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Cute Heart Pinch Pots You Can Make At Home

Make these adorable clay heart dishes in no time at all. Our easy tutorial will teach young children and beginners how to make heart pinch pots at home for a fun clay project idea.

painted clay heart pinch pots.

Children love making simple pinch pots, animal clay projects and more with clay. While air dry clay is not as strong as fired clay, it is still a great material for your ceramic projects at home.

Why You Will Love This Clay Project


  • KID FRIENDLY – Kindergarten students an up can make a version of this ceramic pinch pot.
  • FUN TO PAINT – Any design and colors look awesome on your heart pinch pot.
  • LIMITED TIME – These pinch pots can be made in minutes and then painted a different day.
  • MAKE GREAT GIFTS – These would be great Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Christmas gifts for students and children.

Notes On Supplies You’ll Need

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air dry clay in large plastic container.
  • CLAY – You can use air dry clay or regular clay. We are using both Crayola and Das clay at home for this project.
  • PAINT or GLAZE– Simple acrylic craft paint is the best for paint for air dry clay. However, you can also use watercolor to paint clay. We don’t recommend using tempera paint on any 3-d projects.
  • CLEAR COAT – For this project, gloss Mod Podge worked the best. Find the best clear varnish for your painted heart pinch pot.

You can get the full list of supplies in the printable how-to card at the end of the post.

What is air dry clay?

Air dry clay may also be called air-drying, self-hardening, or no-bake clay. It is a popular medium for sculpting, hand-building, and other clay projects, particularly for those who do not have access to special pottery equipment. Unlike regular clay, it does not require a kiln to harden.

hand holding clay heart dish.

How much clay should a child get?

In our experience, you don’t want to give a young child too much clay. If making a pinch pot for the first time, start with a small amount of clay. A good idea is to use an amount that easily fits in your palm or your child’s hand.

Heart Pinch Pot Tutorial

ART TEACHER TIP – If doing this with a larger group of students, you may want to practice saying “roll the clay into spheres” instead of balls. Trust me, you will thank me later.

child's hand holding ball of clay.

Step 1: Roll A Ball

Roll the clay ball in your hands until it’s smooth and round.

child's hand pushing into clay to make pinch pot.

Step 2: Push Down With Thumbs In The Center

Using their thumbs, kids should push a hole into the center of the clay ball, making sure not to push all the way through to the bottom. The hole should be as deep as possible. This will be the starting point for the pinch pot.

child's hand pinch walls of clay pinch pot.

Step 3: Start Pinching The Walls

Rotate the pot and continue pinching around the edges to create an even shape. Encourage your child to hold their index fingers and thumbs like they are driving a car, instead of pulling the walls and ending up with a plate.

child's hand turning clay pinch pot into heart shaped clay dish.

Step 4: Create The Bottom Of The Heart Shape

Once you have an oval or circular shape, use your hands to pinch the bottom or pointed part of the heart.

child's hand showing heart clay pinch pot dish.

Step 5: Pinch and Shape Two Heart Humps

Continue to work with molding the clay to make your heart shape.

clay heart pinch pot flipped over on tray.

Step 6: Check Walls Are Level

This is optional and not recommended for young children, but you can flip your pot over to even the top of the walls.

finger smoothing out edge of clay heart dish.

Step 7: Smooth Out Cracks

Your child can use a finger dipped in water to help smooth the surface.

child's hands using wooden skewer to poke small designs into a clay heart pot.

Step 8: Add Details

This 7-year-old chose to use her skewer to punch small circles into her pot to add fun textures.

child's hand using small paint brush to paint clay heart.

Step 9: Let Dry And Paint

Once your heart dish is fully dry, you can paint using acrylic paint.

hand holding brush with clear sparkle gloss on it and heart clay projects on a tray.

Optional: Add A Clear Varnish or Coat

The paint will dry relatively quickly on air dry clay, but once it is completely dry you can add a clear coat for extra protection and shine.

Tips

  • DON’T OVERWORK IT – Air-dry clay and regular clay can start to dry out when you overtouch them. Remember, pinch pots are meant to be simple and don’t need to be perfect.
  • DRY TIME IS IMPORTANT – Allow heart dishes to fully dry for at least 24 hours before painting.
  • LIMIT EXTRA WATER – To get rid of cracks, use one finger only in water to avoid making a muddy mess.
  • MARKERS ALSO WORK – You can also try to draw details with permanent markers for extra designs.
painted clay heart pinch pots.
The heart dish on the left was coated in Sparkle Mod Podge.

More Clay Project For Kids

Do you like this art project? Please give us 5 stars below 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 and have fun being creative with your family.

Clay Heart Pinch Pot Tutorial

Make these adorable clay heart dishes with children for an easy pinch pot art project.
Print Tutorial
painted clay heart pinch pots.
Prep:5 minutes
Creating:5 minutes
Dry Time:1 day
Total Time:1 day 10 minutes

Equipment

  • Small container of water
  • Skewer or Needle Tool

Supplies

Instructions

  • Roll a ball of air dry clay in your hands until it's smooth and round.
  • Use your thumbs to push a hole into the center of the clay ball, making sure not to push all the way through to the bottom. The hole should be as deep as possible. This will be the starting point for the pinch pot.
  • Pinch the clay walls to create an even shape, rotating the pot and continuing to pinch around the edges. Be sure to hold your index fingers and thumbs like you're driving a car to maintain the shape.
  • Once you have an oval or circular shape, use your hands to pinch the bottom or pointed part of the heart and the top two humps.
  • Flip the pot over on a flat surface and lightly tap the rim to make it even. You can also use clay tools to trim the excess clay.
  • Smooth out any bumps or cracks with your fingers or a small clay tool. If needed, dip your fingers in water to help smooth the surface.
  • (Optional) Add extra details, such as poking designs into the surface. Be sure not to poke all the way through the clay when drawing.
  • Flip the heart pot over and write your name or initials on the bottom.
  • Let the pot dry completely.
  • (Optional) Add color to your pinch pot using paint or other techniques. Acrylic paint is a good option for painting air dry clay.
  • Once the paint is completely dry, cover the entire surface with a clear varnish.

Notes

  • The drying time for air dry clay can vary depending on the humidity and thickness of the clay. Typically, it takes about 24-48 hours for a small pinch pot to dry completely.
  • Don’t overwork the clay. It will crack and be hard to work with.
Author: Erin Nutter
Cost: under $5

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