Sparkle Crafts

DIY Polymer Clay Pencil Toppers for Kids: Sculpt Sparkly Characters!

This fun and easy craft is the perfect way to help kids personalize their school supplies and get their creative juices flowing! It also makes for a great handwork moment and helps little ones practice those fine motor skills. We’ve chosen polymer clay because it’s easy to work with, relatively mess free, inexpensive, and a bit more durable than air-drying clay.

You Will Need

Oven-Bake Polymer Clay Pick up a kit with various colors (link to this), or use basic clay with acrylic paint if your little one wants to get a bit more detailed! A Pencil A Baking Sheet (to dry the clay in the oven)

Directions

To start, remove the clay from its packaging and warm the clay. You can do this by placing the clay in a ziploc bag and setting it in water for 15 minutes. Or, if you’re feeling silly, you can sit on it!

Prepare your working station. Choose a clear area and give it a good wipe down to avoid any dust or fluff from finding its way into your creations.

With clean hands, gently roll the clay into a ball for your character's face. Design and decorate your character! You may want to have little ones sketch out their face first so they get an idea of what they want to create. Define and style features by adding various colors of clay to your base shape, or use acrylic paint to fill in the details. Get creative, and most importantly, have fun!

Push the pencil into the bottom of your character to make the hole for your topper. Wiggle and shape the clay around the pencil.

Following the package instructions, bake your new pencil topper to cure and dry the clay. When baking, it is typically best to bake the clay longer as this builds the strength in its bond.

Remove from the oven and let cool.

You are all set with a fun, new way to personalize your school supplies. Enjoy!