Kid's Craft: Salt Dough Fun

Quick, easy, and no mess - Salt dough is the perfect activity to keep little ones entertained! 

Begin by making your dough and rolling it out. We used simple animal shape cookie cutters. If you want to be able to hang them, use a straw to poke a hole at the top before allowing to dry. I always speed up the drying process by heating them in the oven.

Once dry, heat each salt dough ornament in the microwave for 10-20 seconds. You want it warm to the touch, but too long will burn the dough and turn it brown. The length of time will depend on how thick you made your shapes. Once it is warm, the kids can use crayons and color directly on the ornament. The warmth melts the wax. Once it cools and re-hardens, it gives you a bold, almost stained glass look.

I made a large number of shapes and we just heat them up one at a time when we need an activity for the kids to do. You can also use acrylic paints to paint the salt dough shapes. There is no need to heat them up if you plan to paint them. Painting is just a lot more messy so we love the crayon trick at our house.

Salt Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup salt

Water

Food coloring, optional

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Start by adding ½ cup water and knead until it forms a dough. Add a little more water, as needed, to create a smooth dough. Roll out and cut into shapes using cookie cutters or mold into other shapes. Allow to air dry for a few days, turning as needed, to allow it to dry on all sides. To speed up the drying process, you can place items on a baking sheet and bake at 200 °F until dry. Again, flip items over if needed to dry completely.