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Salt Dough Projects to Make for Dad

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Father's Day crafts for kids to make.

Sometimes it’s hard to come up with project ideas for holidays that can also be considered learning activities, but I think making things with salt dough fits that category.

If the kids help you make the dough, you’re getting some math in with measuring, science in the mixing of ingredients to make the dough, and a bit of sensory play as you work the dough. And making the project itself is art, so there’s a lot going on in these simple projects.

There are lots of recipes for salt dough and air-dry clay out there, but an easy one is to mix a cup of salt and two cups of flour with enough water to make a rollable, moldable dough (start with about 3/4 of a cup of water).

What to do with the salt dough once it’s made? Here are some great ideas to make for Father’s Day:

And while this one is clay, not salt dough, the DIY Marbled Clay jewelry dish from Rhythms of Play is gorgeous, too. And in a similar vein, but a little more involved/time consuming/messy, there’s the Father’s Day stepping stone from Kids Activities Blog.

Do you like to make gifts for Father’s Day? I’d love to hear what you’re planning.

Did you know Father’s Day was founded in Washington in 1910 by Sonora Smart Dodd, Its first celebration was in the Spokane YMCA on June 19, 1910. Her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, was a single parent who raised his six children there and the day was created to honour him and it’s achievements as a single father.

Looking for more salt dough projects? check these salt dough crafts out on our sister site Craftbits.com

If you are looking for an airdrying clay as an alternative I highly recommend Das Airdrying white clay  I have been using it for over 30 years and it never fails me.

Comments

  2. Thanks for sharing this list! I love finding ways for the kids to make gifts instead of purchasing something from the store.

Have you read?

Easy Pen and Paper Games for Road Trips and Beyond

When my daughter was younger I would spend a lot of time trying to come up with activities she could do in the car on long road trips and things to entertain her when we were waiting at restaurants and things that didn’t involve screens. 

But it turns out there are a lot of great activities you can do with just a piece of paper and a pen. 

What Do We Do All Day has a great collection of pen and paper games, including some that can be done with just one person, though they’re all more fun if you have at least two. 

There are some classics on here like hangman and dots and boxes, but there are also quite a few I hadn’t heard of before. 

I don’t want to spoil the whole list for you because you should definitely click over there and look around, but I will share about the one that you see pictured above. 

This game is called Bridges, and you start by making the big random shape and the dividing it into a bunch of sections (the post says 30-50 sections is ideal but I think this one is smaller than that). 

Each player gets their own color marker and you take turns drawing bridges from one space to another, crossing a third. Once there’s a bridge, no other bridges can start, end or cross in those spaces. Keep going until no more bridges can be built, and the person who makes the last bridge wins. 

Check out the post over at What We Do All Day for more great ideas for no or almost-no prep games you can play with your kids or that kids can play together. I’d love to know if you have a favorite paper and pen game, whether it’s on this list or a different one. 

[Photo: What We Do All Day]

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