If you’ve never tried making salt dough, get ready for a fun and creative Christmas craft! This simple recipe calls for just three ingredients, making it a perfect project for your homeschool. Not only will you create beautiful handmade ornaments that can be cherished for years, but you’ll also have a wonderful opportunity to delve into storytelling with your family.
Start by gathering your ingredients, and then let each child select a unique symbol to shape from the salt dough. The possibilities are endless—think candy canes, ballet slippers, trees, or even a cozy scarf! This is a great chance to spark their imagination and connect it to a favorite story. Choose a book together as a family, and as you read aloud, encourage everyone to take turns.
Once you’ve chosen your symbol and read your story, it’s time to let creativity flow! Children can personalize their dough creations with color using crayons, markers, or paint. You can even dye the dough with food coloring for a splash of vibrancy. Then, roll it flat and use cookie cutters or mold it into a delightful sculpture. To hang the ornament, either create a hole at the top to pass a string or hook through and secure, or tie the hanging string around the ornament. Once your masterpieces are complete, you can choose to air dry them or bake them for a sturdier finish.
So gather your materials, dive into a good book, and watch creativity blossom in your homeschool!
Salt dough recipe:
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup salt
1 cup water
Instructions:
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour and salt.
Slowly add water, stirring and mixing as you go to form a so dough similar to the texture and feel of play-dough.
Shape the dough into a ball and knead for approximately 5-10 minutes, adding a bit more flour if the dough is too sticky or a bit more water if it’s too dry. You should be able to roll a ball of dough in your hands without it sticking, but not crumbling apart.
Option #1: Roll dough on a flat surface with a rolling pin and cut shapes with cutters or plastic knives.
Option #2: Shape or sculpt the dough with hands and fingers to create the desired shape.
Make sure to pierce the ornament to allow you to thread string or a hook for hanging AFTER baking or drying.
Bake thin ornaments for 30-60 minutes in a warm oven (180°-200° F). For best results, air dry any sculptures thicker than 1⁄4 inch overnight before baking. Some larger sculptures will puff when baked, so air drying for 2-3 days will be sufficient without the need to bake.
Add the string, ribbon, or wire to hang your dried ornaments!
Variations:
Add food coloring to tint the dough
Add glitter or Epson salt crystals to the ornament (sprinkle and press the particles to the surface, and then reshape or cut)
Add spices, beans, pressed flowers, or whatever else you can get to stick!
Replace ¼ or ½ cup flour with cinnamon or other spices for a fragrant dough
