Salt Dough Handprint Ornaments (3 Ingredients, Easy for Toddlers)

You need

• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup salt
• About ½ cup warm water
• A cereal bowl or big round lid (the cutter)
• A straw (for the hanging hole)
• Ribbon or baker's twine
• Paint or markers for tomorrow (any kid paint works)

Makes 3 to 4 hand-size ornaments. Press tonight, bake 2 to 3 hours at 250°F after bedtime (or air-dry 2 to 3 days), paint tomorrow.

How to make them

1. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the warm water a little at a time and knead 2 to 3 minutes, until it feels like smooth play dough.

   So it works: Sticky? A spoon more flour. Crumbly? A splash more water.

   

2. Roll it out ¼ inch thick (about the height of a stacked pair of coins) and cut a circle bigger than their hand with the bowl. Move it onto a parchment-lined baking sheet now, before the print.

   So it works: Thicker than ¼ inch is what puffs up and blurs the print.

3. Press their hand in firmly: palm first, then push each finger down with yours. Poke the hanging hole with the straw now, before baking. Scratch the year (or their name) under the print with a toothpick.

   So it works: Not happy with it? Ball it up and roll again. It usually takes 2 or 3 tries, and that's normal.

   

4. Bake at 250°F for 2 to 3 hours, until hard and dry all the way through (tap it: it sounds hollow). Turn the oven off and let them cool inside. No oven time? Air-dry on a rack for 2 to 3 days, flipping once a day.

   So it works: Low and slow is the anti-puff trick. A hotter oven makes bubbles.

5. Paint, let it dry, then thread the ribbon. To make it last for years, brush on a coat of clear sealer (Mod Podge) or clear nail polish, front and back.

   So it works: Markers work too, and they're less mess for little ones.

4 easy twists

• Fingerprint Christmas tree. Paint a plain circle white, then they stamp green fingerprints in a triangle and add a yellow star on top.
• Baby footprint. Same steps with a foot. Easier than a baby's hand, which always curls.
• Cookie-cutter shapes. Use the leftover dough for stars, hearts or trees. Poke a hole in each before baking.
• Gift tag. A small circle with their name scratched in. Tie it on a present for a grandparent.

Making a few for gifts?

One batch makes 3 to 4. Doubling it (2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, about 1 cup water) makes 6 to 8, enough for every grandparent and a teacher.

After the holidays, wrap each one in tissue in a box somewhere dry. Sealed, they last for years.