Kids of all ages, from toddlers to teens, enjoy making slime. It's such a fun sensory experience! We've found some super cool slime ideas for you to try with your kids, and we're sure they'll love each one.
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Wondering why you should deal with the mess of making slime? Well, it has lots of benefits for young kids, like building fine motor skills.
They do this by stretching, pinching, pulling, squeezing, popping, poking, and pouring slime. It also helps young learners identify sensory attributes like sticky, wet, dry, crunchy, soft, puffy, etc.
So, it's totally worthwhile to get your hands a little messy to make one of these fantastic slime recipes today - it's just so much fun!
Is slime safe?
There are two concerns with slime. The first is the ingredients you use to make it with, and the other is germs. This article from Cincinnati Children's has some great slime safety information.
Chemicals - Slime needs something to 'activate' it like contact lens solution or borax. As you can imagine, some of these ingredients are more harmful than others. For example, borax can actually cause burns on your hands as you play with slime! For this reason, my kids only play with slime recipes that do not include toxic ingredients.
Germs - Slime itself doesn't have a good environment for germs to grow. It is highly unlikely that you homemade slime will harbor any bacteria or mold. However, germs like viruses can be transmitted from hands to slime and back to hands, so it's a good idea to wash your hands before and after playing with slime and wipe down your surface, too. Obviously, kids that have a cold shouldn't share slime with healthy siblings or friends.
Basic Slime Recipe
Start with this basic recipe, then use the cool slime ideas below to make it more special!
Materials:
- Small mixing bowl and spoon
- 5 oz nontoxic glue
- ½ tablespoon of baking soda
- 1 tablespoon of contact lens solution
Be sure to check out my Juggling Act Mama Storefront on Amazon where you'll find all kinds of great products for making slime! Thanks so much for being a part of Juggling Act Mama ❤
Instructions:
- First, pour the glue into a bowl.
- Then, mix in the baking soda.
- Add the contact lens solution and mix to combine until the slime begins to form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions (and answers!) readers often ask about this Basic Slime Recipe.
The sky is really the limit. We love glitter, confetti, sprinkles, and sand.
Food coloring or non-toxic watercolor paint.
Baking soda gives slime its firm yet pliable texture.
I show you how to make a fun Mermaid Slime recipe with NO borax here.
Borax, glue, or cornstarch. If you're worried about using borax in your slime, try my Mermaid Slime recipe.
Add a pump or two of lotion. I prefer baby lotion since it's kid-safe.
In an airtight container with plastic wrap under the lid.
Slime will last for several weeks when kept wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container.
Cool Slime Ideas
Easy Fluffy Slime from Juggling Act Mama: Not only is this slime fun to make, but it's even edible! That's because our fluffy slime is made with marshmallows, powdered sugar, food coloring and even edible food glitter. Talk about a safe fluffy slime recipe!
Fizzing Volcano Slime from Little Bins for Little Hands: This super cool slime recipe combines the fun of slime with an educational science experiment! The classic baking soda-vinegar reaction is responsible for the fizzy fun behind this slime. It's a little messy, but it's so worth it to see the kids' faces when the container bubbles over. Once the fizzy reaction is done, you stir it all up to finish the slime.
Rainbow Slime from Messy Little Monster: You'll only need three ingredients to make this gorgeous rainbow slime. Start by making several different colors, and then let the kids have fun combining them. Try different color combinations to see which ones look best together. This is a great slime recipe for spring!
Galaxy Slime from Kimspired DIY: If using Borax is a concern for you, you'll love this Borax-free slime recipe that looks like a star-filled galaxy. You'll need lots of glitter glue, even more glitter, food coloring, and the usual slime recipe ingredients to get this look. Add star-shaped confetti (and even some small planets, if you can find them) to make it even more fun.
Ocean Slime from Natural Beach Living: Use this tutorial to learn how to make clear slime and blue slime to combine for the perfect ocean slime look. It looks just like frothy ocean water! You can put this in an aquarium-shaped container with seashells added to the mix so that it really looks like the ocean. Kids will get a kick out of pulling and stretching it to find the little seashells inside.
Sand Slime from Simple Everyday Mom: Playing with slime is already a great sensory activity, but when sand is added, that gives it even more texture, which kids love. Using play sand or decorative sand is best for this recipe to make sure it's sanitary; sand from a sandbox or some other outside source may have germs or contaminants.
Fun Slime Ideas
Unicorn Slime from The Best Ideas for Kids: with just three easy ingredients, this is a beautiful glitter slime that is a fun activity for those that love all magical beings! You'll love that this fun craft is super easy. You make pink, blue and gold slime, then twist it together!
Scented Glow in the Dark Slime from Really, Are You Serious?: Use your favorite kid-safe essential oil in this glow-in-the-dark slime recipe. You can use one of several different ingredients to make it glow in the dark, like highlighters, diluted glow-in-the-dark paint, or glow in the dark food coloring.
Sun-Activated Color-Changing Slime from Little Bins for Little Hands: Photochromic powder is the special ingredient in this cool slime recipe. It's a sun-activated pigment powder that changes color when exposed to sunlight. Think of all the fun combinations you can make!
Camo Slime from The Gingerbread House: Boys will absolutely love making and playing this camo slime. It's perfect for adding another element to playing with toy soldiers. There's no Borax in this recipe either, and it smells incredible thanks to the baby lotion. Use unscented baby lotion if your child has sensitivities to fragrances, though.
Crayon Slime from Crayons and Cravings: Parents, sort those broken crayons from the good ones, and use those pieces to make this super colorful crayon slime. If you have a toddler, preschooler, or early elementary-aged student, odds are, you can find loads of broken crayons in your pencils boxes, under the couch cushions, and in the kids' bedrooms. Use a grater or other tool to shave the crayons, and mix it into the basic baking soda slime recipe. Easy!
Floam Slime from The Best Ideas for Kids: Using only four ingredients, you can make this crunchy floam slime in no time! You might remember playing with this stuff when you were a kid, and it feels so good in your hands! Experiment with the amount of foam beads to find the slime consistency that you like.
Pin this list of cool slime recipes to have on-hand anytime you need a rainy day craft for the kids!
More Boredom Busters for Sensory Fun
Basic Slime Recipe
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Equipment
- Small Mixing Bowl
- Spoon
- 5 oz nontoxic glue
- ½ tablespoon of baking soda
- 1 tablespoon of contact lens solution
Instructions
- First, pour the glue into a bowl.
- Then, mix in the baking soda.
- Add the contact lens solution and mix to combine until the slime begins to form.
Penny says
So many fun ideas! I canr wait to show some of these to my kids tomorrow!
Girly says
Awsome i cant wait to do it