How to make kinetic sand with your own hands. Recipes without and with starch, sand, soda. What can be molded

What are the benefits of kinetic sand?

Kinetic sand is not only fun for children, but also a kind of therapy.

What are the benefits of kinetic sand:

• When a child is busy sculpting with sand, fine motor skills of the hands develop. And this contributes to faster speech development.
• Sand eliminates disorders and erases fear from consciousness.
• Playing with sand in a children's group develops basic communication skills, but even if the baby plays alone, he will be carried away and this will definitely benefit him.
• When a baby sculpts from sand, he develops creative perception.
• Playing with sand trains spatial thinking skills.

Playing with kinetic sand has a beneficial effect on the emotional state of children

• Thanks to regular manipulations with sand, the emotional state of children improves: negative emotions, irritability, aggression go away, tension and stress are relieved. Child psychologists widely use kinetic mass in their practice.
• Hobby makes the baby more diligent and concentrates his attention. This activity is recommended by psychologists for hyperactive, “squeezed”, shy children.
• While the child is playing in the sand, parents can go about their business and not worry about his safety.
• Kinetic sand has an unusual texture, so tactile perception develops during the sculpting process.

DIY kinetic sand options

When making kinetic sand at home, you need to decide on the components. You can make your own kinetic sand in a variety of ways.

For this use:

• Semolina.
• Regular sand.

Kinetic sand can be prepared from the simplest and most affordable products

• Starch.
• Colored quartz sand.
• Flour.
• Glue.
• Soda.
• Detergent.
• Oil.
• Boric acid.
• Shaving foam.

If you mix some components, you get an educational toy that is not inferior to classic kinetic sand.

How to make it yourself at home?

Kinetic sand is produced by different companies. Today, stores offer products from Swiss companies Delta of Sweden and Waba Fun. There are also Russian-made analogues.

A kilogram package of kinetic sand costs 750, and a five-kilogram package costs 3000 rubles. Not all parents can afford to purchase a finished product.

Many mothers are interested in how to make kinetic sand at home. It’s quite simple: creating such a product will require minimal time and effort. You can make a product for modeling from those products that you always have at home. For example, shaving foam, soda, flour, semolina, starch, glue, boric acid, etc. are suitable.

Soda and detergent

One popular way to create kinetic sand is to use detergent and soda. Many parents choose this method because it has minimal financial costs.

To make a natural product for the game, you will need baking powder, detergent and baking soda in a 1:1:2 ratio.

Manufacturing algorithm:

• combine bulk components;
• gradually introduce dish cleaning gel;
• mix thoroughly until a homogeneous plate-like mass is obtained;
• pass the mixture through your fingers. If there are dry granules, then you need to add a little detergent. If the mixture is too liquid, then you need to increase the amount of baking soda or baking powder.

This product should be stored in a food container. To make kinetic sand snow-white, it is recommended to first mix white food coloring with the gel, and then add baking soda and baking powder.

Starch and shaving foam

Another way to create kinetic sand is to use shaving foam and starch.
This method is also easy to implement. The resulting product can be stored indefinitely. To make kinetic sand, you need to prepare 40 g of potato or corn starch and shaving foam (140 g) . The components should be mixed. A mixture similar to sea sand should form. After obtaining a homogeneous consistency, you can add gouache or another coloring component.

Boric acid and glue

You can get kinetic sand using boric acid and glue. You need to work very carefully with this method. You should prepare a solution of boric acid (40 ml), quartz sand (300 g) and stationery or silicone glue (20 g).

Boric acid solution

To mix the components, you need to use a separate vessel (which is not intended for food consumption) and a wooden spatula. First you need to combine office glue with boric acid. Next, quartz sand is introduced. Everything is thoroughly mixed. The finished composition should not have large particles. This paste lends itself well to modeling.

Other recipes

In addition to the recipes discussed above, there are other ways to make kinetic sand with your own hands. The choice of method should be made based on what components are available at home.

Popular options for creating a mixture for sculpting figures and other games:

• 
  the use of sand, potato starch and water. The first component can be taken from a children's sandbox. In this case, the sand must first be calcined in a frying pan and sifted through a sieve. It is better to purchase a pure product without impurities in the store. You will need about 1.5 cups of the bulk component. Potato starch in the amount of 140-150 g must be combined with clean sand and mixed thoroughly. Add 2/3 cup water. Mix the composition again. To make the plate mixture colored, you should add food coloring or watercolor;

• use of quartz sand, flour and water . A product made from similar components holds its shape perfectly and is very popular with children. It is easy to sculpt various shapes from this product. Sand, flour and water should be taken in a ratio of 6:3:1.5. Bulk components need to be sifted, combined and mixed. In a separate bowl, dissolve food coloring in water. The resulting liquid must be carefully added to the sand and flour mass, stirring constantly. The mixture must be thoroughly kneaded so that no lumps remain. It is recommended to use a fork for this;
• using starch and balm to rinse hair . You can always find such products at home. As a result of mixing starch with balsam, an excellent plastic mass for modeling is obtained. But here it is important to observe proportions and dosages. You will need about 750 g of starch, and nine tablespoons of hair balm. If you want to prepare a colored product for modeling, you will need food coloring or gouache. To create such a product, mix the balm with the dye until a uniform color is obtained. Then starch is added.

A properly prepared mixture should not stick to your hands or stain your skin. Instead of starch, you can use semolina.

From starch with sand

Sand and starch are the main components of this cooking option. It is advisable to give preference to corn starch, and buy purified sand, which can be found in pet stores.

What you need to prepare the modeling mass:

• 600 g sand;
• 400 g starch;
• 200 ml water.

Preparation:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl using a plastic spatula until the consistency becomes homogeneous. Then add water a little at a time, stirring constantly.
2. The mixture should be elastic and not very sticky. If there is not enough water, it is better to add it from a spray bottle so that lumps do not form.
3. It is better to store the kinetic mixture in a container in the refrigerator, otherwise it will dry out and disappear. An important point is that starch can cause dry skin in children.

Recipe for kinetic sand with water

Use this Kinetic Sand recipe if you want to play with a texture as close to Kinetic Sand as possible and don't mind adding water as it dries.

The modeling sand for this recipe is most similar to the original, but dries out in two days. Just add water and you can play again!

It’s even surprising that this sand is very similar to kinetic sand, because there is no water in the original sand. And adding water to purchased kinetic sand will even ruin it.

Recipe:

• 2 cups sand (about 200 g in total),
• 1 tablespoon corn flour,
• 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid,
• 1-2 glasses of water.

First mix all the dry ingredients, then all the liquid ones. Slowly add the foamy water mixture to the sand mixture and mix well. Carefully monitor the consistency of the mixture. The quality of the sand determines how much water you will need. We needed 1.5 glasses of water.

Store your homemade modeling sand in an airtight container. Then it can be used again and again. If the mixture dries out, add a little foamy water and stir.

From starch on water without sand

You can make your own kinetic sand from just starch and water without adding sand.

For this you will need:

• starch – 400 g;
• 200 ml water;
• any dye of your choice.

Preparation:

1. Dissolve the paint in water and add starch little by little. To avoid lumps, mix everything well.
2. Kinetic sand without adding sand is ready. Store the mixture in the refrigerator. If the mixture begins to harden, add a small amount of water.

Sandbox

If you purchase kinetic sand in a store, you will definitely be advised to buy a special container for it, the so-called sandbox. It may be different. This is a plastic version, a wooden one, an inflatable sandbox, and it can also be a folding model. It should be noted that the inflatable option is not particularly popular with parents. Otherwise, there is no fundamental difference between which sandbox you choose. Any of them will cope well with its function.

Any parent can make a home sandbox. You can use a basin or it can be some kind of flat surface that can be covered with cling film. A food container for storing food may also be suitable for a sandbox.

As you can see, you can easily make kinetic sand with your own hands. You may also be interested in learning how to make slime at home. The main thing is not to forget about safety precautions when preparing, use gloves. You can test in practice not one, but several recipes, and choose the option that will be the most successful. Whether you use dye in your work or not is up to you. I wish that the process of preparing kinetic sand will be interesting for you, and that the pleasure that your child will receive while playing with it will be indescribable.

From semolina

There are two ways to prepare a kinetic mixture of semolina.

The following components are used for this:

• Semolina + colored crayons.
• Semolina + vodka.

For the first preparation you will need the following ingredients:

• crayons of different colors;
• semolina.

Preparation:

1. First, the crayons are ground into powder and semolina is added to the resulting dust. Mix everything well.
2. This method of preparing kinetic sand is simple, but the sand is not very bright in color and free-flowing, unlike traditional kinetic sand. To achieve a brighter shade, it is better to use oil-based pastel crayons.

Components for the second option for preparing kinetic sand:

• semolina;
• vodka;
• dyes.

Preparation:

1. It is very important to add vodka, not water. When you mix cereal with water, it becomes swollen and when it starts to dry out, a large lump is formed that is almost impossible to break. Since vodka evaporates very quickly, swelling of the cereal will not occur.
2. The dye is diluted in vodka and semolina is added to the solution a little at a time. Mix everything well and place it on a board to dry the mixture.
3. When the sand is dry, it is placed in containers. If the wet mass is stored in a container, there is a risk of mold forming in it.

From starch with shaving foam

Do-it-yourself kinetic sand based on shaving foam is a little more expensive than other options.
Shaving gel will also work, but you need to turn it into lather first.

Needed for cooking:

• a glass of soda;
• 200 g starch;
• foam or shaving gel.

Preparation:

1. Starch and shaving foam are added to the water in an amount that will allow the sand to hold its shape and not crumble.
2. Mix everything well. To prevent the mixture from wasting, it is recommended to store it in a plastic box.

How to make kinetic sand using sand and shaving cream

When using this method to make kinetic sand, be prepared that it will not come out very soft and flexible like the store-bought equivalent. But it will help to keep the child busy!

You will need:

• Shaving cream – about 250 ml
• Food coloring at your discretion
• 3 bowls of fine sand

Instructions:

1. Mix food coloring with sand, mix well
2. Add a bottle of shaving cream to the sand and mix thoroughly. Once the foaming stops, use it as play sand.

Important: You can use shaving cream or foam, but not gel. You can also use starch to imitate sand; it produces an equally fascinating mass! And shaving foam can be replaced with hair balm!

From starch with hair balm

A good consistency of the kinetic mixture can be achieved by using corn starch and hair conditioner (balm). Corn starch is not available in every home, so you can add rice or potato starch instead.

What you will need for preparation:

• 750 g starch;
• 100 g hair conditioner.

Preparation:

1. Hair conditioner is added to the starch.
2. It is added little by little and at the same time the modeling mass is kneaded using gloves.

The consistency of such sand should be viscous, but not sticky. A child can sculpt with such sand with his hands, and also use sand paskas.

Option No6. From hair balm and starch

A plastic mass can also be prepared using hair balm. As a result, you will get excellent material for children's creativity!

Hair balm is also suitable for creating kinetic sand

To work you will need:

• 9 tbsp. spoons of hair balm;
• 750 g potato starch.

Step 1 . You will also need food coloring, so have it ready. As an option, you can take gouache.

Step 2 . Pour the balm into a container, then add the dye and mix them thoroughly until the mass becomes homogeneous.

Step 3 . Add starch little by little, stirring constantly to obtain a mass without lumps. If the mixture is made correctly, it will not stick to your hands or stain them.

Sliced ​​kinetic sand fish

From baking soda and detergent

This cooking option is very simple and affordable.

To prepare a kinetic mixture, you need:

• 200 g soda;
• 100 g baking powder;
• 100 g dishwashing detergent.

Preparation:

1. First, mix soda and baking powder, then gradually pour in the detergent.
2. The mixture is stirred until it becomes homogeneous. If the mixture is very wet, add baking powder.

The mass will be white and soft to the touch. Crafts made from it are fuzzy, so it is better to use Easter eggs or sand molds.

How to do it yourself

The world-famous new product is extremely popular in children's stores. Parents love to buy it because it leaves children’s hands, clothes clean, easy to clean after playing, furniture, and the flooring remains the same.

The only disadvantage of a store-bought product is the rather high price, especially since for a calm, full-fledged game, parents of 2-3 children have to stock up on at least 2 packages.

For many, it is cheaper to make the substance yourself, using available materials. It differs little from the purchased version, the games remain just as interesting.

Expert opinion

We recommend!

You can involve children in creating a toy, which will serve as a good educational moment and will become a kind of game in itself.

The ingredients used can be river, quartz or sea sand, liquid soap, mild detergents, starch.

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However, the cheapest commonly available option is baking soda, which is found in every kitchen.

And to make it even more interesting for children, the mixture is divided into portions for variety, enriching each part with finely ground crayons and food coloring.

It is more interesting to use multi-colored layers to visualize your imagination.

Made from colored quartz sand

Quartz sand is excellent for making kinetic mass. The main thing is to stock up on natural and pure ingredients that will not harm the baby’s health.

Made from flour and butter

Do-it-yourself kinetic sand according to this recipe is ideal for modeling for small children. It's easy to knead without being too sticky.

What you need for cooking:

• 100 g flour;
• 100 ml water;
• 15 ml sunflower oil;
• 50 g salt;
• citric acid – 5 g.

Preparation:

1. All components are mixed and poured into a ladle. The mixture is placed on low heat and stirred constantly. The heating time is approximately one minute - during this time the sand should harden.
2. The resulting lump is thoroughly kneaded, divided into parts and a dye of the selected color is added. When you add fruit essential oils to the mixture, the mixture will acquire a pleasant smell.

Made from flour without glue

There is an option for preparing kinetic mass without adding sand and glue.

Components:

• 100 g body butter;
• 800 g flour.

Preparation:

1. The flour is placed in a bowl, after which oil is gradually poured into it.
2. The mixture is stirred until it becomes homogeneous and soft.

This sand makes excellent figurines. If the mass turns out to be solid, add oil to it.

With boric acid and glue

Sand prepared according to this recipe is closest to the original.

Required ingredients:

• boric acid - 10 g;
• 5 g glue;
• half a glass of sand.

Preparation:

1. Pour boric acid into the glue and mix well.
2. Add sand to the resulting sticky mixture.
3. The mixture is stirred long enough to become moist. The sand should be moderately sticky, slightly crumbly, but it should not leave traces on the surface.

The ductility of the mixture is ensured by the polymers that make up the glue, and boric acid helps keep its shape.

How to make kinetic sand using silicate glue and boric alcohol

The main advantage if you want to make kinetic sand according to this recipe is that you can adjust its consistency yourself.

You will need:

• 200 g purified sand
• 9 tsp. boric alcohol
• 5 tsp. silicate glue
• Color pigment
• Mixing container

Instructions:

1. Pour glue into a clean and dry container, add a little dye
2. Mix the contents thoroughly. Add boric alcohol and continue stirring. As a result, the mass will become a little viscous
3. And only after that, gradually add sand and mix well again. The consistency should be slightly sticky. But crumbly, and most importantly - do not leave marks on the surface!

How to make a sandbox for kinetic sand

Sandboxes measuring 50x70x8 centimeters are traditionally used for sand therapy. When making a home sandbox for a child, you should start from these dimensions.

It is recommended to make the color of the container blue, as it resembles water. Containers for storing things, basins, trays, and drawers are perfect as a sandbox. The main thing is that there are no cracks in the structure and that it is strong. You should not make a paper sandbox, since children often use water when playing with sand.

To prevent the kinetic mass from being scattered outside the container, it is advisable to lay plastic oilcloth or paper around the sandbox.

What can you make from kinetic sand at home?

When sculpting from kinetic sand, a child can use his favorite children's Easter eggs, as well as sculpt figures on his own at his own discretion. Alternatively, you can ask the child to make this or that figurine, but only first show the sculpting process.

To develop fine motor skills, it is very useful for children to sculpt a caterpillar, a snowman, a car, a kolobok, a train, and build sand castles. Kinetic sand is also ideal for playing kitchen, because you can make food figures out of it.

You can make almost any shapes from kinetic sand

Overall, there are many options for kinetic sand sculpting. The main thing is that the fantasy and imagination of not only the child, but also the parents are involved in this.

Reviews

Natasha

Previously, I always bought kinetic sand in the store, but a friend advised me to try making it myself. My friend also has two children, so the problems are the same: what, where can I find it cheaper, to save money, but provide the children with joy. I made a toy out of baking soda right away by adding detergent, which I’m very happy about. My children can tinker with the substances I made, playing, making dolls and cars.

Igor

I decided to be active and made my son kinetic sand from soda. The adults at home were suspicious of the new product at first, but a little later everyone was playing, even grandparents. The child is very happy, and I noticed that in winter and autumn, this is an excellent alternative to yard games. The toy is very interesting, antibacterial, easy to clean, my wife even forgot about the vacuum cleaner and simply collected the spilled part with a broom. Advice: in order for the mass to remain elastic, you need to wash and dry the children’s hands before playing.

Luda

I read that making kinetic sand is easy. My daughter loves playing with it even more than with plasticine or mass. She “bakes” cakes, Easter cakes, which she feeds to dolls, even plush toys. My daughter works for hours, I specially bought her a lot of devices and molds, but for me there are no problems - the soda mixture cleans up perfectly if it stains the fabric, floor, plush.

Alexei

Now I'm a wonderful daddy! Late at night, my daughter couldn’t sleep, so I made homemade kinetic sand using a recipe I read. The child was very happy, quickly calmed down, we played, interacted well, and found a common language. It’s great that there is such a simple, affordable way to keep children occupied all year round!

Educational games for children with kinetic sand

Children of any age can play with kinetic sand. Moreover, they are individual for each age category of children.

Girls enjoy playing with kinetic sand, making food from it for their kitchen.

So, there are the following types of educational games with sand:

• Games in which the child learns about the world around him.
• Games that teach grammar, spelling, numbers and letters.

Girls really enjoy role-playing kitchen games. For this game you can take a rolling pin and baking molds.

The sand does not stick to the mold, so at the end of the game you just need to rinse them, and they are again suitable for everyday use.

You can tell your child to roll out the sand like dough and use the beads to make cookies.

Thus, a tea party will be arranged for toys, dolls and even parents. If you have children's play utensils, you can fry a sand fish in a frying pan. You can decorate the molded figures with a child’s knife.

Playing hide and seek with kinetic sand is a great way to develop sensory perception. An adult can hide children's favorite figurines or other objects in the sand, and the baby will have to find them. Natural materials are also ideal for this - grains, plants, shells, feathers, stones.

When playing with kinetic sand, boys enjoy construction. You can build buildings, castles, walls, and dig tunnels from sand. As equipment you can take small children's dump trucks, cars, trucks.

With a small child you can play the game “Whose footprints?” To do this, the surface of the sand is leveled and marks are left on it with toy animal figures. While the mother leaves traces, the baby turns in the other direction. Then the child guesses from the drawing in the sand which animal left the mark.

Children especially love building kinetic sand castles.

Drawing on kinetic sand is also popular with children. Before drawing, the surface of the sand must be smoothed with a roller. Kids can paint with their fingers. For older children, a toothpick or a children's knife is perfect for drawing in the sand. Future schoolchildren can write letters, numbers, and signs on the surface of the sand.

Recipes with baking soda

Due to the availability of basic ingredients, the most common use is baking soda and soap. To work, you will need two proportions:

• 1 part baking powder;
• 2 parts sodium bicarbonate;
• 1 part liquid soap.

Initially, the bulk ingredients are mixed with a wooden spoon, then, after adding liquid soap, kneading begins with your hands.

If there is not enough liquid soap at home, you can compensate for its absence with shampoo. Spraying the substance with water according to this recipe will be unnecessary.

The mass is processed until it is homogeneous and free of dry NaHCO3 granules. It should become fluffy, easily pass through your fingers, leaving your hands clean, and take any shape.

If the substance is of the wrong consistency, that is, too liquid, its condition can be easily adjusted by adding an additional part of the baking powder or corn starch.

The thick mixture is diluted with liquid soap. To protect it from drying out, it is stored using closed containers, periodically replacing dried parts.

In almost the same way, homemade kinetic sand is created from soda and detergent. Curious parents even tried to diversify the creation technology, using a larger number of components.

Expert opinion

Did you know?

The main remedy remains baking soda, to which rice, corn, potato starch, and baking powder are added.

After complete mixing, detergent is gradually poured in as needed, food coloring, gouache, and crayons are added. Work, preferably wearing gloves; the mixture can be kneaded like dough, rubbed with your palms.

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Useful tips

In order for your homemade kinetic mass to last for more than one day, you must follow some recommendations.

Rules for using homemade kinetic sand:

• It is advisable to use homemade kinetic sand at room temperature. In this case, the recommended humidity in the room should be up to 60%.
• If the plasticity of the sand has been impaired, add a small amount of water to the mass and knead it with your hands.
• If the kinetic mass gets wet, it should also dry at room temperature.

To prevent kinetic sand from absorbing odors, you should wash and dry your hands before playing.

• To prevent the sand from absorbing the smell, the child’s hands are washed and wiped dry before using the kinetic mass.
• To protect the mass from moisture and dust, homemade kinetic sand is stored in a container that is hermetically sealed.
• You shouldn’t limit your child’s time playing with sand, but at the end of it, you should definitely ask your child to clean up after himself. All elements of the game are collected and washed, and the scattered sand is carefully disposed of.

In general, homemade kinetic sand will only benefit children. For a child, this is not only entertainment in the form of a game, but also comprehensive development and a creative process.

Article design: Natalie Podolskaya

Worse than store-bought?

Today there are many recipes on how to prepare kinetic sand at home, but no matter which one you choose, you will not be able to get exactly the same quality as the Swedish counterpart. But visually the product will be very similar. The child will be able to play with the home version and sculpt figures.

It should be recalled that homemade sand, in particular with starch, will begin to dry out after some time, so you will need to add water.

When choosing homemade kinetic sand, you can be sure of the naturalness of the products included in its composition. Plus, you can save money.