Salt Dough Valentine Craft for Preschoolers - Heart Beads
A simple craft and activity for Valentine's Day for preschoolers, make some salt dough hearts and then use them to create patterns with as you thread them onto string or yarn.
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Total Time 15 minutesminutes
Author Cerys Parker
Equipment
Heart Cookie Cutter
Bowl
Parchment Paper
Rolling Pin
Tooth Pick
Straw
Ingredients
½cupof table salt
½cupto 3/4 cup of water
1cupof plain flourall purpose flour
10drops of lavender essential oiloptional
Red food colouring and Purple Food Colouring
Instructions
How to Make Salt Dough
Place the salt and flour in a bowl and mix.
Add the lavender to the water and stir if you wish your hearts to be scented.
Pour the water into the flour and salt mix.
Mix together until combined.
Turn out onto a floured surface or pastry board and knead until smooth.
Using a tooth pick add a little red food colouring to half of the dough.
Knead until well combined (you may want to wear gloves to avoid dying your hands red).
Then repeat with the purple food colouring with the other half of the dough
How to Make your Salt Dough Valentine Hearts
Using the prepared dough above roll out some of the red dough to around 1/2cm thick.
With a heart shaped cookie cutter cut out as many hearts as possible.
Lay on a microwavable plate
Then with a straw or knitting needle make 2 holes at the top of the hearts like the picture.
Place in the microwave.
Microwave for 10 seconds then turn over your hearts.
Repeat Step 6 10 seconds at a time until mostly dry.
Now repeat Steps 1 to 7 with the purple dough.
Notes
If you microwave has a lot of steam coming out from the water evaporating out of the salt dough remove the hearts and plate and allow the steam to escape. The steam in the microwave will prevent the hearts from drying easily.