Homeschool Academy: Salt Dough Creations with Tayo and Kumba

Thrive Homeschool Academy: Salt Dough Creations with Tayo and Kumba

Today at Thrive Homeschool Academy, we had a hands-on, creative learning experience with a fun and simple salt dough project. Tayo and Kumba got to mix, knead, and shape their own salt dough—an activity that kept them engaged and entertained while building their fine motor skills and creativity.

Salt Dough Recipe

Making the salt dough was easy and used only three ingredients:

• 1 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of salt
• 1/2 cup of water

We combined these ingredients and kneaded the mixture into a soft, pliable dough. Once the dough came together, we rolled it out with a rolling pin to create a flat surface for making impressions and cutting shapes.

Creative Process & Fun with Shapes

Each child added their own personal touch. We started by making handprints and footprints: Kumba pressed her little hand into the dough, and kebbas stamped his tiny footprint. Tayo loved using cookie cutters to make stars and other shapes, and he even spent an extra two hours creating pretend foods like hot dogs and burgers! Watching him dive so deeply into this imaginative play was wonderful—he was fully absorbed, testing out new shapes and ideas as he went along.

Baking and Preparing to Paint

Once the shapes were ready, we used a small tool to poke holes in the tops so we could hang them up later. We then placed the creations in the oven at about 200 degrees, where they baked slowly to harden. After they finished, we left them out to cool. The kids are already excited about the next step: painting! They’re picking out colors and planning how to decorate each shape.

Learning Benefits of Salt Dough Crafting

This simple activity offered a range of developmental benefits for Tayo and Kumba:

• Fine Motor Skills: Mixing, kneading, rolling, and shaping the dough strengthened their hands and fingers, which supports writing and other fine-motor-based tasks.
• Creativity and Imagination: Tayo’s pretend food-making and Kumba’s excitement over her handprint encouraged them to experiment and express themselves.
• Patience and Focus: This project required several steps, from mixing the ingredients to waiting for the dough to bake and cool, helping them practice patience and see the process through from start to finish.
• Sensory Exploration: The texture of the dough provided a great sensory experience, and feeling the flour, salt, and water mix together kept them connected to the process on a tactile level.

A Project to Remember—and Repeat!

This salt dough project was not only educational but also incredibly enjoyable. It’s an activity we’ll definitely do again, especially since Tayo and Kumba had such a fantastic time. By turning their creations into keepsakes we can hang up, we’re also creating memories and building their confidence in their artistic abilities.

Hands-on projects like these are a core part of our philosophy at Thrive Homeschool Academy. They engage the mind, body, and creativity of each child, helping them learn and grow in a way that’s both natural and fun.