Modeling is one of the most useful activities for kids. With its help, not only fine motor skills of the hands develop, but also perseverance, creative thinking and coordination of movements are developed.
One of the best materials for modeling with your child is salt dough. It is absolutely safe, does not contain harmful additives and is easy to use. DIY salt dough crafts will become wonderful souvenirs for your relatives and friends.
How to make salt dough?
You will need: a glass of wheat flour, a glass of extra salt, half a glass of cold water, a bowl.
Recipe
- Take a bowl.
- Pour in a glass of flour.
- Add a glass of extra salt.
- Fill with cold water.
- Knead the dough.
The finished salted dough should not stick to your hands or crumble. It should be cool and easy to sculpt. I recommend watching the video master class!
SALT DOUGH | How to make your own salted play dough | A simple salt dough recipe.
Kneading salt dough (instructions)
There are many options on the Internet for making salt dough for every taste. Recipe from our website:
- Mix a glass of salt (about 200g) with 2 glasses of flour, dilute with water (half a glass), knead the dough.
- If you plan to create relief figures, then add starch.
- Place the finished dough in a cool room for at least 2 hours, after wrapping it in plastic.
If you want colored figures, you can decorate ready-made figures, or you can make colored dough. To do this, mix the dough with coffee, carrot or beet juice, food coloring, paints and the like.
How to dry salt dough?
There are two most common ways to dry salt dough. The first method: the finished craft will dry on its own. The main thing is that it should not be exposed to direct sunlight, otherwise it will crack. The craft can be placed on a flat surface and wait a few days. Second method: dry the finished craft in the oven for 3 to 6 hours (depending on the size of the craft). Drying occurs in batches with breaks. One approach is 1-2 hours. For quick drying in one go, set the oven to 75-100 degrees, and then the craft will dry in an hour. At a temperature of 120 degrees, the craft will dry in 30 minutes, but it is better to dry it naturally.
New Year decoration
The most common are New Year's crafts made from salt dough. They are easy to make, simple, do not require large investments, the choice of shapes is huge, and at the end you will get a bright, original toy with which you can decorate a Christmas tree, a room, or present it as a souvenir to friends.
New Year's crafts made from salt dough, made by yourself, will add solemnity to the room and help create a festive atmosphere at minimal cost.
How to color salt dough?
There are two most common ways to color salt dough. The first method: after drying, paint the finished craft with acrylic paints or gouache using a brush. Second method: food coloring is diluted in water, then added while preparing the dough. When the craft is completely painted and dried, it must be coated with transparent manicure or furniture varnish in 2-3 layers. Each layer must dry before applying the next. This way the craft will be preserved
Salt dough figurines
You will need: salt dough, rolling pin, cookie cutters, stars, hearts, etc..., cocktail tube, thread or rope for hanging, acrylic paints or gouache, brush, clear manicure polish.
Master Class
- Roll out the dough into a thin layer using a rolling pin.
- Take the mold and press down on the dough.
- Make a hole for hanging by pressing a cocktail straw into the desired location.
- Dry the craft.
- Paint the craft and wait until it dries completely.
- Apply varnish and wait until completely dry.
- Attach thread for further hanging.
The salt dough figures are ready!
Coloring salt dough figures
The craft can be painted completely or individual parts of the product can be painted. Acrylic paints are suitable for this, as they do not spread after drying. Mix watercolor paints with a small amount of water; after drying, they can be sealed with a varnish coating. This will add shine to the product. You can use clear polish, glitter polish, or another one.
Nail polish is also suitable for painting crafts . When painting with gouache, you need to mix the paint with PVA glue. You can apply a clear varnish to the finished craft to add shine. Salt dough can be easily colored by adding food coloring.
Make a well in a piece of dough, add liquid coloring, then knead the dough until the color is uniform. When using powder dyes, first dissolve it in a drop of vegetable oil. You can paint a dried and completely cooled product.
Colored salt dough is not inferior in quality to modeling dough that you can buy in a store.
Making crafts from salt dough with your own hands will help you pass the time in an interesting way, and master classes will tell you what kind of figure to make from the dough. During such activities you can learn, develop imagination, motor skills, thinking, but the most valuable thing is the time spent with the child.
Children love to sculpt and tinker with dough; the craft may not work out right away, but practicing with salt dough will help improve their skills and achieve good results.
Lamb made from salt dough
You will need: salt dough, gouache, brush, foil, water, permanent marker, clear manicure polish.
Master Class
- Mold the sheep's feet into 4 balls.
- Make a ball of foil, then roll it in the dough so that it is inside. This will be the body of a sheep.
- Attach the body over the legs using water.
- Make the head, ears, eyes and horn curls. Attach with water.
- Roll small flat balls and attach them as wool using water.
- Dry the craft.
- Paint the sheep with paints and wait until it dries completely.
- Draw eyes, eyelashes and outline the contours of the curls with a marker.
- Cover the craft with varnish and wait until it dries completely.
The salt dough lamb is ready!
Salt dough house
You will need: salt dough, rolling pin, glass, toothpick, paints, brush, glitter, clear manicure polish, cocktail tube, thread for further hanging.
Master Class
- Roll out the dough into a thin layer using a rolling pin.
- Draw a house on the dough, then cut out with a stack.
- Make dots along the contour of the house, window, chimney with a toothpick.
- Make a hole for further hanging with a cocktail tube.
- Dry the craft.
- Paint the house, decorate it with glitter and wait until it dries completely.
- Apply varnish and wait until completely dry.
- Attach thread for further hanging.
The salt dough house is ready!
Salt dough owl
You will need: salt dough, a cap from a felt-tip pen, a stack, paints, a brush, clear manicure polish.
Master Class
- Roll the dough into a ball.
- Press it down to make a flat circle.
- Make feathering by pressing with the cap.
- Fold the sides of the circle towards the center.
- Fold the upper part of the circle into the center and form ears.
- Make the owl's eyes by pressing with the cap of a felt-tip pen.
- Dry the craft.
- Paint the owl and wait until it dries completely.
- Cover the craft with varnish.
The salt dough owl is ready! I recommend watching the video master class!
Owl made from salt dough / Figures made from salt dough / Owl salt dough
Cute hedgehog - a toy for kids
Do you want to know what you can make with your child using salt dough? Start with the simplest crafts. The younger your baby, the simpler the products for joint creativity should be. Try to make a prickly hedgehog, and a detailed description of the process in this tutorial will guarantee an excellent result and a good mood from a useful activity.
First of all, prepare universal salt dough and nail scissors. Roll a piece of dough into a drop-shaped piece.
The hedgehog's eyes and nose can be made from beads, black peppercorns, or pre-colored dough.
The needles are made using cuts. Use the tips of the scissors to make small cuts, lifting the needles up.
Perform the next row in a checkerboard pattern - with an offset. Row by row, make cuts until the entire back of the hedgehog is covered with needles.
Dry the finished toy in the oven or simply in a warm and dry room. If you wish, you can color it or entrust this important task to your child.
photo: Vasina Elena
Figured frame made of salt dough
You will need: colored salt dough, cookie cutters, cocktail straw, rolling pin, glass, water, clear nail polish.
Master Class
- Roll out the dough into a thin layer using a rolling pin.
- Cut out the frame using a stack.
- Take the mold and press down on the dough.
- Attach the figures to the frame with water.
- Make a hole on the figures with a cocktail straw.
- Dry the craft.
- Apply varnish.
The salt dough figure frame is ready!
Christmas tree accessories
To make pendants you will need salt, flour, water, glue. Mix the ingredients thoroughly, divide into three equal parts and color red, blue, yellow.
Roll out the dough into a thin layer of 5 mm, cut out shapes according to the template (Christmas trees, stars, animals, flowers, snowmen, gifts), make holes for lacing. Dry and decorate as desired. The New Year's pendant is ready.
You can make a lot of such figures; they will decorate the room and become an excellent souvenir. Crafts made from salt dough are easy to make and can change your interior in no time.
Salt dough bear
You will need: salt dough, stack, pva glue, black and pink paint, brush, transparent manicure polish.
Master Class
- Blind the eyes and nose, paint them black and set aside to dry.
- Make 2 flat circles for the paws, paint them pink and set aside to dry.
- Make an oval shaped body of the bear.
- Roll into a ball for the head.
- Glue the head to the body.
- Make a flat ball, draw a smile with a stack and glue it to the face.
- Blind the paws, then glue them and draw the fingers in a stack.
- Roll the ball and glue it in place of the tail.
- Glue on the eyes and nose.
- Glue pink circles onto the bear's back legs.
- Dry the craft.
- Cover the craft with varnish.
The salt dough bear is ready!
Salt dough pendant
You will need: salt dough, a glass, acrylic paints, glitter, a brush, a ribbon for hanging, a cocktail tube, a dog's paw for imprinting on the dough or your fingers, clear glue, a rolling pin.
Master Class
- Roll out the dough using a rolling pin.
- Cut out circles using a glass.
- Place your paw print on the circles or make them with your fingers.
- Make a hole for hanging a cocktail straw.
- Dry the circles.
- Paint the circle with white paint and the foot with pink. Wait until completely dry.
- Lubricate the circle with transparent glue, sprinkle with glitter and wait for the craft to dry.
- Attach ribbon for hanging.
The salt dough pendant is ready! I recommend watching this interesting video!
How to make a New Year's boot. The symbol of 2021 with your own hands from salt dough. Master class. DIY.
Picture "Owl"
A salt dough wall panel can be attached to a sheet of fiberboard or thin plywood and framed in a picture frame. First, the product is formed on a board. For convenience, you can draw an image of the future picture on a sheet of paper. Each part is molded separately and attached to the base in the form of a bird’s outline.
You can take a real twig, process it, clear it of bark, cover it with stain and varnish. The owl's feet are wrapped around a stick in a soft state. After drying, the product is painted and glued to a solid base. You can use both PVA and a glue gun for this purpose.
Salt dough star
You will need: colored salt dough, glass, clear manicure polish, toothpick.
Master Class
- Roll into a ball.
- Make a flatbread out of it.
- Cut out a star using a stack.
- Brush the corners of the sprocket with a wet finger to make them smooth.
- Make dots with a toothpick.
- Make a smile with your eyes.
- Attach small flat balls of a different color using water to decorate the star.
- Dry the craft.
- Apply varnish and wait until completely dry.
The salt dough star is ready!
How to learn to sculpt from dough?
We have already figured out how to make dough for crafts, now it is important to understand exactly how to sculpt different shapes.
This process takes a little time, but perfectly develops hand motor skills and the child’s creative potential.
Every mother can devote time to her baby and teach how to make crafts from dough.
Salt dough caterpillar
You will need: colored dough, knife, PVA glue, toothpick, pendant, clear manicure polish.
Master Class
- Roll out the sausage.
- Cut it into 6 equal parts.
- Roll into balls.
- Glue 5 balls together.
- Glue the head.
- Make a nose and eyes, then glue them on.
- Poke a toothpick into the hanging area.
- Dry the craft.
- Apply varnish and wait until completely dry.
- Attach the pendant.
The salt dough caterpillar is ready!
How to decorate a craft
For handmade salt dough crafts, you can use various products that are available in every home; you can see this in the example of master classes. Modeling from salt dough is one of the most accessible and inexpensive types of creativity.
Any items are suitable for decorating crafts made from salt dough:
- beads, beads, rhinestones, buttons, cereals, grains, they need to be pressed into the dough or glued;
- coffee beans;
- matches and skewers;
- small figures and details made of salt mass;
- threads, they can be used to wrap the product;
- tree branches.
Put everything you need to create crafts in a box. Do not throw away broken small parts from toys and jewelry; all this will be useful for creating crafts.
Salt dough apple
You will need: colored salt dough, PVA glue, clear manicure polish.
Master Class
- Make half an apple, make the inside flat, pressing it onto a flat surface.
- Make a thin flat center and glue it to the main part.
- Roll 6 seeds and a stick, then glue to the apple.
- Blind the leaves, then glue them.
- Dry the craft.
- Apply varnish and wait until completely dry.
The salted dough apple is ready!
Salt dough elephant
You will need: colored salt dough, PVA glue, clear manicure polish.
Master Class
- Make the elephant's body by rolling an elongated ball.
- Make 4 legs in the shape of plump sausages.
- Make a proboscis.
- Make the elephant's ears in this way: roll out 2 flat cakes, glue flat cakes of the same shape of a smaller size and a different color to them.
- Make a small ponytail.
- Blind your eyes.
- Assemble the elephant in the following sequence: glue the legs to the body, then glue the proboscis, then the ears, eyes and tail.
- Dry the craft.
- Apply varnish and wait until completely dry.
The salt dough elephant is ready!
Salt dough dachshund
You will need: salt dough, a simple pencil, scissors, cardboard, paints, a brush, rope, toothpick, foam sponge, clear varnish, PVA glue.
Master Class
- Draw a dachshund on the cardboard as shown in the image.
- Cut out the template.
- Roll out the dough to a thickness of 5 mm and cut out the dachshund according to the template.
- Roll out the oblong eyes, then glue them on.
- Blind the eyelids and glue them onto the eyes.
- Use a toothpick to outline the paws, nose, mouth, ear and body contours.
- Roll out an oval, then glue it onto the ear and smooth the seam with a wet finger. Use the same method to add volume to the dachshund's back and tail.
- Mark stripes in different directions around the entire perimeter of the dachshund, so that the stripes resemble wool.
- Dry the figurine.
- Paint the figurine, then leave to dry.
- Glue a piece of rope to the back of the craft for further hanging.
- Cover the craft with varnish and wait until it dries.
The salt dough dachshund is ready!
Boletus mushroom made from salt dough
You will need: salt dough, light bulb, paints, brush, foil, cardboard, masking tape, superglue, PVA glue, paper napkins, clear varnish, stack.
Master Class
- Cover the light bulb with tape, then cover it with dough and dry the workpiece.
- Cut a ring out of cardboard and place it on the light bulb as a base for the hat.
- Form a hat from crumpled napkins, then secure with tape.
- Wrap the hat with foil.
- Roll out the dough to a thickness of 5 mm and stick around the cap.
- Remove the cap from the stem, cover the bottom with dough and make stripes in a stack.
- Glue the hat onto the leg.
- Mold the mushroom's arms, legs and nose, then glue them on PVA.
- Make a caterpillar and glue it to the hat.
- Dry the figurine.
- Paint the figurine, then leave to dry.
- Cover the craft with varnish and wait until it dries.
Boletus mushroom made from salt dough is ready! I recommend watching this video!
Modeling from salt dough: Basket with mushrooms. Master class for adults and children.
Classic recipe
Let's start the master class on modeling salt dough with the simplest classic recipe for its preparation. Always use fine salt called “Extra” so that stone granules do not subsequently appear in the mass. The flour used is white, wheat, sifted.
To prepare the dough, take:
- a glass of table salt;
- the same amount of white flour;
- a teaspoon of vegetable oil;
- cold water (as much as it will take).
In a bowl, first mix the dry ingredients, then make a well in the center and pour in a small amount of water and oil. Stir first with a spoon, and then knead to the desired consistency with your hands, adding more liquid if necessary. Approximately half a glass of water per serving should be used.
Funny salt dough pigs
You will need: salt dough, paints, brush, foam sponge, stack, thin rope, toothpick, black helium pen, PVA glue.
Master Class
- Roll 2 balls for the snout and use a toothpick to make the nostrils.
- Make a muzzle, glue a snout and eyes above it.
- Make triangular ears, glue them, then mark stripes with a stack at the junction of the ears and head.
- Make a heart and glue it to the bottom side.
- Make indentations along the edge of the entire circle.
- Using a toothpick, make 2 holes on the top for attaching the rope and 2 holes on the bottom for the legs.
- Roll up the arms and glue them in such a way that they hold the heart.
- Make the hooves and make holes in them for the rope.
- Dry the workpieces.
- Paint the blanks with black paint and let them dry.
- Wash off the paint from the convex parts of the workpiece under running water with a sponge and wait until it dries.
- Prime the figures with a sponge and white paint.
- Color the piglets.
- Draw small details with a black gel pen.
- Cover the craft with varnish and wait until it dries.
- Glue wool threads as hair.
- Make a pendant out of rope.
Funny salt dough pigs are ready! I recommend watching this video!
Salt dough cat
Step-by-step instructions for preparing the dough
If you have flour, salt and water, you can create a variety of crafts from salt dough with your own hands. Master classes will help you choose a craft of any complexity. Making play dough requires simple, inexpensive ingredients. There are various recipes for salted plastic mass, which can be used to prepare dough with different properties.
Different types of dough allow you to sculpt simple and complex elements , small details or real masterpieces. When adding different ingredients, the properties of the plastic dough may change.
Thick dough
For a dense dough you will need:
- 200 g flour;
- 200 g fine salt;
- 125 ml cold water.
The density of salt is higher than the density of flour, therefore, salt takes up 2 times less volume than flour. When creating dough without using scales, take, for example, 1 tbsp salt and 2 tbsp flour.
Recipe:
- Mix fine salt and flour.
- Gradually pour water into the dry mass.
- Knead the dough until a homogeneous dense mass is formed.
This type of salt dough is suitable for sculpting simple figures without small details. This dough is used for activities with young children who do not know how to create complex crafts. Geometric shapes, simple details, for example, a snowman, fish, heart can be easily created with a child from dense dough.
Second option:
- 200 g flour;
- 400 g salt;
- 125 ml cold water.
Also combine the ingredients and knead the dough. The modeling mass should be elastic, plastic and should not stick to your hands. Strong dough is used for sculpting large figures. With the help of dense dough, you can sculpt and at the same time study figures and shapes with your child, and by adding dyes to the mass, you can get acquainted with the color scheme.
Medium density dough
Ingredients:
- flour 400 g;
- salt 200 g;
- warm water 125 ml;
- PVA glue 50 ml.
Performance:
- Using a mixer, combine flour with warm water and salt.
- Add glue to the resulting mass.
- Knead the dough until smooth.
- Roll into a ball, cover with plastic and place in the refrigerator.
Second version of plastic salt dough:
- flour 200 g;
- salt 200 g;
- water 125 ml;
- starch 1 tbsp.
Performance:
- Dissolve, avoiding the formation of lumps, a spoonful of starch in half a glass of cold water.
- Boil the rest of the water, pour starch jelly into the boiling water. Stir until a thick and homogeneous mass is formed.
- Mix salt and flour.
- Pour jelly into the dry mixture gradually.
- Knead the salted dough of medium density.
From medium-density salted dough you can create crafts with small details, for example, flowers, animal figures, cartoon characters. You can make crafts for a themed exhibition or decor for a New Year tree. Products will become brighter if you add dye, liquid or powder, to the dough. Playing and sculpting with colored dough is much more interesting for children.
Soft dough
Required Products:
- flour 200 g;
- salt 150 g;
- warm water 50 ml;
- vegetable oil 5 tbsp.
Performance:
- Dissolve salt in warm water.
- Add remaining ingredients.
- Knead into a homogeneous dough.
Soft dough without salt:
- flour 200 g;
- water 200 ml;
- vegetable oil 1 tbsp.
Performance:
- Add water and oil to the flour in small portions.
- Knead the resulting dough thoroughly.
A soft mass without salt is used for activities with children aged one year and older.
The dough can be used to make large and small shapes for various crafts. For salt dough, it is better to choose salt consisting of small particles; iodized salt is not suitable, its large particles do not dissolve well, and the mass turns out to be heterogeneous. Store the dough in a bag or container. When the moisture evaporates, the dough becomes covered with a crust, which can spoil the appearance of the product when creating crafts.
Hedgehog made from salt dough
You will need: salt dough, nail scissors, PVA glue, acrylic paints or gouache, brush, manicure polish.
Master Class
- Make an oval-shaped hedgehog body.
- Make an elongated tip.
- Make 2 small balls and glue them in place of the eyes.
- Roll the ball a little larger and glue it as a nose.
- Make needles by cutting the dough. The cuts should be made in rows, the needles should be placed in a checkerboard pattern.
- Dry the craft.
- Paint and wait until completely dry.
- Apply varnish and wait until completely dry.
Salt dough hedgehog is ready!
Salt dough is an environmentally friendly and affordable material. You can make your child’s favorite toy, food, fairy-tale character and much more. Have fun with your hands!
How to paint crafts made from salt dough
To paint figures, take paints with an acrylic base - they are most suitable for this. Such paints dry instantly, have a rich color and do not smell at all. However, such paints are quite expensive. Therefore, you can use gouache or watercolor paints.
You can also color the dough while kneading by adding a few drops of food coloring or acrylic paint, but do it in moderation. Regular cocoa powder is also good for coloring dough.
At the end of the work, the figurine is varnished. To do this, take a glossy or matte varnish with a water base.
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