I am very excited about today’s collection of kids craft ideas – it is all about Air Dry Clay Projects for Kids (well for kids and big kids… ). We love using air dry clay, but find it is something that many people shy away from.
Yet air dry clay is inexpensive (when not buying branded clay) and versatile and there are so many wonderful things you can make. You mainly get air drying clay in brown or grey. But there are also some great (but more expensive) white clay versions. I highly recommend going back to basics and learning to use traditional grey or brown clay with the kids. It is indeed a learning process, and no doubt mistakes (and falling apart) projects will be made, but that is what art projects are all about, right? Learning!
Resources
First off, we have two great “general” resources here on Red Ted Art – an article about How to soften Air Dry Clay (it is super easy, but you need time), as well as a great introduction to working with clay!
We like to buy clay in bulk – and usually get clay like this:
- grey clay (US/ UK) (the best for buying in bulk)
- terracotta clay (US / UK) (great for earthy projects)
But this white clay is also popular
- white air drying clay (US/ UK) (a lovely clay for when you want that clean white finish without painting, however it is MUCH more expensive and therefor best for small projects such as ornaments)
(affiliate links added for convenience)
So.. and now over to some projects!
Air Dry Clay Bowls & Pinch Pot Ideas
Super popular clay projects are of course air drying clay bowls. They are usually quite easy to make and are practical gifts that the kids can make and give!
- Autumn Leaf Bowls – we love these bowls and have made them MANY times. The article focusses on a KILN version of these bowls, but do WATCH the VIDEO, where we use air drying clay.
- Super Easy Apple Pinch Pots – the kids will love this easy Autumn craft!
- Similarly we have some adorable Easter Pinch Pots too!
- Poppy Clay Bowls – this uses a super simple technique and the results are gorgeous – perfect for Remembrance day or as a gift to Granny!
- Sunflower Clay Bowls – love these bowls, but they are a little harder. Maybe a great air dry clay project for middle school?
- Monster Pinch Pots for Kids – pinch pots are great for kids – and you can make them with all age groups.
- Gorgeous “Faces” Pinch Pots
- Clay Pinch Pots for Succulents
- Clay Footprint Bowl
- Ornamental Hand Dish
- DIY Letter Bowls (an air dry clay project for senior school I think)
Other Air Dry Clay Projects
Air Dry Clay isn’t just for pinch pots and clay bowls of course. There are so many more DIYs and crafts you can make – from Easter Ornaments, to beads and decorated Pen Pots!
- Nature Sculptures – we love heading out to nature and creating these nature sculptures. It is important that you do indeed use NATURAL Air Dry Clay for this, in order to not pollute your local environment.
- Easy Clay Owls – perfect for the classroom or at home
- Lovely LEAF Fridge Magnets – they make great gifts too!
- Fun with Clay Snails (craft & game) – this is something we came up with on a whim.. basically having fun with some snail shells we found!
- Joan Miro Sculptures – learning about the Great Artists projects – a great hands on project exploring Joan Miro!
- DIY Clay Beads
- Colorful Heart Ornaments (beads and summer finds)
- Fabulous Air Plant Pots
- Easter Ornaments using white air drying clay
- Clay Mobile Phone Holders
- Air Dry Clay Coasters (painted)
- Stamped Clay Coasters
- Clay Footprint Bowl
- Clay Heart Mobile
- Sea Shell Pen Pots
- Gorgeous Clay Birds (probably an air drying clay project for senior school)
- Fantasy Dragon Eggs
- Hedgehog Pen Holder
- Hooray for Fish Craft – a wonderfully simple air dry clay project for kids
And in addition, if you are working with Polymer Clay, you may like:
- Dolls house party food
- Acorn Tea Set
- Mini Teddy in a Matchbox
- Alphabet Magnets
- Daffodil Tea Light
- Magnetic Pin Bowl
I hope you enjoyed this collection of air dry clay projects and that it has given you inspiratio to get crafty!
[…] Clay crafts give little ones a chance to be a bit messy when the rest of their school day is all about staying contained. Working with three-dimensional materials expands the mind and provides visual aids for mathematics. The delicate nature of the materials used in these crafts teach kids about the value of a light touch. It’s also nice that, by the end of the project, the child has something they can keep or gift to someone special to them. Finally, when you do clay projects, you can give the same instructions to everybody in the room, but the final products will all reflect the individual artist. This is a great lesson for kids with learning disabilities on individuality and how people in a similar situation can interpret things differently. […]