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These salt dough handprint ornaments are a wonderful Christmas craft to make with kids. Make a Santa handprint ornament, an elf or a reindeer. Kids can help to make the salt dough and also decorate them! They will love pressing their hands into the dough and painting them too. Make just one or try all three Christmas characters!
RELATED: Salt Dough Handprint Ornament
Santa, Elf, and Reindeer Handprint Ornament
We made these ornaments to look like our Christmas handprint cards. You can make this same Santa, elf and reindeer but turn them into a handprint card that opens up. We loved the way they looked so much we thought they would make adorable ornaments too!
Working with salt dough for Christmas is one of our favorite Christmas activities. You only need a few ingredients which you probably already have on hand. Kids love helping to mix and knead the dough too.
Here are the 3 ornaments we made:
Handprint Santa Ornament
Elf Handprint Ornament
Reindeer Handprint Ornament
Watch the full tutorial video here!
Supplies Needed to Make Handprint Ornaments
Salt Dough
- Flour
- Salt
- Warm Water
- Straw (to make hole)
- Twine (for hanging)
- Sealer – seal with either mod podge or a clear glaze spray. We like this spray for a durable finish. Adults should do the spraying and always follow directions of the product chosen. Sealing the final ornaments will help stop them from cracking in a few years.
For the salt dough recipe – see the recipe card below.
REMINDER and SAFETY NOTE: Just a friendly reminder to keep these out of reach of pets (they can be toxic to dogs if ingested) and small children that would want to put them in their mouths.
Santa
Elf
Reindeer
How do I seal the ornaments?
Once you are done, don’t forget to seal with either mod podge or a clear glaze spray. Make sure to do the sealing before adding the embellishments (pom poms, cotton balls, etc). We like this spray for a durable finish. Adults should do the spraying and always follow directions of the product chosen. Sealing the final ornaments will help stop them from cracking in a few years.
What Glue Should I Use?
Hot glue is going to work best for gluing onto salt dough. You want the ornaments to last and the craft items to stay on. Adults should help with this part for younger kids.
Directions To Make Salt Dough Handprint Ornaments
The thickness of the dough will determine how long you have to bake them for. You can also raise the temperature up to 325 degrees F but do this gradually as they may start to puff up. We prefer to bake them at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for longer and let them air dry for a few days.
Directions to Decorate the Salt Dough Handprint Ornaments
Santa
1. Paint the middle of the face and let it dry.
You may need 2 coats of paint.
Next, paint the top and thumb red for the hat and the bottom white for the beard.
Seal the ornament before adding other craft items (see our recommended sealers above).
Add cotton balls to the brim of the hat.
2. Add the googly eyes and pom pom nose.
Stretch out another cotton ball and glue down on each side of the pom pom for a mustache.
Add the white pom pom to the bottom of the hat.
3. Tie on some twine to hang the ornament.
Elf
1. Paint the middle three fingers green.
Paint the rest of the handprint the color of your choice for the face. Add two small light-pink circles for the cheeks.
Draw on the smile with a Sharpie before sealing.
Seal the ornament before adding other craft items (see our recommended sealers above).
2. Glue on the googly eyes and pom pom nose.
Add the pom poms to the top fingers. Then stretch out a cotton ball and glue down to make the brim of the hat.
3. Tie on some twine to hang the ornament.
Reindeer
1. Paint the entire handprint brown.
2. Paint the light bulbs each a different color – yellow, red, green, blue.
With a black Sharpie, outline the light bulbs and then add some white paint to the side for the reflection.
3. Glue the light bulbs to the handprint.
Hot glue will work best for this (adults only).
Then draw on the light strings with a black Sharpie.
Seal the ornament before adding other craft items (see our recommended sealers above).
4. Glue the googly eyes and pom pom nose on.
5. Tie on some twine to hang the ornament.
We know you will love making these salt dough handprint ornaments this holiday season. All three of these characters will make cherished keepsakes or gifts this Christmas!
More Salt Dough Ornaments
See these glittery handprint salt dough ornaments. This is another fun and easy way to make handprint ornaments for Christmas!
You can also use cookie cutters to make these easy salt dough ornaments.
