If you’re looking for a hands-on, colorful, and engaging St. Patrick’s Day craft, this salt painted ideas is about to become your new favorite activity! This simple art technique combines glue, salt, and watercolor paint to create shimmery, textured designs that kids will love. And let’s be honest—who doesn’t love a good process art project? It’s easy, it’s fun, and it’s the perfect excuse to break out those vibrant greens, golds, and rainbows.
This craft is great for preschoolers, toddlers, and even big kids because it’s all about the process rather than the final result. Kids will be mesmerized as they watch the paint spread through the salt, creating a magical, watercolor-like effect. Plus, it’s a low-prep activity that only requires a few basic supplies, making it a win for parents and teachers alike.
Why You’ll Love This St. Patrick’s Day Craft
- It’s a sensory experience! The texture of the salt and the way the paint spreads make this a fantastic hands-on activity.
- No perfection required. Salt painting is all about the process, so there’s no pressure to make it look a certain way.
- Low-mess (kind of). While there’s some salt involved, it’s still easier to clean up than glitter!
- Endless design possibilities. Shamrocks, rainbows, pots of gold—you name it!
Supplies Required
- Water color paper
- Rainbow Shamrock Printable (available below)
- Table salt
- Water colors
- Paint brush
- School Glue
How to Set Up
- Print out the rainbow shamrock printable on to water color paper or white cardstock.
- Use a tray to help contain the mess especially during the salt shaking process. Use a bottle of school glue and trace the outline of the rainbow and shamrock.
- Before the glue dries shake table salt on to the glue. Make sure all the glue it covered in table salt. Shake of the excess salt. Then allow the it to dry.
- Once dry, use water color paints to paint the rainbow and shamrocks. Lightly mist the paints to get them wet using a spray bottle or pour a small amount of water on to the watercolors. Then invite your child to lightly touch the salted lines and watch the color spread. It’s so satisfying!!
- Continue until the entire picture is colored and set it aside the dry.
Tips for a Fun and Successful Salt Painting Session
- Use heavy paper like cardstock or watercolor paper to prevent it from curling when wet.
- Let the glue dry slightly before painting for a more defined look, or paint immediately for a more blended effect.
- Use liquid watercolors for the most vibrant colors (but regular watercolor sets work too!).
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
