Easy Pumpkin Magnet Clay Craft For Kids
Are you looking for a quick and easy Fall clay craft for kids? Use our tutorial to make adorable pumpkin or Jack-o-lantern magnets to decorate your fridge!
Oven bake clay is so easy to work with that even young artists can make this cute pumpkin clay magnet craft in minutes. If making these with children, please allow an adult to do the baking while taking proper precautions.
MORE PUMPKIN ART IDEAS – You can get the full tutorial for the doodle pumpkin project here!
Why Kids Love Using Polymer Clay
Supplies you’ll need
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*You can purchase packs of regular magnets, mini magnets or self-adhesive ones. We like to superglue our magnets onto the clay for a stronger bond.
DIY Clay Pumpkin Tutorial
Most of the clay examples below were made by 7—and 8-year-olds without much clay sculpting experience. You can easily adapt the clay tutorial to fit the needs of the artists.
Step 1: Set-Up Your Work Area
Give children a small amount of orange polymer clay to work with. You can roll the clay or mold a pumpkin shape with your hands first.
Step 2: Sculpt Your Pumpkin
Smaller and flatter 3-D pumpkins will work best. If they want to make a more 3-D sculpture, consider turning a sphere into a pumpkin charm.
Show children how to build with coils, slabs, and other sculpting techniques. Use a toothpick and other tools to add texture.
PRO TIP – Make sure the sculptures are larger than your magnets. You can give them a magnet to check the size of their creation.
Optional Step: Add Black Shapes
If a child wants to make a DIY Halloween magnet, they can create simple black shapes to add to their pumpkin.
Step 3: Bake The Clay Charm
This is best done in a toaster oven at 275 degrees F for 30 minutes. For Premo clay, you bake at that temperature for every 1/4″. We baked it in our toast oven for 30 minutes.
Read the baking instructions on the clay you chose to work with.
PRO TIP – Use a magnetic thermometer to monitor your temperature. You want your temperature to be as even as possible to avoid cracking your pieces.
Optional: Add Clear Coat
To change the appearance of your surface, you can purchase a specific, clear gloss from Sculpey, use Varathane, a translucent medium, or different versions of Mod Podge.
Step 4: Add A Magnet
Depending on the size of your sculpture and the magnet, glue 1-2 magnets on the back of your clay design. We used this superglue and love how easily you can control how much glue comes out.
Clay Tips
- Don’t make the pumpkin too thin to start.
- Keep clay designs simple at first.
- Use clean hands to warm clay.
- Work on a clean surface. Colors will transfer to your clay sculpture if you are not careful.
- Use simple shapes when creating a Jack-O-Lantern face.
- Before cooking, make sure that all clay is pushed together.
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We know these little artists were so excited to display their DIY clay pumpkins for all to see!
