Ever find a good playdough recipe, make it once, and then spend entirely too long trying to find it again? Same.

These free sensory recipes keep a collection of hands-on favorites together in printable cards. From playdough and sensory bottles to homemade fake snow, you can choose an activity, gather your ingredients, and get ready for some squishing, scooping, and creating.

Use them in your preschool classroom or at home. The collection includes a quick teacher guide and safety notes to help you prepare.

What’s Included in the Sensory Recipes Collection?

You’ll find 14 recipe and activity cards:

• Classic playdough

• Wheat-free playdough

• Sensory bottles

• Baking soda bombs

• Classic gak/slime

• Homemade kinetic sand

• Colored rice for sensory bins

• Bath paint

• Classic salt dough

• No-cook gingerbread playdough

• Baking soda and shaving cream fake snow

• Playdough without cream of tartar

• Cloud dough

• Air-dry clay

Some recipes require cooking or adult preparation; others come together with simple mixing. Read the full card before starting so you know what ingredients, tools, and preparation time you’ll need.

Printable Recipe Cards You Can Keep Handy

The sensory activity cards print four to a page, making them easy to cut apart and organize.

Keep them in a recipe box, slip them into protective sleeves, or punch a hole in the corner and place them on a binder ring. Instead of searching through saved posts while your children wait, you’ll have the instructions ready to use.

Prefer to read on a screen? Keep the PDF handy and print only the cards you need.

Choose Sensory Recipes That Fit Your Day

For rolling and shaping: Choose a playdough recipe and offer rollers, cutters, or other suitable tools. Children can make their own creations or use the dough alongside a classroom theme.

For scooping and pouring: Try colored rice or the homemade kinetic sand mixture. Add age-appropriate scoops and containers, then leave room for children to explore.

For a snowy afternoon indoors: Make the baking soda and shaving cream fake snow. Children can squeeze, scoop, and shape it without needing a winter coat!

For a different kind of creating: Explore salt dough, air-dry clay, or bath paint. Check the card for preparation, drying, and surface-use instructions before you begin.

You don’t need to make everything. Start with one recipe that suits your group and the materials you already have.

Bring Learning into Sensory Play

These classroom recipes also give you opportunities for conversation and discovery.

Invite children to describe textures with words such as soft, sticky, crumbly, or smooth. Compare what the ingredients look like before and after mixing. Wonder together about what might happen next.

Try asking:

• “What do you notice?”

• “How did the mixture change?”

• “What happens when you squeeze it?”

• “How could you make that shape?”

Adults can demonstrate measuring and mixing, while children help with appropriate steps. Once the materials are ready, give them time to experiment without needing to produce a particular finished project.

Prepare for Safe Sensory Play

Use all activities with active adult supervision. These mixtures are for play, not eating—even when they contain food ingredients.

Check ingredient labels for allergies and sensitivities. The wheat-free playdough option may be useful for some families, but every ingredient still needs to be checked for the individual child.

Adults should handle heating, hot water, and preparation involving borax or other household chemicals. Let cooked mixtures cool before children touch them, and follow the safety notes included in the download.

Choose materials suited to your children’s ages and abilities. Avoid small loose items with children who mouth objects. Sensory bottles should have securely sealed lids and be inspected before each use.

Wash hands and clean tools and surfaces after play. Label stored mixtures and discard them if they develop mold, an unusual smell, or other signs of spoilage.

Download Your Free Sensory Recipes

Get the printable sensory recipes collection through the Yogalore Freebie Hub.

Your download includes 14 recipe and activity cards, along with a quick teacher guide, supervision notes, and terms of use. Print the cards, organize your favorites, and have your next hands-on activity ready to go.

Pair Your Recipes with More Free Activities

Looking for something to use with your homemade playdough? Our bee activities for preschool include a printable page you can place inside a dry-erase pocket and use as a playdough mat.

For another way to explore and discover, try our scavenger hunt printables, with both indoor and nature hunts.

A few simple materials can lead to a whole lot of curiosity—and sometimes a little mess. That’s part of the fun