National Grandparent’s Day is tomorrow (Sunday, September 9), so that means you still have about 24 hours to make Grandma or Grandpa a personal gift in honor of their namesake holiday – and these homemade clay ornaments are a fun, kid-friendly activity that the grandkids can help create from start to finish (and one you can complete in a single afternoon)! Simply give each grandchild a bit of baking clay and let him or her mold their piece into a flat shape of their choice. Make a hole in the shape, bake it in the oven, paint the hardened shape, and string it with ribbon. The result will be a personalized holiday ornament (or paperweight) that Grandma or Grandpa will treasure forever! Read on to learn just to make your own Grandparent’s Day clay ornaments.
You’ll need:
- Oven-bake clay
- Plastic knife
- Pen
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Paint and other decorations
- Ribbon
- Scissors
- Wrapping paper or a pretty gift box
Directions:
1. Give each child a handful of clay, and help them mold it into a round ball then flatten it on a hard surface. Use a rolling pin if you’d like.
2. Keeping the clay at least a half-inch thick, instruct each child to cut a shape out of the flat clay. Use a plastic knife or your hands to be as detailed as you’d like.
3. Place each child’s clay shape on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
4. Insert the tip of a pen through the top of each clay piece to make a hole.
5. Bake the clay pieces for about 20 minutes at 275 degrees.
6. When clay is hard to the touch, remove each piece from the oven and let cool completely (about 20 minutes).
7. Let each child decorate their clay ornament with paint, glitter, puffy paint and anything else they’d like to use! (Tip: Use water-based acrylic paint to ensure that it adheres to the clay nicely).
Set aside each piece to dry for a few hours, then wrap up your Grandparent’s Day gifts with wrapping paper or pretty gift boxes and present them with pride to Grandma and Grandpa on Sunday, September 9 for a lovely surprise!
How did you celebrate Grandparent’s Day this year?
