Snowman Pinch Pots – Winter Crafts for Kids

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We love working with clay. It is a medium that kids don’t often get to have a chance to have a go at. It is much easier to work with than people think – especially when selecting the RIGHT clay project for kids! Today we share wonderful Snowman Pinch Pots for Christmas or Winter Crafting.

I am so pleased to welcome Bonnie and her kids from Make It Your Own who were inspired to make some super cut SNOWMAN Pinch Pots this Christmas. Not only is it a wonderful Christmas Craft for kids, but also WINTER Craft For Kids too!

Easy Snowman Pinch Pots - Christmas Gifts for Kids to Make - gorgeous Winter Craft for Kids too. We love Air Drying Clay #Snowman #winter #christmas #clay
Such an adorable Snowman Pinch Pot project for Christmas or Winter

We do love to make Holiday Pinch Pots with the kids! And over the years have amassed quite a collection! From Apple Pinch Pot to Leaf Pinch Pots!

Pinch pots make GREAT Gifts for Kids To Give for Christmas or all year around.

These snowmen Pinch Pots are a great introduction to Double Pinch Pot projects, as it teaches children about joining pieces of clay, whilst still remaining a relatively easy pinch pot idea.

SNOWMAN PINCH POT GIFT IDEA

We have been inspired by Red Ted Art‘s various pinch pots (lovely sunflowers, fall leaves, poppies) and wanted to make one of our own.  We show you a basic snowman or snow woman model that you could then put some of your personality into it! 

We are also going to give you two techniques- one for a matte finish and one for a “no-glaze, but looks glazed” look! 

Snowmen Pinch Pots – Materials

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  • Air dry clay (US/ UK)
  • Cooling rack
  • Clay board or placemat
  • Acrylic paint
  • Acrylic gloss or Modge Podge
  • Paint brush
  • Dowel or BBQ Skewer and Chenille sticks (optional)

How to make a snowman pinch pot

The basic pinch pot shape perfect for snowmen!

Easy Snowman Pinch Pots - Christmas Gifts for Kids to Make - gorgeous Winter Craft for Kids too. We love Air Drying Clay #Snowman #winter #christmas #clay
  • Set up your work space.  You can use a clay mat/board or a placemat to work on and protect your table.
  • To make a pinch pot, roll a ball of your clay.  Make an indent in the centre and then form the sides to your desired thickness with your fingers by pinching and pushing the clay into place to form a bowl-like shape.
  • We replicated this process three times with a small, medium and large ball – perfect for a pinch pot snowman!
  • Then joined them together: cross hatch the sides that will touch, add a little water and bring the pots together. Smooth down the edges.

NOTE: One thing about working with air dry clay is that you don’t want to overwork the clay or work too slowly as it will begin to dry out before you get it to your intended shape.  Depending on your brand of clay, you can add water if you would like to delay the drying process or if you find the clay becoming crumbly.  However, it is best to do so sparingly.

Making space for your Pinch Pot Snowman’s arms

Easy Snowman Pinch Pots - Christmas Gifts for Kids to Make - gorgeous Winter Craft for Kids too. We love Air Drying Clay #Snowman #winter #christmas #clay
  • Once you have your basic snowman shape we then carefully took a thin dowel and poked a hole in either side of the middle portion ball of the snowman pinch pot. This will be for you to attach arms if you like.
  • Have an adult help you carefully and slowly transfer your creation to your cooling rack.  If it seems to be stuck to the work surface, you can slide a knife gently under your snow person.  Allow your creation to dry throughly- this may take overnight or a few days, depending on the thickness of the project and the humidity in your area.

Decorating your Pinch Pot Snowman

Easy Snowman Pinch Pots - Christmas Gifts for Kids to Make - gorgeous Winter Craft for Kids too. We love Air Drying Clay #Snowman #winter #christmas #clay
  • Once your snow person is completely dry, paint it white if you like, allowing that coat to dry.  You may need a few coats of paint.  Be sure to allow sufficient drying in between and go for more thin coats compiled, rather than one thick one.
Easy Snowman Pinch Pots - Christmas Gifts for Kids to Make - gorgeous Winter Craft for Kids too. We love Air Drying Clay #Snowman #winter #christmas #clay

You can also watch our How To make a Pinch Pot Video here:

Creating your Pinch Pot finish – 2 options:

  1. A) Matte paint option
  • Add details with your paint pens and allow them to dry.
  1. B) Faux Glazed option
  • Next add details to your snow person with acrylic paint, allowing those to dry overnight.  We dipped the end of various sizes of dowels in acrylic paint to get circular shapes.  You could use the eraser on a pencil too.
  • We then finished our snow person with a coat of acrylic gloss (You could use Modge Podge or a similar product too).  This gives the project a glazed look.
  • If you like, fold your two chenille stems in half, slide them through the holes, twist them together and create branch-like hands on each end.
  • Give your snow person to someone special!

See St Francis N.S. make our pinchpots here:

More Snow People Ideas

Easy Snowman Pinch Pots - Christmas Gifts for Kids to Make - gorgeous Winter Craft for Kids too. We love Air Drying Clay #Snowman #winter #christmas #clay

Snow people cards 

Easy Snowman Pinch Pots - Christmas Gifts for Kids to Make - gorgeous Winter Craft for Kids too. We love Air Drying Clay #Snowman #winter #christmas #clay

Snow ball gift bags

Easy Snowman Pinch Pots - Christmas Gifts for Kids to Make - gorgeous Winter Craft for Kids too. We love Air Drying Clay #Snowman #winter #christmas #clay

Peg Doll Snow Globe 

Purpose

  • Working with various materials to create a 3-D shape.
  • Recognizing symbols associated with various seasons.
  • Developing one’s fine motor skills.

Safety Notes

  • We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces.
  • Follow product directions.

Check out the rest of our Christmas Gifts That Kids can Make:

Easy Snowman Pinch Pots - Christmas Gifts for Kids to Make - gorgeous Winter Craft for Kids too. We love Air Drying Clay #Snowman #winter #christmas #clay

As well as our easy Winter Crafts for Kids:

Easy Snowman Pinch Pots - Christmas Gifts for Kids to Make - gorgeous Winter Craft for Kids too. We love Air Drying Clay #Snowman #winter #christmas #clay
Check out our collection of adorable Winter Crafts for Kids!