Air-Dry Clay Easter Eggs Art Activity

Get ready to fall in love with air-dry clay Easter eggs. They’re adorable, easy, fun to make, and you can save them to use and display for years and years to come. Air-dry clay is perfect for kids as it’s easy to use and requires no fancy tools.

Three painted air-dry clay Easter eggs sit in a shallow pink tray next to 5 small bottles of acrylic paint and a paintbrush.

Why you should try air-dry clay Easter eggs

When I talk to adults about clay, they often share that they haven’t used it before because they don’t have the “fancy things” needed for clay, like wheels, kilns, or glazes.

Good news: air-dry clay needs none of those tools. It isn’t made the same as traditional clay, which requires fancy tools and techniques, making it perfect for kids.

Once you enter the world of air-dry clay and realize how fabulous (and easy) it is, you will be hooked.

I love, love, love introducing people to the beautiful world of air-dry clay, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with it, too.

Related: A GIANT Easter coloring banner is the perfect addition to your Easter fun (and it’s fun for the whole family).

An egg shape made from clay sits in a pink tray. On the egg shape are coils of clay shaped into wavy lines. Behind the egg is a small bowl of water and two other eggs made from clay - one plain and one with clay stripes.

Materials

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Air-dry clay
Acrylic paint
Paintbrushes
Bowl of water
Art trays – optional
Rolling pin – optional
Clear spray paint – optional

Three photos: (1) a hand holds a piece of air-dry clay, (2) the clay is rolled into a ball, (3) the ball of clay is pressed with a hand and flattened (and a container of Crayola air-dry clay sits in the background).

Directions

Using air-dry clay is a two-step process. Step 1 is making your creation with clay and letting it dry completely (usually a few days). Step 2 is painting.

When using air-dry clay with our preschoolers, we usually make our clay pieces at the end of the week and then paint them at the beginning of the following week.

Step 1: Making the eggs

Begin by making an egg shape. You can do this by either:

Using an egg cookie cutter
Forming a clay ball, flattening and stretching it with your hands or rolling pin, then pressing your hands against the side of your circle to mold it into an egg shape (this is the method we use)

The steps for how to add stripes to air-dry clay Easter eggs in three photos: (1) a flattened egg made from clay sits in a pink tray and a finger wipes water across the top, (2) a piece of rolled clay is added to the wet spot made from water, (3) a finger adds a third line of water to the clay egg.

If you’re adding clay designs, use your finger to rub on water as the “glue.”

You’ll need to add water to two spots: (1) on the bottom of your clay design (ex: a squiggly line) and (2) on the flat egg where the design will go.

Press firmly to make sure the pieces are adhered together.

Let your air-dry clay Easter eggs dry completely.

Step 2: Painting the eggs

Once your eggs are completely dry, it’s time to paint!

For Easter, we like to make pastel colors with our acrylic paints by adding white paint to each of the colors we use.

Have fun adding colors and creativity to your eggs.

Three dried air-dry clay Easter eggs sit on a yellow table below a white paper plate with seven puddles of pastel acrylic paints.

Optional bonus step: Sealing with clear spray paint

This optional step only makes your final pieces look shiny, which is very pretty but not required.

If sealing with clear spray paint, do this outside and away from children.

How to preserve your air-dry clay Easter eggs

I still have some things that I made out of clay when I was in preschool.

Clay is an excellent medium for unique keepsakes, and your air-dry clay will last for years to come.

When storing your eggs, wrap them in tissue and make sure to handle them with care.

Alternatively, you could also leave your final creations out all year long.

Bonus idea: You could also use a straw to poke a hole in the top of your egg, add a string, and hang your egg on the wall.

Two photos showing a piece of clay before being rubbed with water (rough, dry edges) and after (smooth, slick edges).

Tip: How to smooth clay with water

Clay and water are the peanut butter and jelly of the art world: they just go together.

When using clay with kids, we always set out a small bowl of water for them to use as glue (explained more in Step 1 of the directions) and to smooth out cracks and dry spots.

Rub a wet finger on cracked or dry spots on clay and watch how quickly it becomes silky smooth.

An air-dry clay Easter egg is painted with orange and yellow acrylic paints.

What to make after air-dry clay Easter eggs

If you have leftover clay, there are so many incredible things that you can use it for!

You can make:

Easy pinch pots – these are a classic to make with clay
Handprints – roll a ball of clay, flatten it into a circle, and press in a child’s hand – these make adorable gifts
Self-portraits – allow children to use the clay to make mini versions of themselves freely
Snakes – these are very easy to make by rolling out long coils of clay

I also love simply setting out a mound of air-dry clay and letting kids make whatever they want.