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How to Make Magnetic Salt Dough Christmas Decorations

What does your Christmas tree look like this year? If you’ve got young kids, there’s a good chance that only the top half is decorated. While everything that is within reach has been taken off, put back on, and taken off the Christmas tree again and again. 

To save my Christmas tree, I decided to create a decoy on my fridge door. These Magnetic Salt Dough Christmas Decorations are easy to make with the kids and allows them to decorate their Christmas tree as many times as they like.

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Learn how to make magnetic salt dough Christmas decorations for the fridge door. Toddlers and preschoolers will love decorating this tree again and again while the real tree gets left alone.
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Christmas Themed Arts and Crafts for Kids

Kids art ideas are one of my favorite Christmas activities for kids. Here are some more Christmas crafts to make with your toddlers and preschoolers.

  1. Popsicle Stick Christmas Fireplace Craft for Kids
  2. Craft Stick Reindeer Craft
  3. String Pulled Reindeer Art
  4. 25 Popsicle Stick Christmas Crafts for Kids
  5. Woven Paper Christmas Tree
  6. 3D Paper Snowflake Ornament

For more ideas, visit 25 Christmas Crafts for Kids

Materials Needed

  1. 1 cup Plain Flour
  2. 1 cup Salt 
  3. ½ cup Hot Water
  4. Christmas Cookie Cutters
  5. Rolling Pins
  6. Paint or colored sharpies
  7. Cookie Sheet
  8. Adhesive magnetic tape.

How to Make Magnetic Salt Dough Christmas Decorations

How to Make Salt Dough

Step 1. Place the salt, flour, and water in a bowl and mix until all the ingredients are combined.

You don’t have to use hot water. You can use cold water too. I prefer to use hot water because it dissolves the salt a little bit and makes the dough a smoother consistency.

Make the Ornaments

Step 2. Roll the dough out and use the cookie cutters to make shapes in the dough.

Salt dough can be quite heavy, so I recommend making the ornaments quite thin. Such as ¼ inch (½ CM). If you make the ornaments too thick then the magnets won’t be strong enough to hold them, and they’ll just fall off the fridge.

I had this problem with my first batch of decorations. So I needed to go and find some stronger magnets to use on the back of the decorations we had already made.

Step 3. Let the salt dough Christmas ornaments dry until they are hard. You can either leave them to air dry for a few days or put them in the oven to speed up the process.

I put ours on a cookie sheet and baked them in the oven for 3 hours at 225° F (100° Celsius).
I have tried to dry out salt dough at a higher temperature before, but they came out brown. This isn’t an issue if you’re going to paint it, since it doesn’t affect how they function. But don’t be surprised if this happens to you.

Decorate the Salt Dough Christmas Ornaments

Step 4. Now that your salt dough decorations are dry and hard you can paint them however you wish.

I used some colorful sharpies to decorate ours, but of course, you can use paint, glitter, or whatever you have handy in your craft drawer.

Step 5. The last step is to cut a strip of adhesive magnetic tape and stick it onto the back of your salt dough Christmas ornaments.

If you can find it, I would recommend a sturdier magnetic tape for this project.

However, if you can only find the thinner dispenser magnetic tape, you can always use this idea and make magnetic Christmas decorations out of cardboard instead of salt dough. They won’t be as easy for little fingers to take off of the fridge, but they won’t fall down either.

Make a Magnetic Christmas Tree on the Fridge Door

Step 6. Finally, I used some green painters tape and green tissue paper to make a Christmas Tree outline on my fridge door.

This activity took a while to make. But the kids loved being involved in every step of it. Now they can use their magnetic ornaments to play happily while I cook dinner in peace.

This activity took a while to make. But the kids loved being involved in every step of it. Now they can use their creations to play happily while I cook diner in peace.

FAQ’s

How long does salt dough last?

Salt dough can last for years once it’s been dried out. That is one reason why it’s a popular choice for making keepsakes with. If you make Christmas salt dough decorations with your kids, they’ll be able to hang them up on their own tree once they’ve grown.

What kind of salt do you use for salt dough ornaments?

You can use whatever kind of salt you have on hand. I personally prefer to use table salt because it has a small grain. I find that the smaller the grain of salt is, the smoother the dough consistency will be.

How do you keep salt dough ornaments from cracking?

Treat your salt dough ornaments the same as you would any other fragile item. Store them in a cool, dry container when not in use. And of course, be careful not to let your kids drop or throw them around because they will break.

Do you need parchment paper for salt dough ornaments?

While not essential, parchment or wax paper helps the ornaments to stop sticking to the baking sheet. If your ornaments end up sticking to the cookie sheets, there’s a greater chance of them breaking while you’re trying to unstick them.

Learn how to make magnetic salt dough Christmas decorations for the fridge door. Toddlers and preschoolers will love decorating this tree again and again while the real tree gets left alone.

Do you need to seal salt dough ornaments?

Once you’ve finished making your decorations you have the choice to seal them. You don’t have to, however it is recommended. Especially if you’ve glued down photos, pictures, or glitter. Sealing with mod podge will prevent the pictures from peeling away from the ornament over time.

How far in advance can I make salt dough?

You can prepare the salt dough mixture a few days in advance. Keep it in the fridge either covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out. If it does dry out, just add a little bit of water and knead the dough again until soft and malleable.

Are you going to try making Magnetic Salt Dough Christmas Decorations with your kids?
Don’t forget to Pin the idea for later.

Learn how to make magnetic salt dough Christmas decorations for the fridge door. Toddlers and preschoolers will love decorating this tree again and again while the real tree gets left alone.

Christmas Activity Pack

Over 100 Pages of Christmas themed play based learning activities and craft templates. Perfect for preschool and kindergarteners.