Easy DIY Salt Dough Santa Handprint Christmas Ornaments

Looking for a fun activity to do with your toddler this Christmas?! These Salt Dough Christmas Ornaments are so cute and super simple to make. Your toddler will love helping in the kitchen, and you’ll have the sweetest keepsake of their tiny hand to bring out every Christmas. These ornaments also make the BEST gift for your loved ones!

I love pulling out our handmade ornaments, and remembering making them together each year. I made these ornaments last year with Noah’s tiny handprint and I was so excited to have him actually make his own this year!

Here’s how we made them!

Salt Dough Recipe

This batch makes enough for about 4 tiny hands. TIP: If you only have two tiny hands for this craft, you can either cut this recipe in half OR keep the leftovers for your little one to play with!

What you’ll need:

4 cups flour

1 cup salt

1.5 cups water

Heat Oven to 200º F

Instructions:

1. Mix the ingredients together to form dough. I use a large bowl or my kitchenaid to mix, and then my hands to knead it together once the dough was formed. Add more water if the dough is stiff, or flour if the dough is too soft.

2. Take small sections of the dough to form small balls. (This makes it easier to roll out and then cut out.)

3. Roll out the dough onto parchment paper using a rolling pin. Roll until you get a nice section large enough for your toddler’s hand. *Make sure to leave the dough about ½ inch thick (any thinner than that the dough will crack).

4. Once your dough is all smoothed out, place your toddler’s hand on the dough and press down evenly. To make a good beard and hat, have your child keep their fingers together with their thumb pointed out. 

5. Take a sharp knife and cut a border around the hand print. TIP: I like to leave a little extra space around the fingers to give some shape to the beard.

6. Next take a straw to make a hole at the top of the ornament. Make sure that the hole is large enough for the string that you’re planning to hang it with.

7. Place the handprints on a lined cookie sheet and bake at 200º F for 90 minutes. Keep an eye on them to ensure they don’t burn. Once they’re hard to the touch, they are ready!

8. Let the ornaments cool for about 2 hours before painting.

Painting Instructions:

Now it’s time to paint your salt dough Christmas ornaments and get creative! Here are the steps that we took to make ours:

1. Once your ornaments are completely cooled, lightly draw on your Santa face and where you want the hat to start. 

2. Get your paint out and get creative! I like to use acrylic water based paint for my crafts, it’s easy to use and easy to clean (which is a major plus). TIP: I like to choose colors that match the vibe of my home and Christmas decorations. That way no matter how the ornaments turn out, they will look nice on your tree!

3. Once your painted ornaments are dry, use a sharpie to draw eyes and any other details on your Santa Ornament. Then string the ribbon or twine through the hole in the ornament . Option here to add some flair to the end of the Santa hat. I hot glued a bit of cotton ball to the end of mine, but you can also use yarn or twine here as well.

4. Don’t forget to sign the back of the ornament with your child’s name and the year.

Now you’re ready to hang those ornaments! I hope you have as much fun making these salt dough ornaments as we did! These projects create the sweetest memories and keepsakes for you to hang on your Christmas tree for years to come. Merry Christmas, and happy crafting!

Share your creations with me on instagram and Pinterest!

Salt Dough Ornament Recipe

This batch makes enough for about 4 tiny hands. If you only have two tiny hands for this craft, you can either cut this recipe in half OR keep the leftovers for your little one to play with!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Cook Time:2 hours hrs

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1.5 cups water

Instructions

• Mix the ingredients together to form dough. I use a large bowl or my kitchenaid to mix, and then my hands to knead it together once the dough was formed. Add more water if the dough is stiff, or flour if the dough is too soft and sticky.
• Take small sections of the dough to form small balls. (This makes it easier to roll out and then cut out.)
• Roll out the dough onto parchment paper using a rolling pin. Roll until you get a nice section large enough for your toddler’s hand. *Make sure to leave the dough about ½ inch thick (any thinner than that the dough will crack).
• Once your dough is all smoothed out, place your toddler’s hand on the dough and press down evenly. To make a good beard and hat, have your child keep their fingers together with their thumb pointed out.
• Take a sharp knife and cut a border around the hand print. TIP: I like to leave a little extra space around the fingers to give some shape to the beard.
• Next take a straw to make a hole at the top of the ornament. Make sure that the hole is large enough for the string that you’re planning to hang it with.
• Place the handprints on a lined cookie sheet and bake at 200º F for 90 minutes. Keep an eye on them to ensure they don’t burn. Once they’re hard to the touch, they are ready!
• Let the ornaments cool for about 2 hours before painting.

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