What can you make from dough? How to make salted play dough - step-by-step recipes

The plastic material, accessible to everyone, allows you to create unique items for the interior. Salt dough has long been used to make beautiful crafts. Together with your child, you can sculpt animal figurines, New Year’s compositions, and even entire thematic pictures from the pliable mass.

Features of working with salt dough

Anyone can make crafts from this material - a small child who is starting to practice the art of modeling, and an adult who has mastered the process in kindergarten. To prevent the sculpted product from deteriorating, you need to do everything correctly - prepare the mass for modeling directly and dry the figures. Coloring also has its secrets, which you will definitely learn about.

How to prepare salted play dough

The consistency is easy to work with, but for a successful craft, proper mixing is necessary. If you correctly follow all the proportions indicated in the master classes, you can make a pliable material. Figures made from it retain their original appearance. There are two popular salt dough recipes that are successfully practiced among homemade hand-made lovers.

Recipe No. 1

wheat flour (WS) – 500 g;
water (necessarily cold) – 200 ml;
“Extra” salt – 200 g.

According to this recipe, the mass turns out to be of high quality, plastic and edible (which is important). All components of the material are edible, so it is great for teaching young children during developmental activities. If a child eats a finished craft, it will not cause harm to his own health. Products made from safe materials are the best choice for a curious baby.

Recipe No. 2

It is also suitable for sculpting with kids, because the consistency is plastic and you can sculpt anything. During the game, the child must be closely monitored so that the mass is not eaten. To prepare, you need to stock up on the following ingredients:

premium white flour – 500 g;
water (cold) – 200 ml;
PVA glue – 2 tbsp.

The adhesive component in the composition guarantees the stability of the product made from the mass. This composition can be easily tinted and painted, and in addition, has a long hardening period (it is easy to correct minor defects in the finished craft). Try both recipes to find the best one for your needs (depending on age, skill, etc.).

How to dry crafts made from salt dough

– an obligatory stage in creating crafts from salt dough, thanks to which the products acquire strength. The drying process requires certain conditions, because at room temperature the figurine will not reach the desired condition, because in twenty-four hours it will dry out by only one millimeter. In the summer you can try to put it in the air, but this will not give much results. It is best to use an oven:

At a temperature of 75°C, drying time will be an hour.
At a temperature of 100°C – an hour.
At a temperature of 120°C – half an hour.
At a temperature of 150°C – half an hour.

Large items should be dried longer, but for small crafts the time can be reduced. To prevent the dough from sticking, cover the baking dish with foil. Decor in the form of beads, rhinestones, and beads should be dried at a temperature not exceeding 120 °C. You should not use a microwave oven or place crafts on a hot radiator, otherwise they may immediately become deformed and crack. From time to time you need to turn the figures over in the oven so that they are evenly baked on all sides.

How to color dough products

The created and dried figurine can be painted in any of your favorite colors. The best choice for these purposes would be acrylic paint or gouache. The painted product must be coated with colorless nail polish so that the paint lasts a long time and does not lose its richness and brightness over time. You can make a colored mass by adding the desired tone (it is better to use food coloring) while kneading the flour.

What can you make from salt dough with your own hands?

Having mastered the technique of creating salted material for modeling, you can easily achieve mastery in which you can make crafts of any complexity. A new hobby can interest not only an adult, but also a child. Plastic dough is a wonderful material for creativity, development of hand motor skills, concentration and much more. There are a lot of ideas on what can be made from play dough, and crafts can be of any complexity and be interesting to children of all ages.

Simple figures for children 2-3 years old

Having plastic material at hand, you can organize an educational activity for the youngest children. What can you make from salt dough for a two-year-old child? First, you should introduce the baby to the material - let him hold the mass in his hands, then clearly show what the dough is capable of, that is, make a bun or a snowman.

Small children are not capable of grandiose crafts, so it’s better to start by following the easiest method and doing everything step by step:

Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, and then press small objects in the form of curly pasta, beans or buttons onto the finished layer.
Cut out dough with cookie cutters.
Roll balls of different sizes from plastic material, creating little men, a snowman, a kolobok, and a smesharik.
Roll out sausages, making snails, caterpillars and other elementary figures.

For children 3-4 years old

For children three or four years old, rolling out alone is not enough, because the child has already grown up and can perform more complex tasks. An interesting idea for creative activities would be pictures made from salt dough. The child, with the help of an adult, will create a three-dimensional image on a piece of paper, and then color it. Pictures can convey any plot: from seasons and mini-images of the country to episodes of fairy tales and cartoons.

For modeling with children 5-6 years old and older

If you can’t give small children intricate tasks, creative six-year-olds can master complex crafts made from salt dough. For example, these could be figurines in the form of a three-dimensional sheep, a mouse on cheese, or an original vase with a chic bouquet of flowers. Children aged five to six years can master handcraft techniques using a salty consistency. Following the example of an adult, a child can cope even with those products that require significant concentration and manual dexterity.

How to make crafts from salt dough - step-by-step instructions

The process of sculpting crafts is easy, takes some time, but gives you a chance to pay attention to your baby. With easy-to-follow instructions and several educational video tutorials at hand, parents can quickly figure out how to make a certain craft from salt dough and explain it to their child. There are many product options, choose one or more and get started!

Flowers

The created products will look not just beautiful, but also believable. For example, to make a rose, minimal effort is required:

Roll out a layer from the dough prepared in advance (no more than half a centimeter thick).
Using a round object in the shape of a glass, squeeze out five identical petal elements.
Place the circles horizontally on top of each other so that each component touches, protruding a centimeter.
Roll the steps into one roll, and then place the whole structure with one side on a hard table surface.
Spread the petals of the bud on the top of the flower from the center in different directions.

Toys for the New Year

Original decorations are made easily and quickly. If you don’t know what you can make from salted play dough for the New Year, consider hanging toys for the Christmas tree. To make it you will need salt dough, colored paints and wire for fastening:

Bell. You need to roll out the ball and make a bell-skirt. Attach the tongue to a wire, which will serve as a fastener to spruce or pine branches. Dry the finished figure and paint it in bright shades.
Figurines-pendants. Use a cookie cutter to make a figure. Use a toothpick or cocktail straw to make a hole in the top. After drying, paint the toys, and thread a thick thread or thin ribbon into the hole.

Crafts for February 23

The best gift for a man will be a symbolic gift that can emphasize valor, courage and strength. Thanks to special molds in the shape of a tank, a soldier, or a ship, you can easily make a gift for February 23rd. To do this, roll out the salt dough into a layer and squeeze out the selected shapes from it using a mold. All that remains is to dry the souvenirs and paint them in military color.

Souvenirs for March 8

The best gift on Women's Day is flowers. Why not make them from salt dough? From plastic material you can create a bouquet that will delight you with its beauty for many years. A vase of flowers would be an excellent gift for a friend, mother, sister, or grandmother:

Make the mass according to the classic recipe, roll out the layer to half a centimeter, cut a 15x10 cm rectangle from the piece.
Create a hole in the top of the figure with a cocktail straw. This will make it possible to hang the product on the wall.
Form a ball from another part of the dough, roll it out and make a vase, bending the neck slightly. Secure onto the prepared rectangular base.
Roll out three stems, attaching them to the vase.
Cut circles for the bud and twist to form a rose.
Oval figures will serve as petals, on which make stripes.
Decorate the vase with voluminous balls or chamomile.
Dry the painting, paint it, and cover it with a layer of colorless varnish.

For the holiday, you can make decorative egg pendants that can be used to decorate cabinet handles, windows, or make an original garland. To do this, you will need an oval shape to squeeze out flat eggs from the material. On the top edge of the egg, use a cocktail tube or a marker cap to make a hole for the ribbon. Place the product on a baking sheet in the oven, dry it, and then apply the design you like to the eggs using acrylic paints or gouache. Secure the crafts on a long ribbon.

Video

There are an unlimited number of ideas for creating crafts from salt dough. There are a lot of master classes that help you get trained, and then make a memorable gift from the miracle material, for example, for a birthday. Beginning craftsmen who want to turn a simple hobby of crafts into a favorite hobby will be helped by a video that shows step by step what can be made from salted play dough.

Greetings my beloved readers and blog guests!! Once upon a time in the distant past I worked as a teacher in a kindergarten, the work was very interesting, but poorly paid... But today we will not talk about that!! It’s just that anyone who has worked in this system knows that all the materials we use in creative work with children must be environmentally friendly or certified. Therefore, homemade tools come to the aid of purchased stationery. And the simplest means for development is salt dough.

Salt dough has been familiar since ancient times and is still popular in our time, because it is very easy to make, and it is a pleasure to sculpt from such a soft material. And what kind of crafts you get!! Just a sight for sore eyes!! I haven’t worked in the garden for a long time, but at home with my baby we often do modeling, and what was my surprise that not everyone knows how to prepare the dough and what can be obtained from it. That's why I decided to write an article on this topic.

And for variety, you and your kids can make New Year’s crafts from scrap materials and ideas.

First of all, we need to understand the manufacturing process of our safe material. In fact, there are not so many recipes, but I will introduce you to a method that has been proven over the years.

We will need:

Medium-sized salt - 1 tbsp;
Flour - 1 tbsp;
Water -125 ml;
Vegetable oil - 5 tablespoons.

Manufacturing process:

Take a deep container and mix salt and flour in it. Next, pour in a small amount of water and vegetable oil. Mix well and refrigerate for 2 hours. The play dough is ready. You can leave it this color, and after completing the work, paint it in the desired color. Or you can immediately add natural or synthetic dyes: choose gouache or vegetable juice (carrots, beets), you can also use cocoa.

On a note!! To sculpt thin figures, add glue to the dough. And remember that when drying our mass loses color, so add more dye.

Step-by-step instructions for making dough crafts for beginners

Now that you know how to prepare material for creativity, it’s time to begin the sculpting process itself. Let's start with the simplest. I will show you step by step how you can easily and quickly make a beautiful thing. We will sculpt a cute bear.

We will need:

Flour;
Salt;
Water;
Cup;
Acrylic paints or gouache;
Brush.

Manufacturing process:

1. First, knead the dough: mix half a glass of flour and half a glass of salt, add a little water and mix everything well. Next, wait 2 hours, during which time the dough sits in the refrigerator.

2. Now we start sculpting the figure: we make one medium-sized ball for the head, a larger one for the body and 7 smaller ovals for the paws, ears and nose. We connect everything together. Then we put the product in the oven and dry it for an hour. After drying, take out the craft and cool it.

Advice!! Cover the finished souvenir with varnish. This will make the craft brighter and more practical!!

Thus, the step-by-step instructions for sculpting products from salt dough are as follows:

knead the dough;
we sculpt the necessary elements and connect them together;
dry the work in the oven;
paint and wait for it to dry.

And remember that the main sculpting techniques are balls and sausages. 😉

How to make a souvenir from salt dough with your own hands

As you understand, this process is very exciting, and not only children, but also adults enjoy making crafts. Therefore, if you try and use your imagination, you can make an excellent gift or decoration element.

And for the coming New Year, I suggest you make a craft in the shape of a dachshund dog, it will be very symbolic.

We will need:

Salt dough is universal;
Cardboard, pencil, scissors;
Paints and brush;
A piece of rope;
Clear nail polish;
Toothpick;
Foam sponge;
Glue.

Manufacturing process:

1. Print out a drawing of a dachshund or draw it yourself. Transfer to cardboard and cut out the image along the outline.

2. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 5 mm and attach a pattern, cut out the outline of a dachshund along it. Remove the trimmings.

3. Now make two balls and form them into oblong dog eyes. Glue them on a drop of water to the head. To remove unevenness in the workpiece, wet all your fingers with water and smooth them along the contour.

5. To add volume, roll the dough into an oval, glue it onto the ear and smooth the joint with a wet finger.

6. Also add volume to the back and ponytail.

7. Use a toothpick to make dents around the perimeter of the figure.

8. Dry the workpiece in a warm oven. The dry product must be painted with black paint, where the dents are.

9. When the black paint has dried, take yellow paint on a foam sponge and paint the entire body, leaving the dents black.

10. Draw eyes on the dried dachshund and make any inscription.

11. Glue a string to the glue on the back side.

12. Cover the product with clear varnish and let it dry.

Here are some other cool gifts you can make from this budget material:

Angel girls

Magnetic cats

Puppy with a bouquet

Master class on making animal crafts for children

And since most of us do little creative work, those who have children try to come up with interesting activities just for them, so that joint activities will be very exciting.

I suggest you, together with your daughters and sons, make this funny hedgehog, look for photo instructions further.

We will need:

Salty dough;
Scissors;
Beads
Paints.

Manufacturing process:

1. Make a drop-shaped piece from a piece of dough.

2. Make eyes and a nose from beads.

3. Now we will make needles, for this we take nail scissors and make small cuts, lifting them up a little.

4. We perform the next row in a checkerboard pattern and so on until the entire back is covered in needles.

5. Dry the finished toy in the oven. We color the hedgehog at will.

It’s also very easy to make a bird and decorate it with bean seeds; it’s not only easy, but also useful for developing children’s fine motor skills. Watch the video of how this craft is made:

Of course, there are a lot of options, and if you surf the Internet, you can find a whole storehouse of ideas, and your leisure time with your child is guaranteed. I share souvenirs that I personally liked:

Magic fish

Cows

Princess Frog

Mice

Snail

Blue elephant

DIY New Year's gifts made from salt dough (pictures inside)

And on the eve, I want to surprise and pamper my family and friends. And if you decide to make surprises yourself, then here are a couple more gifts for you to choose from.

Snowman

We will need:

Salt;
Flour;
Water;
Toothpick;
Blue gouache;
Brush.

Manufacturing process:

1. Knead salt dough from salt, water and flour. We make one ball white, and add blue gouache to the other.

2. Pinch off a piece for the head from the white ball and flatten it into a flat cake shape. Under this cake we place another piece of cake - the body of a snowman. Using a toothpick, carefully shape the mouth and also mark the location of the eyes.

3. Make two small balls, and moisten the area for the eyes with a brush dipped in water. Press the eyes, but not too much.

4. Take the blue dough and form very small balls and make pancakes out of them. These will be the pupils. Make eyebrows from the sausages and form a carrot nose.

6. Dry the snowman in a sunny window. Cover with clear varnish. You can glue a magnet to the back. It turned out to be a great gift!!

Or you can make these funny figures

Santa Claus pendant

Great frame

Or these funny Christmas tree decorations

Option for simple toys

Magnets

Candlestick

Don't forget about the symbol of the year - the dog

It's time to finish writing. And I think that if you were not previously familiar with the technique of modeling from salt dough, then after reading the post, you will definitely want to try it.

And how children love to make such crafts, because there is not only modeling, but also drawing, but the most exciting thing for children is drying the product in the oven. A storm of joyful emotions is guaranteed for you!! Get creative and fantasize with the whole family!!

Modeling dough is a mass reminiscent of plasticine, but softer, does not stick, does not stain, does not have a strong odor and does not cause allergies. How to make salted play dough at home? The best homemade dough is made from salt, flour and cold water.

Working with plastic mass is incredibly exciting and useful in terms of developing fine motor skills. This helps to activate brain points responsible for coordination of movements, objective actions and speech. And this is not all the advantages of modeling dough, it:

Increases perseverance.
Develops logic and creative thinking.
Improves concentration and perception.
Develops the ability to work with small objects and helps in mastering the subtleties of manipulation.

Every mother can make a healthy mass, because the technique is not much different from preparing dough for dumplings. In this article I will look at the most popular recipes. I'll start with the classics and later switch to more complex options.

Classic recipe for salted play dough

I offer a classic recipe for salted modeling dough, which involves the use of the simplest ingredients found in every kitchen. It is incredibly popular among experienced craftsmen, people with little experience and beginners.

Ingredients:

Flour – 300 g.
Salt – 300 g.
Water – 200 ml.

Preparation:

Pour salt into a deep container and add some water. I advise you not to use all the liquid at once, since in each individual case the moisture content of the flour is different.
After the salt has dissolved, add the sifted flour. First, mix in a bowl. After forming a lump, transfer the mixture to a work surface and complete the process. To increase plasticity, gradually add water.
Place the finished dough in a plastic bag and put it in the refrigerator. After two to three hours, the salted mass is ready for use.

Video recipe

From the indicated proportions you get quite a lot of salt dough. If large crafts are not planned, reduce the amount of ingredients by half or quadruple. If there is any remaining mass, store it in film in the refrigerator, just as you store slime mass. In this form, it retains its original qualities for a month.

How to make dough in 5 minutes

If crafts from salt dough have turned into a family hobby, I recommend arming yourself with a recipe that will allow you to make another portion of elastic mass at home in 5 minutes.

Ingredients:

Flour – 1 cup.
Water – 1 cup.
Soda – 2 teaspoons.
Salt – 0.3 cups.
Vegetable oil – 1 teaspoon.
Food coloring.

Preparation:

Pour a mixture of salt, soda and flour into a small saucepan, pour in water along with vegetable oil. Place the container over low heat and heat for a few minutes, stirring regularly. Add coloring and stir.
Watch the thickness of the dough. If it sticks to the spoon, it's ready. Place the mixture on a plate to cool. After this, knead thoroughly with your hands.
Store the salt dough in a bag or food container, otherwise it will dry out. If the mixture has dried out, don't worry. Add a little water and knead.

Video cooking

Quick salt dough has another advantage - a long shelf life. If all rules are followed, the dough retains its properties for several months. You won't be bored with this material.

Recipe without starch with glycerin

Some craftsmen coat the surface with a layer of varnish to add shine to their crafts. But this result can be achieved without the help of paints and varnishes, because there is glycerin, sold in all pharmacies.

Ingredients:

Boiling water – 2 cups.
Flour – 400 g.
Glycerin – 0.5 teaspoon.
Sunflower oil – 2 tablespoons.
Cream of tartar - 2 tablespoons.
Fine salt – 100 g.
Dye.

Preparation:

Make the base. In a small container, combine cream of tartar, vegetable oil, salt and flour.
Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add flour base, coloring and glycerin. Cook until the mass has a homogeneous consistency.
Cool the resulting mixture and knead thoroughly. Add flour if necessary.

Having made a figure from dough without starch, you will see that it has a pleasant shine. This craft will be a wonderful gift for your mother on March 8th or a friend’s birthday.

How to make play dough without flour

The highlight of this plastic mass is the absence of flour in the composition. The technology for preparing salted dough for modeling is suitable for craftsmen who do not like working with white, quick-flowing ingredients.

Ingredients:

Starch - 1 cup.
Baking soda - 2 cups.
Water – 0.5 cups.
Natural food coloring.

Preparation:

In a deep bowl, mix starch and soda. While stirring the mixture, pour in water in a stream.
Place the container with the ingredients on low heat and cook until a ball forms.
Place the cooled mass on a floured surface and knead. The dough is ready.

There is no flour in this dough, but it is perfect for modeling. Use this easy-to-make plastic material to create a variety of shapes that will demonstrate your talent to others.

What can be made from salt dough - examples of crafts

We looked at the technology for preparing salted dough for modeling. It's time to put the salty material to work. If you are a beginner, I recommend starting with the simplest figures. Over time, having gained valuable experience, switch to more complex crafts.

Experienced craftsmen make various figures and compositions from salt dough. The result depends only on your imagination. In this part of the article I will give some good examples with step-by-step manufacturing instructions. They will help even children learn the basics.

Mushroom

To create a hat, roll a small ball and press lightly on one side.
Make a sausage. When rolling one side, press down slightly. You will get a leg.
All that remains is to assemble the figure. To increase reliability, use a toothpick.
After the dough has dried, decorate the mushroom as desired.

Beads

Roll several dozen equal-sized and even balls from the dough. Place the balls on toothpicks.
Leave the balls in the fresh air for several days to dry. I recommend turning the beads over several times a day.
Carefully remove the toothpicks from the dried balls. String beads onto a ribbon or cord. For a more beautiful product, color the beads with markers.

Christmas decorations

Roll out the salt dough into a layer. Using a cardboard stencil or cookie cutter, press out the shapes.
Use a cocktail straw to make holes in the figures. Dry the dough.
All that remains is to decorate the Christmas tree decorations and thread a beautiful ribbon through the hole.

Rose

Make a cone using a small amount of dough.
Roll into a small ball and roll into a flat cake. Attach the fragment to the cone.
Attach a similar element on the opposite side. You will get a bud.
Roll some balls and make petals. Attach to the flower in a circle.
Bend the upper edges of the petals slightly back and press the sides.
After the dough has dried, paint the figure scarlet.

Puzzles

Make a large stencil of a shape out of cardboard, such as a cat. Roll out the dough into a layer. Using a stencil, cut out a large shape. Leave the dough until the morning to dry.
Using a sharp knife, cut the cat figurine into fragments. Wait until completely dry.
Use markers or gouache to color the craft. Once dry, coat each piece with a layer of clear varnish.

Video examples of figures

As you can see, salt dough is ideal for creating simple and complex shapes and compositions. And these are just a few ideas. With the help of your imagination you can create a variety of toys, decorations, souvenirs and other crafts.

In conclusion, I will share the secrets of experienced craftsmen who will make working with materials more productive and the results more impressive.

An article for those who like to be creative with their children. It contains recipes for salted play dough and many ideas for crafts.

Modeling is a fun and useful activity at the same time. By making figurines, paintings, and compositions from plastic material, the child develops imagination, logical thinking, fine motor skills, and learns perseverance.

Of course, mom can just buy plasticine or some branded modeling compound for the baby. But how high quality and environmentally friendly are these materials? As an alternative, you can use salt dough made with your own hands from inexpensive natural products.

How to make dough for crafts?

Environmental friendliness is not the only advantage of salt dough over plasticine or play-doh.

The recipe according to which the plastic mass is prepared does not cause any difficulties for absolutely anyone. If a child asks to sculpt while at the dacha, for example, and there is no plasticine at hand, his wish can be fulfilled in half an hour
Materials for modeling in the store are quite expensive. Ingredients for salt dough will cost much less
Salted dough, even the one to which paint has been added, does not stain your hands or stick to your fingers. It's soft and pliable
Crafts made from dough can be dried using a special technology. Then they will be stored for a long time and serve as a souvenir, Christmas tree decoration, or children's toy.

IMPORTANT: Even in ancient times, people mastered modeling from dough with salt. A whole art arose, which was called testoplasty. Women and children made very elegant crafts, painted them by hand and used them as decorations for their homes. Figurines symbolizing various benefits were considered expensive gifts, given only to close people. Our ancestors didn’t bother with the salt dough recipe, making the material only from water, flour and salt

Today, salt dough modeling, which has suddenly returned to popularity, is called bioceramics. The recipes for the dough itself are being improved. Unfortunately, some of them involve the use of wallpaper glue, synthetic paints, etc. The concept of absolute naturalness is lost.

Salt play dough has three main components. This:

Additionally widely used:

gelatin
starch
vegetable oil
natural dyes (beet juice, green beans, etc.)
food colorings
gouache or watercolor paints
PVA glue
wallpaper glue

Glue or starch makes ready-made dried dough figures more durable, but it is not advisable to add them to material intended for children under 5 years of age. But dough with butter can be greasy and stain your clothes.

IMPORTANT: You can color both the dough itself while it is being prepared and the finished figurine, then creativity will be doubly more interesting and useful

RECIPE No. 1. Simple dough

You need: wheat flour – 1 cup, extra salt – 1 cup, cold water – 0.5 cups

First of all, the dry ingredients, flour and salt will be combined. If the dough is colored with food coloring or paint, dissolve it in water. Gradually adding colored water to flour and salt, knead a fairly stiff dough, but such that it does not stick to your hands and does not crumble into crumbs.

IMPORTANT: To check whether the mass is suitable for modeling, roll out a smooth ball and press a hole in the middle of it with your finger. The dough should neither spread nor immediately return to shape. The edges of the recess should remain smooth

RECIPE No. 2. Dough with starch

You need: wheat flour - 0.5 cups, starch - 0.5 cups, extra salt - 1 cup, water - 0.5 cups.

Just as in the first case, first mix flour, salt and starch. Next, clean or colored cold water is gradually added. Modeling mass that contains starch becomes more elastic.

In addition to the saltiest modeling dough, you need to prepare:

dostochku
knives - stacks
molds (such, for example, come complete with play-doh dough)
beads, sequins, buttons, other improvised materials for decorating crafts

IMPORTANT: The flour and salt dough can be used several times in a row. To prevent it from drying out, place the material in a plastic bag or wrap it in cling film, then close it in an airtight container and put it in the refrigerator.

How to dry dough crafts?

If the dough crafts are small, they will dry out on their own. To prevent cracks from appearing on their surface, they are removed from direct sunlight.

You can also dry the dough figures in the oven at a minimum temperature and always keep the door ajar. Dry the dough in the oven for 3 – 6 hours, depending on the size of the craft. It goes into the oven three times for 1 - 2 hours, with a short break between each time.

Making salt dough with children

You can offer salt dough to your baby for the first time at the age of 1 year. This is not chemical plasticine or play-doh; mom doesn’t have to worry if the baby tastes the material or swallows it. For such small “homemade products”, the dough is prepared without synthetic dyes.

IMPORTANT: Play dough is very salty. As a rule, it is enough for a child to lick it to understand that it is not edible. But if the baby still ate a piece, you just need to give him plenty of drink, and if the mother is still worried, a bag of Smecta

Full-fledged developmental modeling classes are possible with children from 2 years old. From rolling out circles and balls from salt dough, they will smoothly move into real creativity, in which kids will be able to make flowers, animals, favorite fairy-tale and cartoon characters, etc.

The finished result of dough modeling is as important for kids as the process itself. The finished craft evokes strong positive emotions in them.

Crafts from dough for children in kindergarten

There is no need to think that salt dough is a “handicraft” material exclusively for home use. Kindergarten teachers have long taken note of recipes for plastic materials and are happy to replace plasticine with them in developmental classes with students.

So, in nurseries they often make casts of baby hands, circles, mushrooms, “sausages”, snails, etc. In older groups, children are already working on themed crafts, for example, for the holidays.

Crafts from dough for kids. Step-by-step dough crafts

When making dough with kids, you don’t need to come up with ideas for crafts: usually, they are born by themselves the moment your fingers touch the plastic material. Children love to sculpt:

geometric figures
flowers and trees
fruits and vegetables
animals
dinosaurs
little men
fairy-tale creatures
cartoon characters

Adults, mastering testoplasty, can get ideas on the Internet; there are many step-by-step master classes.

IMPORTANT: Good guides for both children and beginning adults are the books “Salt Dough Step by Step” by V. Khomenko and “Miracles from Salt Dough” by A. Firsova

Templates for crafts made from dough. Children's crafts made from salt dough

Crafts made from salt dough can be very beautiful. Children's crafts have their own touching charm. Adults are like pottery.
To get inspired for creativity, you can view a selection of thematic photos with crafts made from salt dough.

Panels and pictures made from salt dough

Such works of bioceramic art can be hung on the wall or placed in a prominent place. Photo frames made from salt dough are also very beautiful.

New Year's crafts made from salt dough

For the New Year, you can make not only Christmas tree decorations from dough, but also gifts - souvenirs for friends in the form of the symbol of the year. In 2016 this is a funny monkey.

Crafts made from salt dough heart

The heart is a symbol of Valentine's Day. Made with your own hands from flour, salt, water and, of course, love, it will turn into a very valuable gift.
A cute angel made from salt dough also looks very cute.

Aircraft craft made from salt dough

Crafts from dough for March 8th. We make flowers from salt dough. Craft roses from dough

Any mother will be touched by a craft given to her by her beloved child for the holiday of March 8th. Most often these are flowers, bouquets, floral arrangements. Roses made from dough will never wither.

Magnificent basket with flowers.

Crafts from dough for Maslenitsa. Easter crafts made from salt dough

Easter crafts made from salt dough will add a special flavor to the bright holiday

Animal crafts made from salt dough

Together with your baby, you can fashion a whole zoo out of salt dough!

decorate fashionable interiors of apartments and shops, handmade jewelry complements costume collections of fashion designers, gifts, and hand-made toys are very popular among adults and youth

I want to tell about

salt dough products,

which today occupy their niche among handmade products

Modeling from salt dough gives a lot of freedom to imagination, and products made from it sometimes amaze with their beauty and grace.

This type of creativity brings pleasure and joy, like any other.

Many people think: well, just think, some kind of salt dough - all these are crafts (implying the childishness of the product).

But only those who don’t know that think so

Since ancient times, people have sculpted from salt dough; not only in Russia, but also in all European countries, it was customary to give wreaths, doll figurines or other amulets from salt dough.

Why from dough?

It’s very simple - salt dough is an amazingly energy-intensive material.

Everyone who has at least once sculpted figures from salt dough or received them as a gift has felt this positive impact on themselves.

Salt dough, just like clay, has amazing energy, but if clay draws out all the negativity, salt dough, on the contrary, gives positive energy - goodness and warmth with this material is very pleasant to work with.

If you liked the idea of interesting creativity that you can create together with your child, then be sure to remember and try the following recipe in practice:

Salt dough recipe

1 cup flour
1 glass of salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
The process of making salt dough is incredibly simple. Pour a glass of salt into a deep bowl (or any other convenient container) and pour half a glass of hot water.
Next, we mix the salt with water and add a glass of flour. Stir the salt dough until smooth. For convenience, you can use a mixer.

You need to add one or two tablespoons of vegetable oil, dry wallpaper glue or a spoonful of hand cream to the salt dough.

Mix everything in the bowl vigorously with your hands; if the dough is too sticky to your hands, add a little flour mixed with salt.

Place the resulting mass of salt dough in a plastic bag and place in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. After this, you can sculpt from salt dough. If you still have dough left after modeling, store it in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.

The dough is ready, now you can make all kinds of figures from it. Place the finished crafts on a baking sheet and place in a cold oven, where we keep them on low heat (80%) for about an hour, or a little more if the figures have not yet completely hardened. After drying, the figures can be painted and varnished.

Tips for working with salt dough:

1. Keep the container with salted dough closed, because salted dough left open in the air dries out very quickly.
2. To prevent the dough from sticking to your hands, you need to add a little flour to it.
3. To prevent the dough from crumbling, you need to pour a little water into it.
4. Unused dough should be stored in the refrigerator - it will keep there for one to two days.
5. To give the dough a pleasant smell and color, you can add spices to it, for example, cumin, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc.
6. To check whether the figures have dried well, tap them with your finger. If the sound is ringing, the dough is dry, but if it is dull, then it is not yet.
7. After the oven, the dough figures can be painted with gouache and then varnished.
8.If cracks appear on the figurine after drying, dilute a little PVA glue, mix well and apply this mixture to the crack, rubbing it in.

Methods for coloring salt dough

You can tint the salt dough with food coloring, watercolor or gouache. You can color it when preparing the dough, introducing the dye during kneading, and the actual finished product - on the surface.

An excellent chocolate color is obtained by adding cocoa. You can experiment with other natural dyes - soot, beet juice, carrots, ocher, etc. You can brown the salt dough product in the oven for a natural color.

When tinting, you must take into account that after drying the color will become less saturated, but if you cover the craft with varnish, it will become brighter again. What varnish can I use? Acrylic and artistic are very good. It is also possible to use ordinary water-based construction materials for breathable surfaces, i.e. for parquet or wood.

Features and methods of preparing salt dough:

There are a few things you can't do with salt dough. So, for example, you cannot add pancake flour (or flour with any other additives) to the salted dough, since the figures will rise like good pie dough and crack when dry.

Also, you cannot add iodized salt; large inclusions do not dissolve, and subsequently the dough is not homogeneous - it turns into grains. Likewise, rock salt should not be added without first dissolving it.

About the water. So, it is best to use very cold water in the dough; Be sure to add 50 ml in parts, after each addition, knead (due to the fact that different flours may require different amounts of water).

The salt is first mixed with flour, and only then water is poured into the finished mass.

Salt dough is stored in a plastic bag or tightly closed container. It is better to take salted dough out of a plastic bag in small pieces, since lumps of dough quickly become crusty and when rolled out or molded, these dry crusts spoil the appearance.

And one more thing, if the figures are thick (more than 7 mm), then after the first stage, you need to take out the excess dough from the back side

The dough may be too soft. Then proceed as follows: mix a tablespoon of flour with a tablespoon of salt at the bottom of a bowl. Press the ball of dough into this mixture and then scrunch it up. Do this until the dough becomes more dense.

You can sculpt or cut out figures directly on a baking sheet. The baking sheet should first be moistened with water; in this case, bubbles will not form between the product and the surface of the baking sheet, therefore, the surface of the product will be smooth and stable.

Everything that falls off is simply wonderful and, most importantly, it is glued invisibly with PVA glue.

Swelling or cracking of salt dough crafts occurs in three cases:

If the flour is chosen incorrectly. For greater strength, you can add rye flour to the dough (the color will be warmer and there should be no cracking) (for example, a glass of regular flour + a glass of rye flour, 1 to 1), 50 gr. starch - also gives the dough elasticity and prevents it from cracking. You can also add PVA glue, since it also gives plasticity and prevents the dough from rising.
If drying is not carried out correctly (see next section)

If cracking occurs after painting, this means that the product has not completely dried (the product continues to dry and the air has to go somewhere), so the surface of the paint or varnish is cracking. Take your time to paint or varnish the product, so as not to regret it later and not to redo it.

Frequently asked question: how to dry salt dough?

It is best to air dry under natural conditions, but this takes a long time (complete drying can take a week or more - especially if the humidity during drying is high - since salt draws out moisture), so you can dry it in the oven, following several rules.

The oven should be at minimum temperature
It’s good if drying is done with the oven lid slightly open
You cannot put items into a hot oven immediately; heating should occur gradually. Just like taking the product out of the oven, it is better if it cools gradually instead of with the oven
It is ideal to dry in several stages: let it dry on one side for an hour, turn the craft over, and dry on the reverse side. I also take breaks between drying, it dries in the oven for an hour - it dries on its own for a day - then again for an hour and a half in the oven on the reverse side.

The drying time for a salt dough product depends on the thickness of the product itself. And also on the manufacturing recipe used. So, dough containing butter, cream, etc. dries much longer than dough without oil-containing additives.

To avoid cracking of the product, you can dry it in three to four stages, in the oven at the very minimum and always with the lid open for about an hour and a half, then a break of two to three hours, or overnight, the craft dries itself, and then again Turn the oven on low with the lid open.

During natural and oven drying, the craft must be rotated at each stage of drying, i.e. It dries with the front side for an hour, rests, at the next stage it is turned over and dries with the back side.

Thus, we have covered the basic recipes and methods for making salt dough.

Happy creativity!