Kinetic Sand is the rage at our house and it is surprisingly simple to make at home with this easy kinetic sand recipe.

Our kids love to play with kinetic sand so it is definitely time for us to learn how to make the moldable magic sand for ourselves.  While the kids enjoy the fun of the beach, they are also getting a great sensory sand experience.

Homemade Kinetic Sand Recipe

This kinetic sand recipe has a unique feel and the same elastic qualities as the store bought kinetic sand (regular sand, that is coated with silicone oil), it is similar to play dough in the way that you can mold it. But it also gritty (this version is even grittier than the store stuff) and it melts a bit like sand making it a must-have in your sensory play materials.

This is one of those things that your kids will play with it for hours which makes it worth the effort of making kinetic sand. To me it is a mesmerizing experience, it feels just like wet sand and you can’t help but build sandcastles!

This article contains affiliate links.

Supplies Needed To Make Kinetic Sand Recipe:

• Slime (make it here or you can buy it here)
• Disposable Containers
• Disposable Utensils (spoons)
• Kitchen Sifter
• Play Sand

Steps to Make Kinetic Sand

1. Get a batch of slime. You can buy it here or you can make your own slime.  We found that a stickier recipe – like our fake snot– makes our favorite consistency of kinetic sand.
2. You will need disposable containers and a stirring utensil (we ended up throwing away the spoon after the slime “glued” itself to the spoon – don’t make the same mistake).
3. Play sand. We attempted to remove the tiny pebbles from the sand (larger grains of natural sand if you are using real beach sand) to make it less gritty.  We used a kitchen sifter – but even with the small stones, the sand still “works”.
4. Now, pour your slime into the sand and mix it with the spoon until it clumps together.
5. Once it is a “mound”, as is pictured above, you can use your hands and finish mixing in the sand.
6.  Continue to add sand to your ball until it is no longer sticky. If it is still wet, add more sand!
7. Mix the kinetic sand until it makes a ball and you now have homemade classic kinetic sand.

Tips for Homemade Kinetic Sand Success

• We used nearly half a cup of slime per every cup of sand (estimates).
• One of the things I love about Kinetic Sand is that, while it IS messy, it is a lot less messy than either regular play sand or moon sand. It clumps together so the mess is less.
• You still will want to put a shower curtain down before you play.
• If you want a colored version like blue kinetic sand, use the food coloring of your desired color choice…you will need more than a few drops!

You can’t tell by the photos, but this sand is fluid. It sorta melts after you build with it. Slowly becoming a puddle of sand. It’s a blast to play with!

Store the kinetic sand in an airtight container.  If it gets dry, add some drops of water to refresh it.

How to make Kinetic Sand

Print

Do your kids love playdough? If yes, they will love this sandy concoction. We have a recipe that shows you how to make kinetic sand.

Materials

• Slime
• Disposable Containers
• Disposable Utensils (spoon)
• Kitchen Sifter
• Play Sand

Instructions

1. Either buy or make slime and add it to the disposable container.
2. Use a kitchen sifter to remove small stones from the sand.
3. Add your slime to the sand and stir until is clumps together.
4. Use your hands to finish mixing in sand until your ball of kinetic sand is no longer sticky.

Notes

We used nearly half a cup of slime per every cup of sand.

More Kinetic Sand Fun:

Don’t have time to make kinetic sand? No worries! We have gone through and squished plenty of brands to find you the best kinetic sand on the market!

Looking for kinetic sand play ideas? We have 12 great sensory activities that your little ones, and you, will love! Most of them are simple to do and you’ll have most of the items already.

What did your kids think of making their own homemade kinetic sand recipe?