As a child, everyone has probably played with salt dough at least once as an alternative to play dough. If this is the case for you too, you will know what great fun it is. If your child has now reached the crafting age or you are looking for something to do during the afternoon of games, this type of homemade dough is wonderfully suitable. And the best thing is that the figures you make can even be stored afterwards. We have put together some great salt dough ideas that you can try out. In order for you to succeed, you also need a suitable recipe for salt dough.
How does salt dough dry?
You should know that the dough respectivelythe made figurescan also become hard when exposed to air. Since the salt dough dries for several days without baking and children in particular usually don't have that kind of patience, many people prefer to use the good old oven, in which it only takes a few minutes. Now let's get to the simple recipe and the subsequent salt dough ideas.
Do-it-yourself recipe
For the salt dough instructions and ideas you need:
- 2 cups flour (or for smoother dough, 1 1/2 cups flour and 1/2 cup potato starch)
- 1 cup of water
- 1 cup salt
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
All products are mixed together, first mixing the dry ingredients, then adding the water, kneading and finally incorporating the oil. Since the dough is very elastic, you can also use a mixer or food processor for this. If you are preparing the dough for the children, you can also offer them to knead the salt dough. The little ones are sure to have just as much fun. If the whole thing is too sticky, you will need a little more flour and salt. If the dough tears again and is too dry, you can add a little more oil. And you can get started with your salt dough ideas.
Baking takes place at 50 degrees. The time then depends on the thickness of the figures. You can generally base yourself on the fact that every half centimeter needs to be baked for one hour. So if the dough is one centimeter thick, the figures should stay in the oven for 2 hours. The oven should be opened regularly to allow the moisture that evaporates to escape.
Make colored salt dough
You can also color the finished dough with food coloring. Colors for Easter eggs are also suitable. Just try out the right amount yourself. The more color you add, the stronger the color of the dough will be. Again, for a paler look, use less color.
It would be easier and possibly more fun for the children to paint the baked and cooled salt dough figures. If you want to paint salt dough, you can use watercolors, acrylic paints and poster paints. When using watercolors, water should be saved. This dissolves the salt in the dough, which could ruin the figures. The figures will last particularly long if you also paint the salt dough after painting them. Simply use clear varnish for this.
What can you make from salt dough?
Pretty pendants
Such pendants are particularly easy to make. The dough is simply rolled out to any thickness and then cut out either free hand or with cookie cutters. You can design pendants for any occasion. Matching motifs for the Easter bouquet or Christmas tree are very popular. But personalized pendants are also suitable if you want to make a special gift. You can score and label the dough shapes while they are still soft, or you can label them with paint after baking.
Gift with handprint
Such handprints also make wonderful gift ideas. Baby footprints are also very popular. You can make them as a souvenir for yourself or to please a relative. Mother's Day or Father's Day, for example, are a great occasion. Simply roll out the dough in any shape and size. So it doesn't necessarily have to be round. A square also looks nice. Then press your hand or foot in. After baking, you can use paint to make the print a little more eye-catching.
DIY Salzteig-Vase
This vase is also made much more easily than you might think. All you need to create such ideas with salt dough is, of course, the dough and a glass bottle. Roll out the dough, place the bottle on top and wrap it with the dough. You can then use the extra part to make beautiful flowers or other motifs and decorate the vase with them. Then all you have to do is bake the salt dough.
Make original bowls
If you would like to make something particularly simple out of salt dough, these bowls are also great salt dough ideas. Above all, their irregular shape looks very pleasant and has a rustic flair. You can get the shape by using ready-made, fireproof bowls. Place them upside down. Then place the rolled out dough on top. It can be rolled out irregularly. You can place different things between the bowl and the craft dough to create specific patterns. This can be a leaf, but also a lace doily and the like. Then press lightly on the dough so that it can take the shape.
Jewelry to imitate
Children will also have great fun making necklaces from homemade beads. The dough colored in advance with food coloring works very well here, but of course you can also color it afterwards. Small pieces of dough are formed into balls of any size, which are then placed on kebab skewers. This is how they get their holes through which the thread will later be threaded. They don't necessarily have to be spherical shapes. Flat stones are also suitable. Bake the pearls along with the skewers. Place them on fireproof glasses or other objects to bake. If the beads are simply placed on a surface, they will have a flat side.
Make elaborate figures yourself
If you are looking for more elaborate salt dough craft ideas, you can also try such 3D figures. Whether angels, clowns, fairies or animals doesn't matter. The elasticity of the dough allows for even tiny elements, so there are no limits. Figures like these are guaranteed to be a nice gift idea, if only for the reason that they are homemade. Just experiment. Salt dough projects are not just fun for children.
Make decorative food
Different foods are also a great option for children. They can then play wonderfully with it later. So if the little ones have their ownPlay kitchenIf you own one, you can equip it with it. Whether these are donuts, bread, cakes, fruits or even dishes, it doesn't matter. It's best to simply let the children decide for themselves what they need. You can then help with tips for implementation.
Spring trailer (with instructions and templates)
Welcome spring with a charming decoration! We'll show you how to make stylish pendants using salt dough, cookie cutters and homemade stickers. These pendants can decorate bottles with homemade juices, cures or jams or effectively round off the packaging of a gift. But they can also be perfectly staged together with fresh flowers. The beautiful pendants also look good with vintage home accessories made of old silver. If you wish, you can of course create the sticker yourself and decorate it with seasonal motifs.
Unicorns for the children's room
Do you have horse head cookie cutters at home? Then you can surprise the children with a colorful decoration for the desk or wall. These cute unicorns are the perfect addition to the decor in the girl's room. You need salt dough, yarn in different colors, small glass beads, a sharp knife and a toothpick or better yet a brush. First, cut out the cookies and then use the back of the brush or toothpick to make holes for the horse's mane and eye.
Let your creativity run wild and try out different variations. Combine the unicorns and stick them on the wall or make a garland to brighten up the girl's room. This craft idea is also the perfect leisure activity for children between the ages of 6 and 10 and is also a great DIY project for a child's birthday.
Flowers for Mother's Day
Surprise your mother with a homemade gift for Mother's Day. Lovingly crafted presents are guaranteed to put a smile on her face. For example, you can make a decorative flower-shaped bowl yourself from salt dough. This craft idea is suitable even for small children who want to make mom happy on a special occasion. In any case, you need support from an adult to bake the dough in the oven. This is how the flower bowl is made: Use a flower mold to cut out a flower, slightly bend the petals upwards and let the dough dry in the oven at a temperature of 70-80 degrees Celsius. Paint the finished bowl any way you like.
Donut pendant
Not only Mother's Day, but also Father's Day is coming soon in spring. Make fun donut-shaped keychains. First cut out the donut, dry the salt dough in the oven and then paint it. Then sprinkle the finished donut with sprinkles before the paint has completely dried out. This is how the sprinkles stick to the donut. Now all that's left is to tie a string around the donut.
Craft ideas for Easter
Easter is also approaching. If you have small children, you are definitely planning an Easter egg hunt. Just in line with this, we offer you an idea for colorful pendants made of salt dough. These Easter eggs are suitable as decoration in the house and in the garden. You can also place the salt dough pendants on the lawn in the garden and hide important clues underneath for the children on their Easter egg hunt.
Make your own Easter decorations
Gifts for toddlers
You don't have any children yourself, but would like to surprise your nephews at Easter? Then you can make Easter eggs yourself from salt dough and hide small decorative figures inside. This is how you can create an imaginative gift. You will need: salt dough, which you need to dye in cheerful colors, gift bags and plastic eggs to fill. Below we have shown you several variants of what you can fill the plastic eggs with. Get inspired!
Handprints on Easter eggs
Salt dough ideas for children's birthday parties
Are you planning a children's birthday and looking for ideas for what the children can do? A cool idea is to play with the birthday child's presents immediately after unpacking them. So if you buy transport toys, you can make paths or a highway yourself out of salt dough. Another variant is to design a pirate island.
For this pirate island you need golden chocolate coins, Lego pirate figures, a pirate flag that you can make yourself out of black paper and a toothpick, old jewelry chain and a velvet ring box that you can cover with sequins. You will also need a blue cake stand. Color the salt dough black and decorate the island with shells and sea stones collected during your last vacation. Arrange the other decorative elements and the gift is ready!
Craft ideas for the summer
What should you do with the kids on hot summer afternoons? Especially when it's too hot to play in the garden, there's an opportunity to try out new craft instructions. For example, you can make wind chimes for the terrace or cheerful decorations for the children's room yourself.
Make fall decorations
In autumnyou can let your creativity run wild. We offer you several ideas on how you can make creative decorations from colored salt dough. The first idea is to make a handprint of the child on an orange sheet of salt dough. Then cut the plate into a pumpkin shape, let it dry in the oven and then decorate it with a pipe cleaner. Complete! You can find more cool DIY ideas for fall in the photo gallery below.
Autumn decoration “Orchard” with fruits made from salt dough
The salt dough apples are decorated with real leaves
DIY-Herbstblätter
Decoration with natural treasures
Pendant for autumn decoration
Garden decoration made from salt dough
Door from the elf house
