Salt Dough Stick Man Inspired by the book by Julia Donaldson

We are back with our 2nd Christmas Book for this year’s Storybook Advent here on Rainy Day Mum. Your fans of Julia Donaldson will love making a fun Salt Dough Stick Man ornament to hang on your tree this year.

Simple Stick Man Craft for Kids to Make after Reading the book by Julia Donaldson

This fun character is such a delight to read about and is such a simple shape that your kids can easily recreate. This craft is such a fun activity to the book. Check out some other ideas for Christmas Books here on Rainy Day Mum.

It’s so easy to make Stick Man that you may want to make the whole family so they can stick together the whole Christmas season.

What You'll Find on This Page

Stick Man by Julia Donaldson

We have included links to the books and some of the materials needed to create this simple salt dough craft for kids. If you purchase via the links we may earn a small commission.

One of our favourite authors here on Rainy Day Mum is Julia Donaldson. We love the fun rhymes and stories that she pens. In Stick Man, the father of the stick family heads off out around Christmas and ends up having a wonderful adventure including helping Father Christmas to deliver his present to boys and girls.

Supplies Needed to make your Own Salt Dough Stick Man Craft

1 batch of your favorite salt dough recipe

Toothpick (or other item to help you make a hole)

String or twine

A copy of Stick Man by Julie Donaldson to read while you wait for your salt dough to harden.

About salt dough

We decided to use the Quickest Ever Salt Dough recipe for our project, since we didn’t want to wait too long to paint our ornaments.

This was a great option for our salt dough stick man ornaments. The recipe was easy to use (but make sure you follow the instructions exactly), and we were able to finish our ornament project in one afternoon.

This recipe does require a microwave, so if you don’t have one or would just like to use a different recipe, try this classic salt dough recipe instead.

How to make your Salt Dough Stick Man Ornament

After you make your batch of salt dough, take a small amount and roll it into a log the length you want your ornament to be. Bend it a little so that your Stick Man is not perfectly straight and then flatten it a bit.

making salt dough stick men inspired by Julia Donaldsons book with kids

Take a smaller piece of salt dough to make Stick Man’s nose. Attach it securely to one side of your stick. Make sure it’s thick enough so that it won’t break off easily and attached low enough to make room for the eye. We’re making a side view of Stick Man.

When we made our ornaments, we decided to leave off the arms and legs to simplify the ornament. But, feel free to add them on if you wish. Make this salt dough Stick Man ornament your own!

Once you’re satisfied with the shape of your Stick Man, take a toothpick and make a small hole at the top to thread your string through after your ornament is complete.

Now it’s time to wait until your salt dough ornament is dry and hard.

Once everything is hardened, it’s time to finish our ornament.

Paint your entire ornament brown.

paint salt dough using brown acrylic paint so it doesn't need to be sealed

While you’re waiting for your paint to dry, cut two small leaves from your green felt.

felt leaves to finished off the salt dough stick man decoration

Once your paint is dry, it’s time to attach our eye and leaves. Add your two leaves to the top of the head, above the hole you made, and attach your eye below the hole and above the nose.

We used hot glue for this process for a couple of reasons. First, it holds quickly and securely, which will help when we pack it away every year. Second, my girls (ages 9 and 11) love to use the hot glue gun and asked to use it for this craft. They’ve both been taught how to use it safely and I feel confident with letting them use hot glue.