Get ready to expand artistic interests in toddlers with this simple homemade salt dough recipe. A guest post by Thena of Hodgepodge Hippie.
Life of a toddler can be simple, right? They seem to know what they want, when they want it and have no trouble effectively vocalizing that. My toddler? Every day. All day. 24/7. She just wants art projects. ANYTHING dealing with art. Does it involve paint? Awesome. Glitter? The best! (for her…not me necessarily. ;-)) Can she craft, mold and design something unique? She’s game. The artistic interests of my toddler never cease to amaze me.
We have done so many amazing crafts in our home. We spent countless hours creating anything that we can add our “special” touch to. As she has grown, her coloring skills have advanced and she has moved on to wanting to use things other than colors such as gel pens and colored pencils. The joy she gets out of discovering new art supplies brings a smile to my face as well. Who doesn’t love a nicely sharpened, unused colored pencil??
Recently, we discovered one of the coolest, funnest and easiest art projects to date. Homemade salt dough. Seriously, though…this craft project is beyond simple.
First off, it’s literally only 3 ingredients. Salt, water and flour. Staples in most people’s houses, right? And the options are endless on what to do with this amazing artistic mold. Ornaments? Sure! Figures? Absolutely. Hand print molds? You betcha. Our favorite? Making the mold base, then grabbing cookie cutters, making shapes and painting away.
We LOVE to make homemade gifts with this. We have given birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, you name it. Who doesn’t love something homemade and from the heart?
Best part? You are enhancing, supporting and engaging artistic interests in toddlers by opening up new avenues to different crafts. So, what are you waiting for? The recipe for this awesome craft? Check it out below!
Homemade Salt Dough Recipe
4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup salt
(Yep, you read that right…that’s the only 3 ingredients!!)
Preheat the oven to 300. Mix the ingredients together until well combined. Make sure to place on a lightly floured surface once complete and start having fun!!!
Encourage artistic interests in toddlers by allowing creative freedom
Grab the [easyazon_link identifier=”B001D1FJ2E” locale=”US” nw=”y” nf=”y” tag=”ivsvabasaan0a-20″ cart=”y” cloak=”n” localize=”y” popups=”n”]cookie cutters[/easyazon_link], the paint, the glitter….We cut the shapes out and have actually painted before and after the baking. Both worked fine either way!
Once done decorating, pop ’em in the oven for 30 minutes or until dried out and hardened.
Remind your toddler that they will be fragile and hot once removing from the oven.
And again, have fun with this. Allowing your toddler to express their artistic interests is so important in the growth of their curiosity in art. Have fun, pull up a chair next to them and have a sporadic art class at home. You will love it as much as them!
Bio: I’m a lover of all things life. My family is my priority and exploring the beautiful chaos of life together is a journey that we love to tackle every day. I currently spend my time blogging on my own personal blog, Hodgepodge Hippie, while sipping coffee and trying to read every good book ever written. You can also find me on Pinterest as well pinning away at all things food, frugal living and family. <3
1 comment
This is a great idea! I used to buy some of those little crafts from Michaels for playtime with my kiddos. They loved being artistic 🙂
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