Salt dough Easter ornaments kids can make and paint

Salt dough is so fabulous because, if you’re using my recipe, it only requires 3 simple ingredients to make and sets rock hard in the oven. We made some wonderful salt dough Easter ornaments that kids can make and paint themselves and hang on display for the whole family to enjoy. They would make great gifts too! 

There really is so much to love about making salt dough. You can basically mould it into any shape you like, and provided it isn’t too thick, it will set rock hard in the oven. Every time I make anything out of salt dough I tell myself that we should do it more often. 

You might remember a few years ago when Possum (pictures above as a 1 year old but now 4 years old) and I made this adorable little handprint in salt dough for my husband on his first Father’s Day. I can tell you that this same handprint is still sitting on our bedside table melting our heart every time we enter the room. Salt dough does that. There is something special about it being handmade and marking events or moments in time that is absolutely priceless. 

I’m sure these Easter salt dough ornaments will hung up and enjoyed with all our other Easter activities over the years and we will look back on them and smile. 

Recommended age : 3 years + (making and decorating)
Active supervision is required on all my activities shared. 

Like I said, this salt dough recipe only requires 3 simple ingredients to make it.

Salt dough Easter ornaments kids can make and paint

To make this salt dough that you can shape into Easter egg ornaments (or whatever else you like), you need to mix together 1 cup of salt and 1 cup of flour. Give it a good mix together to combine those two ingredients. Once you’re confident that’s done, you can move on to the next step. 

Simply add 1/2 cup – 1 cup of water (gradually) to the dry ingredients and carefully mix it in. The mixture will appear quite wet at first, however, should combine and create a dough after a few minutes of good kneading. You can also roll it out onto a floured bench and continue to knead it.

Getting the dough right

If you feel your dough might be slightly too dry and then add a small amount of water. Of course it might be a simple case of wetting your hands and kneading the dough again. Sometimes the smallest amount of water helps, rather than adding larger amounts. Of course if it is too wet then sprinkle more flour on the bench and work it through. 

Once you have a decent dough to work with you can roll it out on a bench using a rolling pin and cut out your Easter egg shapes using a cookie cutter. I rolled my dough to a 5mm thickness. 

Before adding them to the oven, use a skewer to create a hole at the top of your Easter egg salt dough ornament. This will allow you to thread string through the top and hang them for display.

Baking your salt dough ornaments

Bake your salt dough ornaments on a lined baking tray on a very low heat. It’s difficult to give you an exact oven temperature because it completely depends on the thickness of your dough. I baked my 5mm salt dough ornaments for 3 hours at 150c (280F) and checked them regularly. Obviously you can bake salt dough at a higher heat, however, the salt dough might turn brown, which doesn’t necessarily matter when you are painting them. 

Once they are baked hard as a rock and cooled, your child is ready to paint them! 

Painting station

I always like to keep painting activities manageable and prepare myself well for dealing with mess and potential paint spills. I always have small amounts of non-toxic and washable paint available, sheets of absorbent paper and a dish of water that I change regularly. I usually put a drop sheet or old towel down to protect surfaces if we are working indoors. 

Let the painting begin! These salt dough Easter ornaments look so gorgeous when they are painted by kids, dry and hung on an indoor branch. They can also look wonderful as place cards and given as gifts to friends over easter. Much healthier than giving chocolate! 

With Easter just around the corner, these Salt dough Easter ornaments make a wonderful activity that kids can make and decorate with paint. I know they will make great gifts for our friends and family this year and we will ensure each one has the year they were made written on the back. They make a gorgeous keepsake. 

Do you like to make decorations for Easter? 

Here are some more fabulous Easter ideas – 

       
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