Kids will love to squish cornstarch and shaving cream together to make a batch of foam dough for an afternoon of play. It’s a bit messy but then that’s part of the fun.

This craft is a great sensory activity that taps kids’ creativity at the same time. Most recipes call for a one to one ratio of ingredients but we found we needed about three times as much shaving cream to make it pliable.

It’s perfect to do outdoors and kids can make it with little supervision. Of course, you’ll need to assist toddlers and watch them as this dough is definitely not edible.

The one downside is that foam dough doesn’t last more than a week or two in a resealable bag. Fortunately, it’s inexpensive so you can make it as often as you want!

How to make foam dough

How to Make Foam Dough
Ingredients
  • measuring cup
  • large bowl
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 3 cups shaving cream
  • food coloring (optional)
Instructions
  1. Measure and pour cornstarch into a large bowl.
  2. Add shaving cream then mix together with fingers. If consistency is too dry, add more shaving cream a little bit at a time.
  3. Once pliable, add food coloring if desired and work into the dough.
  4. Remove from bowl and get started forming shapes. Store in a resealable bag up to 1–2 weeks.
Notes
Drizzle food coloring on the mixture for a marbled effect or squirt on a lot for a solid color.

Foam dough recipe