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Salt Dough Snowman Keepsake for Kids to Make


Salt Dough Snowman Keepsake for Kids to Make


Christmas is always a great time for crafts. There are so many wonderful things to enjoy making and creating with your children and today I would like to share with you a Snowman Ornament Keepsake we have enjoyed making!
We have been loving our Salt dough creations over the past few months. If you have been following our posts you will have seen us creating keepsakes for Valentines Day, Easter Halloween and Christmas

Always great fun to make and family and friends always love receiving them!


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This one we made for our mantle piece, that I will enjoy bringing out each year. Shes just turned 3 and I can't quite get over how fast the months are rolling around!

You will need: 

Salt 
Plain Flour 
Water 
Straw 
Ribbon/String 
Acrylic Paints (I highly recommend - This amazing pack of Acrylic Paints)
Marker Pen 
Rolling Pin 
Paint Brushes 



Salt Dough Snowman Keepsake for Kids to Make


To begin with you will need to make a batch of Salt Dough, incredibly easy to make! You can find our simple recipe and 'how to' guide here. You can also print it out for future reference. What I like about our guide is children can be really involved in the process. They can help follow the instructions and measure out the ingredients. An adult will need to add the hot water and wait until its cooled down enjoy before allowing children to help knead all the ingredients together to make the dough.

The recipe above will be enough to make this plaque with a small batch remaining. We used the remaining dough to create the Christmas Tree Thumb Prints.

Use a roller to roll out a large enough area to make two hands printed. I would highly advise that you roll the dough out onto grease proof paper. It will make your life so much easier when you want to transport it and also when you flip it round in the oven to bake. 

Be mindful of how thick the salt dough is. You want the plaque to be thick enough to make it sturdy but not too thick that you are waiting weeks and weeks for it to dry out. Place it in the oven on a low heat (find details in our Salt Dough post).

Depending what you want to do with your plaque - you may want to add some holes using a straw so you can thread some string through and hang it up. 



Salt Dough Snowman Keepsake for Kids to Make


Once it was ready I began by adding the 'snow'. I needed a thin paintbrush for this to be able to create neat lines. In all honesty with all our crafts I always stick to children's paint brushes. I find they work great. My initial plan was to stop there and have some dinner but I just couldn't resist carrying on!
As I mentioned above I enjoy using Reeves acrylic paint. I brought a set of small tubes several months ago. It's such good quality and it lasts so long! The smallest amount goes a such a way!


Salt Dough Snowman Keepsake for Kids to Make


I added the blue sky and it really started to take shape. I left it to dry (which didn't take very long) and then returned to start adding some detail to the snowmen.


Salt Dough Snowman Keepsake for Kids to Make


I could have done with an even thinner brush to add the detail. I was thinking what else I could use as an alternative. The end of the paintbrush was too thick and so was Q-tips. I was glancing over the room to see if anything else jumped out at me and da daaaa - Little N's chunky pencils. They were all nice and sharp so I used the sharp end to create all the dots. 


Salt Dough Snowman Keepsake for Kids to Make


I used them to add the scarves too, in fact I found painting with the thick pencils much easier than painting with a brush. I felt like I had more sturdy control.


Salt Dough Snowman Keepsake for Kids to Make

Once this was all dry I added snow falling from the sky and used some 'Let it Snow' Ribbon to finish off the top. There is still room to add string if I wish to hang it but this year its sitting on my mantle piece.

Lets take a look at the craft in action:
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Not only is this a fabulous craft to do for fun, it's also a great craft to link to a book. I adore linking crafts and activities to books and this craft links in brilliantly with the Snowman and The Snow Dog. I grew up loving The Snowman and I always get that warm, fuzzy feeling come over me when we sit on the sofa in a blanket at Christmas and enjoy watching Snowman and The Snow Dog, together, as a family. 

I think this craft is great for that moment at the end when all the Snowmen come together and have fun!

Today we are joining in the a kid-made Christmas series where there are over 50 ornaments being shared that are inspired by children's books. See them all here


Fingerprint Snowman Wood Slice Ornament. A cute kid made Christmas ornament and keepsake. Toddlers, preschoolers and older children can have fun with this rustic Christmas craft.


Don't want to go to the trouble of making Salt Dough?
Make a Christmas Card like we did HERE: Snowman Christmas Card


Oh and before you disappear you wont want to miss these activities either:


Salt Dough Snowman Keepsake for Kids to Make


Image Map

If you liked this post then you will LOVE these: 

Melted Snowman Craft    Poppy activities for Preschool    Christmas Tree Leaf Craft


44 Tuff Tray Ideas    Heart Jars Preschool Craft    Snowflake Soup Winter Sensory Play






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43 comments:

  1. This is so adorable! Thanks for the idea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comment Marissa - so glad you like it!! Are you going to give it a go? :)

      Delete
  2. Stupid question...once you make the dough, do you let it dry overnight, press hands in dough then bake? Or press hands and if so will they stick if dough sticky then let dry overnight then bake?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Crafty910, not a silly question so dont worry.

      When you make the dough you aim for a play dough type consistency. If its sticky you need to add some more flour. Roll it out, press hands into the dough and put in the oven on a low heat for a few hours. It really is trail and error how long the dough will take to dry out fully.

      It depends on how large the surface area is and also how thick it is. I put mine in the oven for around 4 hours on around 120 degrees. I kept a constant check on it and brought it out to airdry over night.

      The next day I popped it back in the oven for a little longer before popping on top of the radiator until it dried out.

      Hope that helps. It will be rock hard when its fully dry. Shouldn't be bendy at all.

      Drop me a line if you need any more help! :)

      Delete
  3. what measure for flour and salt? 1 cup or more? what oven degree? 350 Degree? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Audrey, thank you for your message!

      Here is the link to all the info you need - http://www.learningandexploringthroughplay.com/2014/12/salt-dough-recipe.html

      350 degrees is too hot. You risk the dough going rock hard on the outside and expanding/rising up from the rest of the dough, which will deform your creation.

      As I say the link above will give you all the info you need.

      Thanks again :)

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Awww love what you did there May!! Glad you like it :) - Thanks for your comment!!

      Delete
  5. Awesome. I think I'm going to give this a try tomorrow afternoon. Great idea

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Excellent Jennifer! Take a picture and come and share it with us on our Facebook page!!! Would love to see it! Thank you for your comment!

      Delete
  6. This is a super cute idea. Love it I think I will try this tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous6/12/15 18:41

    This is adorable! Can't wait to try it with my son.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thats great Michelinagiggles - glad you like it and thank you for leaving a comment! Take a piccy when you have made one and share with us on Facebook :) We would love to see what you make!!

      Delete
  8. Im going to try this with my one year old this week but I think I will do indinidual hand and frrt prints to hang on our tree!! Thanks for the super cute idea!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nansb - that sounds like a great idea!! You're welcome - glad you like it!!!

      Why not stop by our Facebook page and share with us what you make? We would love to see them!!!!

      Delete
  9. What should i do if it cracks?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Kayla, when I set about making something with Salt Dough I always make at least two to allow for imperfections that may happen. If your salt dough is hydrated well and you dont try to dry it out too quickly - hopefully it shouldn't crack. If it does there isn't really anything you can do but turn to your other creation.

      Delete
  10. When you say you used a pencil for the scarfs and snow do you mean you used a sharpie or did you dip the tip of a pencil into the paint and use the paint that way? We made ours and it should be ready to paint later this week.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Do you paint it before putting it in the oven?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Can you add more water if it isn't getting to the right consistency? As I was rolling mine out it wanted to crumble. It just didn't roll out very smooth.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yes of course you can. You will need at least 3/4s of a cup any more extra should be added slowly as it won't take much more to get the none sticky, playdough type consistency you are after.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hahaha it is really sweet but, just saying I think you explained your recipe and method very well !!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Is the temperature you are using in Celsius or farenheit

    ReplyDelete
  16. Does it have to be completely dried out before I start painting it, both front and back? The top dried then I had to flip it over and let the other side dry. Is that normal?

    ReplyDelete
  17. What should i do if my oven only goes to 170?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Amy, do you think it is safe to use paint pens? Something like an oil-based paint marker? Also, what are the Chunky pencils, and where can I get them? Are they colored or did you use the pencil and then paint over it?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Do you add any type of sealer to this once all done?

    ReplyDelete
  20. How do you get the 3 - effect? When it gets baked does the dough rise a bit?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Will be doing with a thanksgiving take on it. Instead of snowmen, they'll be turkeys... ☺️

    ReplyDelete
  22. What an adorable idea! Such a great keepsake!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I love this idea! Shared it on my Tips From a Typical Mom Facebook page today~!

    ReplyDelete
  24. For how many children does one recipe of salt dough cover. Will I have to double if I have more than four children and will keep in the fridge if a make more than I need. Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  25. How many children does one recipe of the salt dough cater for. Would I have too double recipe for more than four children. And will keep in the fridge if I make more than I need. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hello how are you? I really want to give it a go on this project but I want to make sure I got it right.
    OK so I make the dough then handprint them bake for a couple of hours at 110° then let it rest overnight.
    And the question is do you baje it again in the following morning and why? How do I make sure it's done?
    Thank you thank you

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hello how are you? I really want to give it a go on this project but I want to make sure I got it right.
    OK so I make the dough then handprint them bake for a couple of hours at 110° then let it rest overnight.
    And the question is do you baje it again in the following morning and why? How do I make sure it's done?
    Thank you thank you

    ReplyDelete
  28. So excited to do this. Since I am homeschooling now this would be perfect for an art activity for my son.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Natasha From the UK...28/11/16 16:11

    I saw this and tried to create something similar with clay. Looks good but think harder for impressions on little hands. I want to keep them forever though, will this dough go bad? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  30. All my salt dough recipes with handprints have since discingrated (baby handprints from my boys--and their foot prints). How has this recipe held up? This idea is SO cute...never thought to do both hands!!

    ReplyDelete
  31. TI am making as I type. Waiting for my boiling water. Making gift for Mom and dad, I am making mine first

    ReplyDelete
  32. TI am making as I type. Waiting for my boiling water. Making gift for Mom and dad, I am making mine first

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous9/10/22 15:51

    Can I let it dry on the counter for a day or so instead of baking?

    ReplyDelete

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