Make Easy, Two-Ingredient Play Dough

Have your child scoop a couple of large, heaping spoonful of cornstarch into a bowl.

Squirt some tempera paint inside the bowl. You can eyeball the amount and add more paint or cornstarch later, until you achieve the right consistency.

Ask your child, "How do you think the paint will change the cornstarch?" Help her mix it vigorously until it's a thick paste. Let her use her hands to continue blending the two ingredients. Ask her to describe how the cornstarch is changing. Add more cornstarch if the mix seems too wet or more paint if it's too crumbly.

When the consistency is just right, it's ready for little hands! Ask your child to describe the texture. Is it smooth? Is it grainy? Encourage her to make whatever fun shapes she'd like. If the dough ball is leaving a lot of paint on her hands, sprinkle cornstarch on a work surface and roll the ball through it, kneading until the dough ball is less wet.