Doing a craft with your children around a holiday, like St. Patrick’s Day, helps to make their day extra special. Not only do crafts provide a fun project and pretty result, they also give you the opportunity to teach your children about the day’s history while sparking their creativity. When making this salt dough shamrock craft, your children will learn about measuring, cooking and gain some self-esteem from their newfound talents. This shamrock necklace is the perfect way for your children to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day, especially if they have a school uniform that does not incorporate green! Kids can share the extra necklaces from this St Patrick’s day necklace craft with their friends.
The word shamrock comes from an Irish word and simply means young clover. It is often used as a symbol of Ireland. So this shamrock craft is perfect to help you celebrate St. Patty’s day.
DIY Shamrock Necklaces Tutorial
You just need a few simple craft supplies to make a St Patricks day shamrock necklace.
Materials
- 2 cups of flour
- 1/2 cup of salt
- 3/4 cup of water
- 20 green food-coloring drops
- Rolling pin
- Skewer or straw (to poke holes in the salt dough shamrocks)
- Shamrock cookie cutter or small heart shaped cookie cutter
- Yarn (gold, green, or rainbow are all great St. Patrick’s Day colors)
How To Make St Patrick’s Day Necklaces Craft:
Here is step by step directions for how to make this salt dough Shamrock Necklace St. Patrick’s Day Craft.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Have your children help you make the salt dough mixture by combining the flour and salt. Next, add the food coloring to the water and stir. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and stir. When it begins to thicken up, let them use their hands to work it into a dough ball.
- Once the dough ball is formed, sprinkle some flour onto a flat, dry surface such as a parchment covered countertop or large cutting board. Let your kids use a rolling pin to roll the dough out until it is about ¼ -inch thick.
- Use the shamrock cookie cutter to press out several green clover necklace pendants. If you don’t have a clover shaped cutter, here is how to make a shamrock.Use a small heart shaped cookie cutter and then press the hearts together to form clovers. You can do four hearts for a four-leaf clover or three hearts and a stem for a more traditional shamrock. Once you have all of your shamrocks ready, use a skewer or straw to make a hole at the top center of each shamrock.
- Transfer the salt dough shamrocks to a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and bake for 45 minutes (oven should already be preheated to 300 degrees). Carefully flip the shamrocks over to the other side and place them back in the oven for another 15-30 minutes until hardened.
- Remove the salt dough shamrocks from the oven and allow them to cool.
- Use yarn to string each of the shamrock pendants, tying a double-knot tightly where the two strings meet.
Your shamrock necklace craft is done. Please read the safety notes below.
Necklace Safety Tips
Please note while this is a great preschool shamrock craft, young children should remain under supervision when they wear the shamrock necklaces . Bear in mind that necklaces are a strangulation hazard if given to children that are too young and that children should never sleep in necklaces. Please see these necklace safety tips from Arnold Palmer Hospital. If you wish to make them into necklaces for toddlers, you will want to break-away necklace connectors (here is my affiliate Amazon link for that).
There you have it! Your green shamrock necklace is ready for your kids to wear. It also makes a fun, “lucky” keepsake after St. Patrick’s Day is over. I hope you enjoyed this shamrock craft.
Conclusion
Trying a shamrock necklace craft can be a fun, creative way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day while engaging kids and adults alike in a simple DIY project. This craft encourages fine motor skills through threading beads, fosters creativity by designing the shamrocks, and offers a personal touch to holiday attire. Plus, it’s a budget-friendly activity using common supplies like yarn, flour, and salt, making it accessible for families or classrooms. The finished necklace adds a festive charm and sense of accomplishment, whether worn or given as a handmade gift.
St. Patrick’s Day is a great time to talk to your child about the two meanings of “green!” What are your favorite St. Patrick’s Day crafts and traditions?
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Marie says
This is a great idea. I’m going to try it with my two boys. However, I don’t think I could find a shamrock cookie cutter here in Turkey. I also looked but couldn’t find a small heart shaped cookie cutter either. I might have to raid my kids playdoh toy box to see if they have small playdoh heart shaped cutter.
Rehman says
These St. Patrick’s day necklaces are a great idea!
Prabh says
I couldn’t agree more with the importance of focus art & craft classes. These classes not only provide a creative outlet for individuals but also enhance their cognitive abilities, such as problem-solving, decision-making, and attention to detail. Moreover, art and craft classes offer a space for people to express themselves freely and develop a sense of accomplishment through their creations. Overall, I believe that focus art & craft classes are a valuable addition to any curriculum or personal development plan.
Bhagyarathi Chandra says
This is a nice salt dough clover craft. Thank you for sharing it with us.