Let’s use salt dough to create a candy cane-coloured set of letters that you can use as decorations or for spelling work.  

Materials needed:

:: large bowl

:: flour

:: salt

:: water

:: wooden spoon

:: baking tray

:: red and white acrylic paint

:: paint brushes

:: Modpodge or varnish (optional)      

To make salt dough take a large bowl and in it mix:

:: two cups flour;

:: two cups salt; and

:: one cup water

Use a wooden spoon or your hands to bring the ingredients together to form a dough.

Then you can use the dough to make any shapes, numbers or letters you like.

You might like to make a whole alphabet. To bake your shapes, place on a baking tray and cook in a cool oven (Gas 1/2, 120C, 250F) for about 2 – 3 hours. (Thicker shapes may take longer.)  

Once they’re baked and cool, paint your shapes with red and white acrylic paint. You can use different patterns of spots, stripes and swooshes.  

Add a layer of Modpodge or varnish if you would like, for extra durability.    

Download your ready-made Nativity UnitDownload the Play Academy’s ready-made Nativity Unit and you’ll have everything you need to lead a set of activities to introduce your children to the Nativity story.

This Unit includes artist-drawn puppets/colour-in nativity scene characters and printable Bible verse cards, that your children can use year after year.

In this Nativity teaching unit your children can:

:: learn about the Nativity and create their own Nativity book or small world scene using colour-in puppet / nativity scene characters

:: learn about Mary and Joseph’s journey, and explore junk modelling

:: learn about the shepherds role, and explore loose parts

:: learn about Jesus’ birth

:: learn about the three wise men, and complete their book / re-tell the story in their small world  

Bonus Nativity thematic unit printables

The Play Academy’s thematic units come with practical printables that make the lessons more engaging for your children and easier for you to teach.

No need to go searching for printables to accompany your lessons, they’re all included when you download your chosen unit.

In this Nativity Unit you’ll receive these bonus printables:

:: My Nativity Story book to write, colour and complete to tell the Nativity story

:: a set of artist-drawn My Nativity Puppets to colour, cut out and use to re-cap and act out the Nativity story

:: Nativity Vocabulary Cards to recap and consolidate learning

:: Nativity Bible Verse Cards to read, narrate your own acting out of the story, and perhaps to memorise

How to download this Nativity thematic unit

You can download this unit along with over 50 more from NurtureStore’s Play Academy.

If you are already of the Play Academy, you can download this unit straight away from our Library here.

If you are not yet a member, find out more and choose your first unit here. Your teaching is about to get a whole lot easier!