticine from powdered sugar and gelatin
You can make air plasticine at home from:
- powdered sugar;
- gelatin;
- honey.
The components are taken in the following quantities:
- 8 g instant gelatin;
- 25 g of plain water;
- 90 g of any honey;
- 500 g sifted powdered sugar;
- a little dye;
- a little cornstarch.
The preparation takes place in the following stages:
- Pour water over the gelatin and let it sit for 15 minutes.
- Heat the honey in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Without bringing it to a boil, wait until the honey melts, then add the prepared gelatin and mix until smooth.
- Without letting the contents of the pan cool, pour it into a container with powdered sugar.
- Knead the mixture thoroughly with your hands.
- Add the dye and knead the mixture again. It is best to do this on a horizontal surface sprinkled with starch.
- Before you start sculpting figures from the resulting plasticine, you should sprinkle it with starch, wrap it in cling film and place it in the refrigerator for several hours.
- Take out the plastic mass, knead it thoroughly and start making beautiful, interesting figures.
Plasticine from marshmallows
Another version of edible sweet plasticine can be made from marshmallows.
To make it you will need:
- marshmallow;
- oil;
- starch;
- dyes.
The components are taken in the following volume:
- 3 cups marshmallows (18 standard size);
- 3 tsp coconut oil (if you don’t have it, you can use regular sunflower oil);
- 10 tbsp cornstarch;
- a small amount of food coloring.
The preparation is as follows:
- Take 3 microwave-safe bowls. Put 6 marshmallows in each and pour in 1 teaspoon of oil.
- Heat the marshmallows. To do this, place the bowls in the microwave. Set the timer for half a minute, the temperature should be high.
- After removing the bowls from the microwave, add a little food coloring to each bowl and then mix thoroughly.
- Evenly distribute 10 tbsp of prepared cornstarch among all 3 bowls and mix thoroughly again until a thick dough forms.
- Place the plasticine from the bowls on a flat horizontal surface and continue kneading until the substance stops sticking to your hands. If necessary, you can add a little starch.
Ball plasticine
You can make air plasticine from foam balls at home.
This will require 3 more components:
- starch;
- hair conditioner;
- coloring pigment.
The stages of its production are as follows:
- Mix all the ingredients except the balls into an elastic mass.
- When the mass has acquired the required consistency, pour in the foam balls.
- Achieve uniform distribution of the balls. To do this, you need to knead the mass thoroughly.
Jumping plasticine (chewing gum for hands)
A special type of plasticine is hand gum, which can be used not only for making figures, but also for relieving stress.
To make such a toy you will need 3 components:
- PVA glue;
- sodium tetraborate;
- dye.
You can also add glitter if you wish to make the products made from this plasticine more beautiful.
The manufacturing stages are as follows:
- Mix the glue and dye in one container. If you plan to add glitter, you should do it at this stage.
- Add 2 drops of sodium tetraborate.
- Mix everything thoroughly again until it reaches a thick consistency. If it is not thick enough, you can add a little more sodium tetraborate.
Sand plasticine (kinetic sand)
Kinetic sand is a soft and pleasant to the touch material that holds its shape perfectly. To make it at home, you need to buy sifted sand and starch.
Corn is better, but potato is also possible, however, in this case the product will dry out and will have to be diluted with water. These 2 components are mixed in a ratio of 2:1. For 1 kg of sand, 500 g of starch will be required. You also need to prepare 200 g of plain water. Everything is thoroughly mixed and placed in a plastic container with molds.
How to restore plasticine after drying
It is not enough to simply make air plasticine. It is also necessary to ensure that it can be used for a long period. To do this, it is necessary to ensure proper storage.
The properties of self-made plasticine are influenced by:
- temperature;
- air;
- dust.
After modeling, you need to put the plasticine back into the package and close it tightly. Even a small amount of air can reduce the plasticity of the mass.
If, for one reason or another, the storage rules were not followed, and the air plasticine dried out as a result of prolonged contact with air, do not rush to get rid of it.

There is an effective way to restore it:
- Take a small container, put the dried material in it, and then pour hot water. After waiting 3 minutes, you can begin to carefully move the piece of plasticine in the liquid.
- Remove the plasticine from the container, knead it with your fingers and pour hot water over it again for a few minutes. The properties it lost should gradually begin to return.
- Separate from the general piece those that have not yet acquired sufficient softness. They need to be filled with water again and the procedure repeated many times. In this case, the mass must be kneaded each time.
How to Make Slime from Light Plasticine
Airy plasticine is the main component of slime. One of the simplest recipes is based on the use of starch and hot water.

The stages of its production are as follows:
- Place plasticine in a container and fill with hot water.
- Close the container and let the contents sit for 30 minutes.
- Drain the liquid and knead the mixture with your hands.
- To prevent the slime from being too sticky, sprinkle starch on your palms before you start kneading.
Seeing a huge number of different materials intended for modeling in the store, many parents begin to seriously think about whether playing with this mass is dangerous. After all, not every manufacturer indicates on the packaging what substances the manufactured product consists of.
All doubts will disappear as soon as it is discovered and tested in practice that air plasticine can be made at home using accessible and safe substances.
Video about making plasticine
How to make air plasticine: