Tried & Tested Air-Dry Clay Recipe – No Baking!

This air-dry clay recipe is a simple and fun craft activity that allows kids to get fully involved and creative. There are plenty of air-drying clay recipes online, but this is one we have genuinely tried and tested at home and in group activities. Best of all, there is no baking required, which makes it easy to set up and stress free.

Once you have made the clay, the real fun begins. Children can create animals, little sculptures, bowls, or clay moulds of hands and feet to keep as a memory. There are so many ideas and crafts you can use this clay for. This recipe makes child-friendly clay from flour and salt that, when left out in the open, dries within a day. Once dry, you can paint and add all the extra touches to turn your artwork into a real masterpiece.

This is a brilliant activity for rainy afternoons, school holidays, or half term breaks when getting outdoors is not always an option. Because it uses everyday ingredients and requires no cooking, it is ideal for a relaxed afternoon of creative play at home.

• Child-friendly ingredients – 100% safe for kids to use

• No baking or cooking when making or setting the clay

• Dries really hard within a day or two

• Easy to paint or draw on the dry clay
  
  

How to make the air-dry clay:

1. Mix 4 cups of flour and 1 cup of salt in a large bowl.
   

2. Add 1¾ cups of warm water to the flour and salt mixture. Even though it may look like the amount of water is not correct, it is.
   

3. Mix the water and flour and salt mixture with a wooden spoon or use your hands.
   

4. Knead the clay dough for 10 to 15 minutes.
   

5. Have fun making things.
   
   

Keep the clay in an airtight container or closed plastic bag if you cannot start crafting right away. It will last for about a week like this.

Pro tips from our team:

• Make a quarter batch if you want less clay or are only doing a small activity.
  

• The clay starts to dry around the edges, so keep clay that you are not using in a container or bag.
  

• To help prevent cracking as it dries, make firm clay balls and shapes. The thinner the clay, the more easily it cracks.
  

• If the edges of your artwork start to dry and crack, lightly dip your fingers in water and rub it onto the clay.
  

• Use food colouring in the mixture to create coloured clay. You will need quite a bit of colouring for the colour to come through properly.
  

• Use a toothpick to make eyes and other small features in the clay.
  

• Use a plastic placemat or wax paper under the clay while you are working for easy cleaning.
  

• Lay your finished artwork on newspaper to dry. Smaller items often dry overnight, while bigger pieces can take up to a week to dry, so put them somewhere out of reach where they cannot be fiddled with.
  

• Paint and colour your artwork once it is dry. The clay is quite porous and absorbs marker pens quickly, so avoid using expensive markers. Painting is great fun, but be careful not to drop the sculpture as it could break.
  

• Use wood glue to stick on googly eyes and pipe cleaners.