DIY Starbucks Hot Chocolate Play Dough Kit

This fun invitation to make hot chocolate turned out to be one of her most loved DIY play dough kits to date. I see a future barista in the making!

This was one of those spontaneous creations, and it sure was a popular one. As I stood in the Starbucks queue waiting for my first iced peppermint mocha of the season, I was admiring how fun the Starbucks holiday cups are this year. And then it came to me... a Starbucks inspired hot chocolate play dough kit was right up my toddler's alley! The baristas at our local Starbucks are the best and happily supplied us with some extra materials. We headed home and got making some play dough.

What you need:

- play dough (green, red and white were made using this recipe from Mama Papa Bubba, and then for the brown I actually mixed in half a packet of a Swiss Milk individual hot chocolate sachet with the boiling water to make it smell like hot chocolate)

- small coffee cups and lids

- plastic knives

- coffee stirrers

- all stored in an IKEA GLIS Container

Baby sis was so excited to explore her hot chocolate kit. She carefully examined each cup and got to work creating her first order. She used the hot chocolate dough to fill the cup, it smelt delicious!

After the hot chocolate was in the cup she started to make red and green sprinkles. She carefully rolled the dough and then cut it into small pieces. This was great for her sensory exploration and fine motor skills.

She was so delicate with her toppings, especially adding the marshmallows.

Once she was happy with her hot beverage, it was time to give it a stir and a 'taste test'.

It was awesome to see so much creative play coming from such a simple set up. She talked about colors, flavors and even what she was going to charge for her hot chocolate ($330 seemed a little steep if I'm honest). She repeated the process until she had made six cups, chatting away about each creation!

Possibly her favorite part was then pretending that she had to bag them up and deliver them. She was so into it!!

I love activities like this which evolve naturally and prompt such genuine excitement in play. I'm looking forward to sharing this kit with big bro and adding in an element of numeracy by adding a cost to each ingredient and providing some play money. A total winner!