We show you how to make your own Salt Dough Ornaments. A fun craft to play with… and then you can bake it to create your own keepsakes.
With thanks to Natalie, who lives in Spain, for sending in this great homemade salt dough ornaments idea. Let’s take a look at it…
What did you do?
Salt dough is a quick and easy substitute for play dough. You can make virtually anything with it, and bake it to make some very lovely keepsakes!
Salt Dough Ingredients:
2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 3/4 cups water
Method:
Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment or making paper, to about 1/4 inch thick.
Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes, or a knife to make some circles.
Make impressions with your little one’s hands or feet, or use stamps to make letters or words on the cutouts.
To dry, bake for 2 -3 hrs at 120°C, I check every 20min after 2 hrs, until completely dry.
Once dried and cooled, paint with acrylic paint. When the paint is dry you can cover with a layer of modge podge for better preservation!
This activity is a great DIY. Salt dough is so simple to make and so versatile. We do ornaments and keepsakes every year, but you could make a name board, you could make shape toys… it’s really full of endless opportunities for play.
We love doing hand and feet prints to see how they grow each year, it’s great to send to grandparents for a Christmas gift too!
Do you have any other projects planned?
We love do to sensory play, our next project will be painting with “snow” to make a 3D process art craft!
Tell the Housebound With Kids community a bit about yourself…
My name is Natalie, I am an early years teacher (0-6) as well as mom to an almost 3 yr old and a 3 month old. Never a dull moment!
I am from Michigan (United States) but my husband is Spanish so after several years working in schools in Barcelona, we moved to a small quiet town in the Pyrenees to raise our kids.
@oh.mylittlecorner
Do you have any tips for other parents?
Patience and more patience. With your kids and with yourself! We need to remember that some days are always better than others. You don’t need many resources to do something fun with your kids. Often when our kids get extra needy it’s because we have simply not understood what they need in that moment. Maybe a hug, maybe a story, or maybe a little extra attention.
What are your family’s favourite board game(s)/card game(s)?
Our kids are still too little for board games, but we have always loved charades and games that involve actions/ guessing.
What are your children’s favourite books?
Our house could be a mini library! We love books. It’s also something great that toddlers can use on their own for some quiet time. Current favorites are any Julia Donaldson book (Gruffalo…etc) as well as The Mitten by Jan Brett
What toys would you recommend to other parents?
We like toys that don’t require a ton of adult supervision. Something that can keep a child happy for a while maybe with you or maybe alone. Crayons and markers or stampers, wooden animals for small world play, play dough… also stacking blocks and little cars to play with are always fun!
Has this website and community helped you?
The website is really a great place to get ideas for playing at home. It’s full of a wide variety of options that can cater to any household!
Click here for more Housebound with Kids arts and craft ideas.
