Joeli is a huge Star Wars fan, so I am always looking for ways to express her passion.
So if your kids love space and space-themed crafts and activities, they will love making and playing with this DIY galaxy playdough.
Table of contents
With just a few ingredients, you can transform simple black playdough into a colorful burst of interstellar fun.
DIY Galaxy Playdough
Your young stargazers will have a blast making and playing with this simple DIY galaxy playdough.
What You Need – Galaxy Playdough
- Flour
- Salt
- Cream of tater
- Vegetable oil
- Black gel food coloring
- Blue glitter
- Pink glitter
- Black glitter
- Silver glitter
This recipe always produces soft, moldable space dough that is non-sticky and, perhaps best of all, doesn’t leave any residue behind!
How to Make Black Playdough
- 1. Add 1 cup of flour, ½ a cup of salt, a tablespoon of cream of tartar, and a tablespoon of vegetable oil to a small bowl.
- 2. Add several squirts of black food coloring. You will probably have to add about twice as much dye as you think you need to get a true black color. We ended up using about half of the bottle.
- 3. Mix in a tablespoon of black glitter.
- 4. Heat ¾ of a cup of water until boiling. Pour it into the bowl along with the flour mixture.
- 5. Stir with a fork, then as the water cools, mix it the rest of the way with your hands. The black coloring won’t mix in completely until you knead the dough for a while.
- 6. When the dough is completely cool, it’s time to turn it into a galaxy!
- 7. Form the dough into a ball. Sprinkle the dough with stripes of blue and pink glitter. Mix the glitter into the space dough, but not all the way.
- 8. Sprinkle the entire ball gently with the silver glitter to make stars.
- 9. Give the dough to your kids and let them have fun exploring the galaxy!
The black glitter buried inside the dough gives the galaxy dimension, while the glitter added to the dough later helps the dough sparkle and shine like real stars.
How to Make Playdough No Cook
Don’t want to make your own playdough? Skip this homemade version and simply add glitter to black playdough purchased at the store (or made by combining other colors).
Kids will love playing with this space-themed galaxy playdough! Roll it out, use star cookie cutters to cut out stars, form the dough into letters or numbers, or just squeeze the dough for sensory fun!
Extra Tips and Tricks for Kids
1. Add a Learning Element
- Planet Shapes: Use cookie cutters or printables to form planets and name them. Talk about their colors, sizes, and temperatures!
- Constellation Creation: Flatten the playdough and use a toothpick to poke “star” patterns. Look up constellations like Orion or the Big Dipper and have your child recreate them.
- Fine Motor Skills: Rolling, pinching, and shaping dough helps strengthen hand muscles and improve coordination—especially helpful for preschoolers.
2. Create a Star Wars Scene
Let your mini Jedi bring the galaxy to life!
- Add mini Star Wars figurines (Yoda, BB-8, Darth Vader) to the dough for epic adventures.
- Use black playdough to make a Death Star or glittery dough to build lightsaber hilts.
- Try this line: “It’s not just playdough… it’s the Force in your hands!”
3. Outer Space Vocabulary Challenge
Introduce a new word each play session:
- Nebula: A cloud of gas and dust in space (just like your sparkly dough!).
- Meteor: A rock that burns in the Earth’s atmosphere—pretend to shape one and crash it into the dough.
- Orbit: Show how a small ball of dough can circle a larger one—just like the moon orbits Earth!
10 Fun Space & Star Wars Facts for Kids
- The moon is slowly moving away from Earth—about 1.5 inches per year!
- Jupiter has at least 95 moons—including one with an ocean beneath its surface.
- NASA’s Mars rovers sing “Happy Birthday” to themselves every year (sad, but true).
- The Milky Way galaxy smells like rum and tastes like raspberries (according to space dust studies).
- Darth Vader’s voice was a mix of James Earl Jones and a scuba regulator.
- TIE Fighters got their sound effect from an elephant’s scream blended with a car on wet pavement.
- Saturn could float in water because it’s so light for its size.
- A day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus.
- BB-8 was controlled by puppeteers in the original Star Wars: The Force Awakens scenes.
- Astronauts’ height increases in space due to spinal decompression—by up to 2 inches!
FAQ – DIY Galaxy Playdough
A: If stored in an airtight container or zip bag, it can last up to 2 weeks. Add a few drops of water if it begins to dry out.
This playdough is non-toxic but not edible due to the salt content and glitter. Always supervise young children during play.
Yes! Substitute all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour blends. The texture may vary slightly but still works great for sensory play.
Mix it thoroughly into the dough rather than sprinkling it on top. Using chunky glitter also helps reduce mess.
Absolutely! Just swap out the glitter and food coloring to create custom galaxy tones. Think purple nebula or teal asteroid belt!
🌠 Final Thoughts
Whether your little astronaut is obsessed with Star Wars, fascinated by the solar system, or just loves getting their hands messy, this DIY Galaxy Playdough is a surefire way to launch their imagination into orbit. It’s more than just a craft—it’s an invitation to explore, learn, and create magical memories together. So roll out the stars, sprinkle on some cosmic glitter, and let your child’s inner space explorer take flight.
And hey—next time you’re knee-deep in sparkles and dough, just remember: you’re not just making a mess… you’re making the universe.
