Salt art is so fun and easy for anyone to do. We recently tried this and seriously each stage of the salt art kept our little one interested. And the best part? You likely have all of the ingredients already at home!

Ingredients Needed to Make the Salt Art:

• Table Salt
• Poster Board, Cereal Box or Card Stock (thicker than computer paper)
• Elmer’s Glue
• Watercolors or Food Coloring
• Paintbrushes
• Bowls
• Plastic Container (for salt)
• Tablecloth (optional, but recommended)

I wish I would have taken pictures of the steps. But honestly this craft is so easy to do that they are not really necessary.

Step 1: Add Elmer’s Glue Design to Poster Board or Card Stock

Either free hand or print out a design and trace the lines with Elmer’s Glue. We did it both ways. Since Easter is right around the corner, I thought it’d be cute to make an egg design.

I searched for an Easter egg design on a website I use a lot for my icons, blew it up and printed it out on card stock. You can also run a simple web search to find any design you want to make.

Since I wanted our little one to be involved as much as possible, I let her take the reins on the free hand design. If I’m honest, designs are great for holidays. However, I actually like the free hand method better.

Step 2: Add the Salt

Now comes the fun, but messy part! This is where a tablecloth will come in handy. I placed the salt in a plastic container and we sprinkled the salt all over the glue.

It’s important to note that we did not let the glue dry before adding salt. This is because we want the salt to adhere to the glue.

Step 3: Let it Dry

We let it dry for approximately an hour before we went in with the colors.

Step 4: Mix the Colors

We decided to use food coloring for our colors. Watercolors would also work nicely for salt art. We mixed about 1 tablespoon of water and food coloring together in plastic bowls.

It will take some testing to get the right consistency. Simply add more drops of color until you get the desired color you are looking for.

Step 5: Add the Colors

Time to watch the magic happen! When it comes to this step, it’s important not to use a heavy hand. Get your paintbrush plenty full of color and simply dab the salt art. You should see the color start traveling across the salt.

Kids may try to turn this into a full blown painting session. Pushing hard on the salt and pulling it off the paper. Show them how to do it and how cool it is, if they just lightly touch.

I personally corrected/helped only a couple of times and then let her have at it. As you may be able to tell. It’s not about perfection, but rather the experience.

Tips for Salt Art

• Use a tablecloth, if you can.
• Thicker material, such as poster board will likely work best. The glue and watercolors can get heavy.
• Take a picture of your child’s artwork. This project is not a keepsake that will last long. It is more about the enjoyment of creating something.

Did you skip down to the bottom? Here are the 5 steps to create your own salt art:

• Step 1: Add Elmer’s Glue Design to Poster Board or Card Stock
• Step 2: Add the Salt to the Glue
• Step 3: Let the Glue and Salt Dry
• Step 4: Mix the Colors, if necessary (food coloring)
• Step 5: Add Colors to the Salt Art