In Vancouver, if you’re local, you know that it can rain for months on end in fall, winter and spring. It can be exhausting as a parent trying to figure out how to entertain your little ones inside. There are only so many lego towers you can build and knock over before it starts losing its appeal. One simple, fun and creative activity I’ve found to keep my kids entertained is this cloud dough recipe! It feels like baking and play-doh all rolled into one, much less messy, activity!

This cloud dough recipe is super simple, doesn’t involve much planning ahead, and doesn’t create a giant mess as it can be made with two simple ingredients: baby lotion and cornstarch. I like to let my kids measure out both ingredients so they feel like they’re baking (which is another favourite indoor activity in our family,) even though you really don’t need to be super exact with this. I also allow them to choose their favourite colour of food colouring to add to the recipe to make it more fun and vibrant!

Once it’s mixed all together, the cloud dough is a super fun and flexible texture that is much less messy than slime and a bit softer than play doh. And the best part? It keeps them busy creating and gives me some time to put away the dishes, flip the laundry or do any one of the other thousand tasks on my to-do list with relatively little interruption!

Tip: Add some lavender essential oil to this cloud dough recipe for a fun pre-bedtime activity.

If you’re an essential oils fan, and your kids get crazy right before bedtime like mine do, this tip can be a lifesaver! Lavender essential oils have a calming and relaxing effects, and this quiet, creative activity is the perfect wind down before the bed time routine begins!

Another favourite use for my cloud dough recipe – use it at an in-home family photography session! This is a great activity that gets the family together and engaged in an activity together without creating too much mess, so it photographs wonderfully! I always recommend my in-home clients have an activity to do together, and while baking cookies or making pizza is awesome, it often leaves the parents with a large mess to clean up afterward. Cloud dough creates the same authentic interaction I love to capture in images without all the mess!

Read why in-home family photography sessions are awesome here!