Unicorn Play Dough You Can Make with Only 2 Ingredients

You only need two ingredients to make this silky smooth unicorn play dough! It’s a great addition to your collection of simple sensory activities.

Collage of 3 ways to play with unicorn dough and text that reads unicorn play dough.

This silky smooth play dough makes a great five senses activity (well, at least three of the five senses). It really engages kids who love exploring their sense of touch. Add in some beautiful glitter and you’ve got the kids’ sight engaged. AND you can even appeal to their sense of smell, depending on the ingredients you choose. From touch to sight to smell, the unicorn dough is a serious feast for the senses. You can bring in sound by asking the kids to note how it sounds when they knead the dough.

In addition to all of that, you can easily adapt this dough for a wide variety of preschool themes. While we used it for unicorn play dough here, you can switch out tools and additional ingredients for so many other sensory invitations.

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Unicorn Play Dough

Oh, and did I mention this cornstarch dough is super easy to make? No, I’m not exaggerating! You just need 2 ingredients to make the base of the unicorn dough.

Your students can definitely help you make the dough, measuring and mixing before getting ready to play.

Unicorn cookie cutter stamped into unicorn play dough.

Related: Easter play dough mats

I would like to point out that that neither the ingredients for the unicorn dough, nor the final product are safe to ingest. So, we need to be extra vigilant in making sure that our children aren’t putting it in their mouths.

If you do have students with a tendency to put things in their mouths, you can certainly try out our taste-safe coconut cloud dough, which only has three base ingredients. It does have a slightly different texture than this play dough, but it would be just as fun with some unicorn-themed add-ins!

Ingredients for Unicorn Dough

As I mentioned earlier, the base of this play dough only uses two materials (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):

Cornstarch (we used 2 cups)
Conditioner (we used 1 cup)

If you want the cornstarch play dough to start off white, you’ll need to make sure that you use a white conditioner.

You can use pretty much any brand of conditioner you prefer. I do suggest double-checking the ingredients list for any allergies ahead of time. Then keep an eye out for any skin reactions during play, just in case!

Ingredients for unicorn dough which includes corn starch, conditioner, unicorn cookie cutter, and turquoise, pink, and silver glitter.

To make the unicorn version, you might want a few more items:

Glitter (turquoise, pink, and silver are shown here)
Unicorn cookie cutter

You can add some food coloring or liquid watercolors if you want to color the unicorn play dough. And you can, of course, change up the color of the glitters you use.

How to Make Unicorn Play Dough

First, measure out two cups of the cornstarch and pour it into the bowl. Then add in one cup of the conditioner. Stir everything up really well. If you want to color the dough, add in the liquid watercolors or food coloring as you’re mixing.

Finally, spend some time kneading the unicorn dough until it’s the consistency you prefer. You can adjust the cornstarch and conditioner as you see fit.

And that’s it! You have the base for your unicorn play dough!

Step by step images showing how to make unicorn dough.

Place the dough out on a tray or a mat, and then add the glitter. The kids can mix it all up, manipulating the dough as they see fit. Or leave it as is for now.

Glitter poured on top of a ball of white play dough.

Add the additional bits and bobs you have . . . cookie cutters, toy unicorns, any play dough tools the kids like. Then sit back and watch as the kids create their own unicorn fun!

Using the Play Dough

Unicorn play dough is very much an open-ended activity. This means there are many ways the kids can use it, which is one of the biggest draws to activities like this.

Some children will use the dough as the basis for pretend play. You’ll hear so many great stories about galivanting with, or pretending to be, unicorns.

Others are going to be enamored with the sensory aspect of the unicorn dough. You’ll see these children kneading the dough, poking at it, and maybe even adding more glitter to it (if given that option).

And some children might be more focused on building with the unicorn play dough. They’ll stamp and cutout unicorn after unicorn. Or you’ll see them piling it up, maybe even create their own giant unicorns.

Preschooler's hands playing with unicorn play dough and unicorn cookie cutter.

And, let’s be honest here, the kids will find all kinds of uses for the unicorn dough. I always find it so interesting to see what their creative brains can come up with! Be sure to let me know how your students play with the unicorn dough in the comments below.

More Majestic Unicorn Activities

If the kids loved this unicorn play dough, and I can’t say that I would blame them, here are some more unicorn ideas to try:

And be sure to read a few unicorn books with the kids:

Done-For-You Preschool Resources

I don’t know about you, but I often feel like my lesson planning falls into a bit of a rut around this time of year. That’s where Preschool Teacher 101 comes in with some amazing and engaging lesson plans and activity packs!

Since the unicorn dough is such a feast for the senses, I thought you might want to check out our 5 senses lesson plans! Click on the image below for more information.

While you’re checking out those lesson plans, make sure to put your name on our waiting list to become a member of The Pack from Preschool Teacher 101. For information about some additional products, click on the images below.