3-Ingredient Simple & Easy Salt Dough Recipe for Kids

Name: 3-Ingredient Salt Dough Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour*; 1 cup salt; 1 cup water

Published: Jun 6, 2013 · Modified: May 28, 2024 by Tara Kuczykowski · This post may contain affiliate links · 74 Comments

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This simple and easy salt dough recipe is the perfect rainy day activity... Kids will master valuable kitchen skills while learning how to make salt dough, and then spend hours playing with it!

a no bake salt dough recipe that's made with just 3 ingredients

Salt Dough Recipe for Kids

We encourage our kids to get outside and play as much as possible during the summer, but inevitably there's going to be those rainy days when outside play isn't an option -- like today...

Rather than turning to video games and television for entertainment though, I gathered up my younger three children for a quick kitchen lesson on how to make salt dough. And it actually turned out to be loads of fun AND educational! #momwin

children making salt dough, a simple, easy & fun rainy day activity

Learning How To Make Salt Dough

While my kids think making and playing with this salt dough recipe is all fun and games, they're actually learning a whole slew of valuable skills -- like brushing up on their math, how to measure solids and liquids, and what happens when you mix certain ingredients. Just to name a few!

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And with only three ingredients -- flour, salt, and water -- this simple salt dough recipe is the perfect intro to kitchen basics. Luckily, I picked up some inexpensive fresh flour and salt at the grocery store earlier this week in anticipation of a rainy day!

young girl measuring flour while learning how to make salt dough

I gave Camden the job of measuring out the flour, showing her how to level it off for a consistent measurement.

young girl adding salt to an easy recipe for salt dough

Addie measured the salt, again leveling it off using a butter knife.

young boy adding water to salt dough for salt dough crafts

And I helped Drew measure the water, showing them all how the liquid should be level with the lines on our Pyrex measuring cup.

children mixing up the best salt dough recipe

Then they all took turns mixing the salt dough, and I gave a quick demonstration on how to knead dough. You know they were getting quite antsy to start playing by this point!

They had a blast playing with their salt dough. I gave them a kid-sized rolling pin and some cookie cutters to use. This kept them busy ALL afternoon! These plastic clay tools are super inexpensive and would be fun to play with, as well.

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Recipe Card

3-Ingredient Salt Dough Recipe

Yield: 2 ½ cups salt dough

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

This 3-ingredient simple and easy salt dough recipe is the perfect rainy day activity… Kids will master valuable kitchen skills while learning how to make salt dough, and then spend hours playing with it!

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour*
1 cup salt
1 cup water

Instructions

Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Gradually add water while stirring and mixing to form a dough with a Play-Doh like consistency.
Form the dough into a ball and knead for approximately 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and firm. Additional water may be needed, depending upon humidity. Add a teaspoon of water at a time until the dough reaches the proper texture. On the other hand, if the dough is too sticky, add more flour by the teaspoon until it's no longer tacky.
Store the salt dough in a Ziploc bag when it's not in use to prevent it from drying out.

Notes

I recommend covering your work/play area with an inexpensive plastic tablecloth to make cleanup easier!

How Long To Bake Salt Dough

If you want to bake your salt dough crafts, place them on a foil-covered baking sheet in a 250-degree oven. Baking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your crafts. For each ¼" in thickness, allow approximately a half hour of baking time, or bake until surface turns light golden brown. Turn each piece frequently so that they dry out evenly. If an area puffs up, poke a hole in it with a pin or toothpick to release the air.

*Gluten-Free Salt Dough

If you or your child has a gluten sensitivity, substituting your favorite gluten-free flour one for one will work well in this recipe.

No Bake Salt Dough Recipe

You can store salt dough in an airtight container for future use. Or you can let your creations dry and paint them with acrylic paints.

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If you do want to speed up the drying process by baking them, just place your salt dough crafts on a baking sheet and pop them into a 200-degree oven. Baking time will vary based on the size and thickness of your crafts, so just keep a close eye on them.

I'd love to see how your salt dough crafts turn out... Tag me @Unsophisticook on Instagram or use the hashtag #Unsophisticook so I can check them out. Enjoy!

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