Simple Clay Flower Pinch Pot Ceramic Lesson
This art lesson is the perfect first pinch pot project for younger elementary students. Children and their families will love creating this easy flower ceramic idea.
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Age
This art project for kids is great for kids of all ages but has especially been a hit with kindergarten and first-grade artists.
The best part of this easy ceramic art idea is that all kids end up with a flower cup (or plate). The process of learning through doing with clay is so important.
Kids will still love the outcome of their flower pinch pot even if they end up making more of a flower plate instead of a bowl.
Does a child have to have experience making a pinch pot?
No, if you break down each part step-by-step all young artists should be able to create this easy kid’s ceramic art project. Sometimes this is the first clay project we introduced to our students.
We love using pinch pots as the first building process children learn. Once they have completed this clay flower, you may want to consider building a pinch pot owl or pinch pot turtle with them.
Supplies
- Small container of water
- Skewer
- White Clay
- Placemat or surface to work on
How To Make Clay Flower
Before You Begin
Pre-cut white art clay. Each pinch pot will need clay to fit in the palm of the child’s hand. You can have students wedge the clay a little before starting to build.
Step 1: Roll A Sphere
Roll a ball of clay.
Step 2: Use Thumbs And Push
Have kids push two holes close together with their thumbs as far as they can go without going through.
Step 3: Add Two More Thumbprints
Turn the clay ball so that they put two more thumbprints. You can tell them it kind of looks like a four-leaf clover. This helps children pinch the wall whole.
Step 4: Pinch The Edge Of The Cup
Use your hands to pinch around the edge and make sure not to make walls too thin.
Step 5: Smooth Out Clay
Kids can use water to smooth out any rough areas. We always instruct them that a little goes a long way and to not make “mud pie”.
Step 6: Pinch Clay Flower Petals
Use your fingers to pinch in small petals around the edge of the bowl.
Step 7: Use The Wood Tool To Add Petals
Use a clay skewer to cut in the flower petals.
Step 8: Add Extra Textures
Use the end of the skewer to lightly poke holes for the seeds in the inner part of their flower. Make sure kids lightly stamp the seeds.
They do not want to poke all the way through. It isn’t the end of the world though if they do in some areas.
Step 9: Write Their Name
An adult should write the kid’s name on the bottom of the pinch pot with a sharp sewer or needle tool.
Step 10: Let Dry And Run In The Kiln
Let the flower pinch pot dry and run a bisque fire in your kiln.
Pinch Pot Making Tips
- Make sure the thumbs push enough down. You may need to “check” each child before they move on. You do not want a lot of extra clay in the bottom of their pinch pots.
- Don’t let kids over-touch the clay. It can start to dry out or get crumbly.
- Show children how to use one finger to smooth the pot. If they use too much water they will end up with “mudpie”.
- Play a game to get kids used to clay before starting this pinch pot project and during the project. Ask students to hold up their hands when they complete each game step. This will help them to stop playing with the clay when they are not actually building.
Adding Color To Clay Flowers
We love using ceramic glaze on these flowers. Most of the time this is the first “glaze experience” for young children. The amazement on their faces when they see the colors change is really fun.
Read more>>>9 tips for how to easily use clay glazes with your kids
We love using these glazes with young children. They are able to get rich color and they fire pretty easily in the kiln.
What if you don’t have clay glaze?
This simple pinch pot project can also be made with air dry clay or painted instead of glazed. We actually made one of these and painted it with acrylic and add an awesome gloss medium to clear coat it.
Tips For Using Glaze
- Encourage students to use only 3 colors of glazes. One for petals, one for the inside and one for the outside.
- Do not let them glaze the bottom. When firing large quantities of projects, we just find it is easier to keep the bottoms white or unglazed.
- Kids should use 3 coats or layers of glazes
- Make sure the brush is clean and dry when changing colors.
- Run your finished clay pots in the kiln.
If you don’t have glazes or built this simple ceramic project with air-dry clay, feel free to use acyclic paint to add color to your flower art project.
Tutorial FAQs
Yes, you can flower similar steps to create an air-dry clay art project. Instead of clay glaze, you can use acrylic or watercolor paint to add color with an optional clear gloss for extra protection.
For this project, it is best if the walls are around 1/4 inch thick.
Children can honestly make a pinch pot in less than 5 minutes. If doing this is in a large class setting, 1 class period is enough time to experiment with the clay, build your pinch pot flower and clean-up.
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Related Projects
- Clay Pinch Pot Monsters: a little more advanced build, but still great for elementary kids
- Easy Clay Slab Cat Art Lesson
- How To Add A Foot Ring To Bowls
See the joy on a child’s face when they see their completed clay flower art project!
If you like this easy tutorial, be sure to give us 5 stars below 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 and have fun being creative with your family.
Flower Pinch Pots
Equipment
- Wooden Skewer
- Paintbrush
- Small container of water
- Placemat or work area
Materials
- White Art Clay
- Glazes
Instructions
- Roll ball of clay.
- Have kids push two holes close together with their thumbs as far as they can go without going through.
- Turn the clay ball so that they put two more thumbprints. You can tell them it kind of looks like a four-leaf clover.
- Use hands to pinch around the edge and make sure not to make walls too thin.
- Use fingers to pinch in small petals around the edge of the bowl.
- Use a clay skewer to cut in the flower petals.
- Use the end of the skewer to lightly poke holes for the seeds in the inner part of their flower.
- Kids can use water to smooth out any rough areas. We always instruct them that a little goes a long way and to not make “mud pie”.
Hello
These projects look great. I am a grade 2 art club teacher. Would I be able to use the forget the glaze technique (pastels and paint rinse) on unfired/air-dryed clay?
Hi Tamara. As always I would test it first yourself before trying. In an art class setting, I rarely used air dry clay because I always had access to a kiln. Therefore, I haven’t ever done that specific technique on air dry clay with a class. There are two things I would concerned about if trying to do oil pastels and a rinse on air dry clay. 1) kids may push too hard with any drawing material and break their clay projects 2) wetting air dry clay can weaken it and may cause breaks. Now, with that being said every art process depends on the specific materials being used and it may work, but I would just be cautious and test it out first. Let us know what you find out!