Salt Dough Hearts - Easy 3-Ingredient Ornaments

Make salt dough hearts with a simple dough, bake them low and slow, then paint them into colorful keepsakes that are perfect for gifting or decorating. This playful project is easy to set up, fun to personalize, and are fun for Valentine’s Day (or any time of year!).

Overhead view of a metal baking sheet lined with wrinkled parchment paper and scattered salt dough hearts with small holes in the center; several hearts are painted in blended watercolor patches (blue, pink, purple, green, and orange) while other hearts remain unpainted, with two children’s hands holding paintbrushes over the tray and watercolor palettes visible around the edges.

How to make salt dough hearts at home

Salt dough is a classic for a reason:

It’s easy to make
The ingredients are inexpensive
You likely have all three ingredients on hand
There is no limit to the shapes and designs you can make

Plus, it’s fun for kids to make with you!

These little hearts are fun for a Valentine’s Day-ish project, but hearts are fun to make all year long.

Or, swap the hearts for handprints, any other cookie cutter shape you have, or free-form shapes.

🌟 Related: Check out our ultimate collection of the best play dough activities for kids!

ngled overhead photo of a parchment-lined baking sheet covered with salt dough hearts, many painted in bright watercolor blends (rainbow bands, blue-and-pink halves, purple-and-red mixes), with a bright pink table covering, an open watercolor palette at the top left, and a dark cup/jar near the top edge.

An easy salt dough hearts activity for any age

These salt dough hearts can be as simple or as fancy as you want.

You can paint them in solid colors, make swirly watercolor washes, add patterns, write names, or turn them into gift tags and garlands.

I love this as an easy salt dough recipe for classrooms, playdates, or home because the setup is easy and the kids stay engaged for a surprisingly long time.

There’s more heart art where this came from:

Straight overhead view of a parchment-lined baking sheet filled with unpainted heart-shaped pieces with small holes in the center; a single painted heart with blue and pink sections sits near the bottom right corner, with watercolor palettes above and below the tray on a bright pink table cover.

Materials

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4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1.5 cups water
Stand mixer or large mixing bowl + spoon
Rolling pin
Heart cookie cutters (or a knife for an adult to free-hand and cut out heart shapes)
Baking sheet
Parchment paper
Watercolors or acrylic paint + paintbrushes
Straw – optional: for making a hole for hanging
String, ribbon, or twine – optional

Three children seated around a parchment-lined baking sheet on a bright pink table cover, painting salt dough hearts with small paintbrushes; watercolor palettes sit on the table near their hands, and two jars/cups of tinted water are placed beside the tray.

How to make salt dough hearts

Preheat your oven to 250°F.
Mix 4 cups flour, 1 cup salt, and 1.5 cups water until a dough forms.
Keep mixing or kneading until the dough is smooth and not overly sticky. If it’s sticky, add a little flour. If it’s crumbly, add a tiny splash of water.
Roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thick.
Use cookie cutters to cut out hearts and place them on a baking sheet.
If you want to hang them, use a straw to poke a hole near the top of each heart.
Bake at 250°F for about 90 minutes. If your hearts are thicker, bake longer until they feel dry and firm.
Let the hearts cool completely.
Paint with watercolors (soft and dreamy) or acrylic (bold and bright).
Let the paint dry, then add string or ribbon if you made holes.

Note: This ratios for this recipe are from Amy at Yummy Toddler Food and it’s just perfect!

Angled overhead photo of a parchment-lined baking sheet with scattered heart-shaped pieces, including a few painted in bright watercolor sections (teal-blue, pink-red, and multicolor blends) and many left unpainted; a child’s sleeve and hand appear near the top right, with a watercolor palette and a jar of tinted water near the top left.

Experiment with texture when making salt dough hearts

We didn’t do this ourselves on this day, but we have before and it’s a blast:

Before baking, press patterns into the dough to create texture that shows up after painting.
Try a fork, a comb, lace, a leaf, bubble wrap, a LEGO, or even the back of a spoon – anything with a pattern works.

When you paint lightly over the raised parts, the texture becomes super obvious, and kids are dazzled by the reveal.

It feels like magic, but it’s really just: dough + pressure + pattern = instant fanciness.

Close-up of an open watercolor paint palette on a bright pink table cover, with oval paint pans filled with wet, glossy colors (black, reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, and purples) and messy paint splatters and puddles across the mixing tray.

What kids learn while making salt dough hearts

This looks like crafting (because it is!), but there’s so much learning happening while kids mix, roll, cut, and paint.

Kids build fine motor skills through kneading, pressing cookie cutters, poking holes with a straw, and controlling a paintbrush.

They also practice early math in a natural way: measuring ingredients, comparing sizes, noticing thickness, and making “more/less” decisions.

They practice planning and sequencing as they follow steps in order: mix first, roll next, bake, cool.

Plus, kids build creative confidence and self-expression by making choices about colors, patterns, and designs, and seeing that there’s no “wrong” heart when it’s truly theirs.