Kid-Friendly Polymer Clay Christmas Ornaments

This Christmas season so far, has been my favorite of all time. I am now a stay-at-home-mom, which means… I AM HOME to craft, create, and do fun projects with the kids – and isn’t that what the holidays are about?! Togetherness and “HYGGE”!

I have always loved using polymer clay as a medium. It is rather forgiving, easy to handle and mold and the finished product, after baking and applying the glaze is always beautiful. We have used polymer clay as an hand-strengthening activity for the boys – with great success. Over the next few days I will share several polymer clay ornaments we made this year. Jansen (4) was actively involved in creating all of them. He had the most wonderful look of pride in his eyes as he showed his brothers the finished products. Our polymer clay ornaments are easy to make, and VERY kid-friendly. The finished ornaments also make great presents!

Kid-friendly polymer clay Christmas ornaments!

Supplies and tools used for all these ornaments:

Cookie cutters: I used an assortment of old cookie cutters my grandmother gave me. But these would be perfect for this project.

Polymer clay: I really love the ones with a little shimmer.

Twine

Polymer Clay Tools

Rolling pin

Small straw, pencil or other pointy object (Hopefully there is no need for an image of this.)

Cookie sheet (I will spare you a picture of my old cookie sheets!)

Oven (I won’t add a picture here. I bet you can handle this item without my help!)

Tips for making ornaments with polymer clay:

**Read this before you start!**

Start with a small piece of clay and mold it in your hands. It takes a few minutes to warm up the clay so it is easier to work with. This is a perfect job for little helpful hands.
Note! Some of the bright and colorful clay may temporarily stain your hands (and surfaces).
- Wash your hands when you start working with a new color.
- Protect your working surface with an old plastic place mat.
Keep a package of baby wipes close. They are perfect for a quick clean up, before your messy toddler breaks free and sticks his little grubby fingers all over your otherwise spotless house!
Hopefully this goes without saying, but an adult needs to handle the clay going in and coming out of the oven.

And now to the “how does she do it” part!

Cookie Cutter Polymer Clay Ornaments:

On a clean flat surface, roll the clay with the rolling pin.
I like a 1/4” thickness for these ornaments. It’s not too thick, not too thin – it is just right.
Have the little ever-present hands place the cookie cutters in the clay.
You may have to slide a butter knife under the clay to release it from the surface.
Poke a hole about 1/4” away from the edge with a straw, tip of a pencil or kabob squire. Make sure the hole goes all the way through the clay.
Place the ornament on the cookie sheet, to await baking.

Free Form Heart Polymer Clay Ornaments:

Roll the clay into a “fat snake”, fold it in the middle. Now you have the raw outline for a heart.
Pinch and shape the bottom into a point.
Smooth the edges with your fingers and create the preferred heart shape.
Poke a hole about 1/4” away from the edge with a straw or the tip of a pencil. Make sure the hole goes all the way through the clay.
Place the ornament on the cookie sheet, to await baking.
I baked these ornaments separate from the cookie cutter ones, because of the difference in the thickness.

Baking & finishing instructions:

These apply to all the polymer clay ornaments!

Preheat the oven to 275F.
Place your creations on an oven-proof glass or metal surface. An old cookie sheet works perfectly.
Bake for 15 minutes per 1/4” of thickness – MAYBE LESS – watch the oven like a hawk!
I group my ornaments together by size and thickness, and bake the larger ones in a separate batch.
Do NOT microwave
Do NOT over-bake. The clay is NOT supposed to brown lightly on the edge like a pizza – take it from someone who has an entire cookie sheet of “Pinterest-fail” ornaments.
Once the ornament has cooled completely, apply a layer of glaze for that beautiful finished touch.
Thread the twine through the hole, once the glaze has completely dried.
Write the child’s name and year on the back of the glazed ornament with a Sharpie permanent marker.
Voila! Your ornament is now ready to spread cheer throughout the world.