Salt Painting is a really fun activity to do with the kids without a lot of supplies or expense. This activity is super easy but provides a ton of fun for children.

We love Arts and Crafts for Kids and Salt Painting does not disappoint. Salt Art is so pretty and kids will love glue painting. It's inexpensive and so fun!

I’m always trying to come up with new ideas and crafts to do with the kids and we recently tried salt painting. We love to do activities that are fun but don’t require a ton of supplies or expense.

We learned how to make puffy paint and today it’s all about Salt Painting.  It’s a really fun activity and it’s always a big hit.

You will probably have most of the supplies on hand so it’s all very easy to put together. This is an inexpensive activity but will keep the kiddos attention for quite some time. It is so much fun.

What is Raised Salt Painting?

This activity involves kids making a design out of glue and then salt is sprinkled over the design. Watercolors complete the design for a gorgeous craft project.

I use Crayola watercolors, but you can use the brand you prefer. It’s such a simple project and so cheap to make that you will love doing this! You can make scribbles, squiggles, designs, nature scenes and more.

Don’t forget to use card stock for the best experience because you need something that will hold up to the salt and paint. Regular paper will be too thin.

It’s a great way to introduce kids to new process art activities and art techniques.

Supplies for artwork - glue, salt, watercolor paints, card stock.

Materials

  • White glue. Just regular school glue.
  • Salt. Plain table salt.
  • Watercolor paints. Any color you prefer.
  • Card stock. Thick paper is best.

Step By Step Instructions

Cardstock with glue design on a paper plate.

Step 1. Use white glue to draw a design or picture onto a piece of card stock. I like to cut small pieces that fit onto a paper plate.

Salt sprinkled on glue design.

Step 2. Once you are finished with your glue drawing, liberally sprinkle salt onto the glue. Gently shake the excess salt onto the paper plate and set aside.

Watercolor being painted on glue.

Step 3. Place your salt covered cardstock onto a flat surface covered with newspaper or wax paper. You can also place the paper on cardboard or poster board. Use watercolor paints and gently use a paint brush on the salt-covered glue lines. This is so neat to see the picture come together with lots of gorgeous colors. It is like magic.

Glue being painted with various colors.

Step 4. You won’t need a lot of water on the paintbrush, but the more pigment color you have on your brush the better. Once finished, set aside this fun kid’s craft to dry completely.

Pro Tips

  • Drying Process. Allow ample time for the moisture to dry on the artwork.
  • Excess Salt. Make sure to let the excess salt fall off before painting. You can pour into a baking dish to reuse on more pictures.
  • Water. Don’t use too much water or drying time will take longer, and the paper may deteriorate .
  • Place the paper on a tray or plate. It is helpful to put the paper on something. You can use cardboard, paper plate, tray or any type of sturdy art surface.
  • Thick paper. Use cardstock or thick paper for this watercolor technique craft.

Try More Easy Crafts for Kids

Make Salt Art today and see all the different creations you can make. Kids of all ages enjoy doing this activity! It’s a blast to make and our favorite art activity.

Salt Painting

Salt Painting is a really fun activity to do with the kids without a lot of supplies or expense. This activity is super easy but provides a ton of fun for children.
Prep Time5 minutes
Active Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Keyword: Salt Painting
Yield: 1
Author: One Crazy Mom

Equipment

  • white glue
  • table salt
  • watercolor paints
  • card stock

Instructions

  • Use white glue to draw a design or picture onto a piece of card stock. I like to cut small pieces that fit onto a paper plate.
  • Once you are finished with your glue drawing, liberally sprinkle salt onto the glue.
  • Gently shake off onto the paper plate and set the plate aside.
  • Place your salt covered card stock onto a flat surface covered with newspaper or wax paper.
  • Use watercolor paints to gently paint onto the salt. This is so neat to see the picture come together with lots of gorgeous colors.
  • You won’t need a lot of water, but the more pigment color you have on your brush the better. Once finished, set aside to dry completely.

Notes

Salt painting is such a fun and inexpensive craft to do with the kids!

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Comments

  1. Cheri mello says:

    ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผโค๏ธ AWESOME!! THANKS for Sharing ๐Ÿ˜Š This Looks Like fun!! The grandkids are out of school now And can do ALL sorts of fun things in Between sports AND miscellaneous summer fun . I Found Some GREAT slime recipe on Pinterest And my Grandkids LOVED it ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผโค๏ธ Thanks And G-d Bless โค๏ธ

    1. carrie says:

      You’re welcome! Thanks for the comment Cheri

  2. Betty Miller says:

    Will this work on a canvas panel board?

    1. carrie says:

      Yes, I think it would work great. Thanks Betty!

  3. Jess says:

    Do you let the glue dry before painting it?

  4. lindsey k says:

    Thanks for sharing, my girls, ages 4 and 7 loved this! They each sat and did 3 pictures. Love that it was easy set up and I had all supplies on hand.

    1. carrie says:

      Great to hear! Thanks for sharing.

  5. Linda Houlihan says:

    GOOD MORNING,
    I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU CAN LET THE GLUE/SALT DRY BEFOR PAINTING??? SORRY I ALWAY TYPE IN CAPS, JUST EASIER FOR ME.
    I AM PLANNING THIS FOR OUR LETTER “J” WEEK SOON.
    THANK YOU!

    1. carrie says:

      You can let it dry. The salt is what soaks up the paint so it should still work great. Thanks.