Try Making Komugi Nendo—Flour Clay Is Used in Uniquely Japanese Education—You Can Do It at Home!

Clay has always been a familiar plaything among children in Japan since long ago. Children play with soft clay to make animals, stars, hearts, or other shapes that they like. This is not just about having fun; it can also develop children’s creativity and concentration. In this way, it is widely loved as a teaching tool to build children’s intelligence. In the past, it was common to play with plasticine, paper clay, or other specific products. However, attention has recently drawn to a new idea: Komugi Nendo, or flour clay. It is currently gaining popularity with many children.

What Is Komugi Nendo?

When playing with clay, you need to make minute movements with your hands, and you can build your creativity by making a wide range of objects. For this reason, it has been loved in Japan for a long time as a method of play that lets you have fun while you develop skills and intelligence. However, paper clay, plasticine, and other types of clay that have been used since long ago have a drawback: these kinds of clay are bad for health if small children swallow them by mistake. Komugi Nendo came on the scene to solve this issue. Komugi Nendo (flour clay) is a type of clay made with wheat flour—the same ingredient used in bread and pastries. This type of clay has a nice texture. It is not sticky like plasticine, and you can color it yourself when you play with it. This lets you enjoy playing with flour clay in many different ways. Because it is made with wheat flour, there is no danger if it goes into your mouth by mistake. Komugi Nendo has come into common use for educational purposes in the present day because it is safe, there are many ways to play with it, and it can nurture children's intelligence and knowledge. This clay is present in many nurseries and other institutions in addition to households. However, it is important to remember that Komugi Nendo may cause allergic reactions for people with wheat allergies, as this clay is made with wheat flour.

Freely Use Your Imagination to Create All Kinds of Things with Komugi Nendo

You can make Komugi Nendo using wheat flour that you have at home, or you can buy pre-made products from a toy store.

Store-bought Komugi Nendo comes in many different colors. Some products come with blocks that you can push into the clay to make popular characters or animals easily.

Children in Japan play with Komugi Nendo since when they are little, and each child uses his or her own ideas to freely create things. This kind of play develops their creativity and receptivity as they grow into adults.

Children in Japan have fun with Komugi Nendo, using their own ideas to make shapes or figures that they like.

Komugi Nendo is a familiar plaything at nurseries and other institutions. It is used to develop children's intelligence and knowledge.

Also, some artists in Japan make realistic creations with Komugi Nendo that look just like real sweets or products.

Crepes made with Komugi Nendo by animator and modeler Takahiro Shibata

Anyone can start making things with Komugi Nendo. As you develop your ideas and techniques, you become able to do more and more things with it. In this way, it is a very unique material.

Make Your Own Komugi Nendo

Toy stores generally sell Komugi Nendo, but you can also make your own at home if you have the right ingredients.

[What you need]

• Wheat flour
• Water
• Vegetable oil
• Salt
• Food coloring

You can buy all these ingredients at a supermarket or food store.

[How to make the clay]

1.Put the wheat flour into a bowl, and then mix in a little salt.

4.Mix the ingredients well, and you will be done!

Once you get used to the process, it will only take you about 10 minutes to create the clay.

[How to add colors to the clay]

If you add food coloring when mixing the Komugi Nendo, you can make it have any color you like.

You can even make scented Komugi Nendo by mixing in cocoa powder or curry powder.

Food colorings come in several shades, such as red, yellow, and green. You can make even more colors by mixing them together. For example, you can make orange by mixing red with yellow, or you can make light green by mixing yellow with green. You can have a lot of fun experimenting to create new colors.

[How to store the clay]

Komugi Nendo is made with flour, so it may start to grow mold or get smelly if you leave it for too long. You can slow down the growth of mold slightly by adding salt when you make the clay.

You can make the clay last even longer by putting plastic wrap on it and storing it in the fridge, or by baking it in the oven after playing with it.

Komugi Nendo Is Fun to Make Too! Find Your Own Unique Way to Play

Komugi Nendo is made with edible ingredients, so it is safe for small children to play with. It is easy to make, so you can have fun with your friends and family as you prepare your own clay. This gives it an added layer of enjoyment compared with products that you buy before playing with them. You might want to try making Komugi Nendo in an original color of your own creation, or you could use clay in lots of colors to make a one-of-a-kind shape or character. You can have fun in a limitless number of ways.

When it gets old, you can bake Komugi Nendo creations like a tasty treat and then use them as a Christmas decoration. In this way, children can enjoy the clay in new ways after they are done playing with it.