Is Air Dry Clay Lightweight and Is it Good for Kids

Among the various children’s clay toys, you will find that many packages mark air dry clay. However, what does air dry clay mean? Is it a lightweight clay? Can a 3-year-old child play with air dry clay?

What is Air Dry Clay

As we can see from the name, air dry clay is a kind of clay that can dry under normal temperature or natural wind conditions. As you can see on the market, air dry clay for kids comes in many colors and molds, and adults can also make fun and good-looking DIY crafts with children.

Actually, as a children’s toy, air dry clay is a kind of lightweight clay, sometimes called super light clay since it is much lighter than normal clay. Moreover, air dry clay for kids is very tough and can be kneaded, squeezed and stretched many times. Air dry clay is also one of the important games for children to train their finger coordination.

Does air dry clay get hard

Air dry clay does harden, but it takes a longer time. To allow children to play happily, air dry clay is usually relatively wet. Water can keep air dry clay soft and flexible, and children can play with it for a long time.

Crafts made with air dry clay can be placed near a ventilated window to dry naturally. Once the water in it dries completely, it becomes hard and can be stored for a long time.

Does air dry clay break easily

Properly stored air dry clay will not break easily. Generally speaking, dried clay handicrafts are relatively hard and brittle, so they will certainly break if you don’t pay attention to preservation. However, air dry clay will not crack after drying.

In addition, air dry clay will soften when exposed to water, so you should also pay attention to waterproofing and moisture-proofing when storing it. If you just save the air dry clay, you can put it back into the matching box after playing with it.

What is the difference between air clay and normal clay

The differences between air dry clay and normal clay are including:

Raw materials

Air dry clay is made of environmentally friendly resin material and water.
Normal clay is usually natural earth.

Drying and hardening conditions

Air dry clay dries at room temperature.
Normal clay needs to be baked and dried at temperatures of thousands of degrees.

Weight

Air dry clay is lighter and is also known as lightweight clay or super light clay.
Normal clay is heavier.

Color

Air dry clay has rich colors, and you can get new colors by mixing different colors.
Normal clay is usually brown or white, and is only painted with glaze after being baked and set at high temperatures.

For kids

Air dry clay is better for kids because it is simple and safe to play, allowing children to complete DIY works easily.
Normal clay is suitable for elder children or adults and requires more professional craftsmanship to make good-looking works. Usually, ordinary clay tools are sharp and may be dangerous to children. We do not recommend younger kids to play with this kind of clay.

Benefits of Air Dry Clay for Kids

Nowadays, schools and families attach great importance to children’s education. Among them, air dry clay is a good educational game for kids. Its benefits are:

Feel and observe

Children’s fingers are sensitive and they can distinguish between soft and hard materials through touch. Air dry clay is a delicate new material that helps improve children’s sensory abilities.

In addition, children can learn about different colors and the principles of color mixing by observing and kneading air dry clay.

Curiosity and imagination

Children are rich in curiosity and imagination, but without guidance, these potentials may be buried.

Air dry clay can be made into a variety of creative handicrafts. This is the best game to train children’s focus and autonomy. Many schools and families who value education will play air dry clay with their children, which can keep curious and imaginative.

Hands-on ability

There is no doubt that air dry clay can train children’s hands-on skills, especially when they make exquisite DIY clay crafts. Since details require small movements, children’s fingers will become more flexible during this play session.

Expression and communication

Few people have noticed that air dry clay can improve children’s expression and communication skills. Children who are addicted to mobile phones always don’t like to talk, and even lock themselves in their rooms and do not communicate with others.

Air dry clay is a cooperative game that requires children to sit and interact with friends, teachers, parents, etc. During play, children will actively express their opinions and learn to share and communicate with others.

Which Clay is Lightweight

Lightweight clay generally refers to air dry clay, sometimes also called super light clay. In fact, it is not the traditional clay. Air dry clay just looks like normal clay, but it is essentially an environmentally friendly resin. Resin materials are certainly much lighter than natural clay.

Is air dry clay lighter

Yes, air dry clay is lighter which makes it easy for kids to play with too. You can see many beautiful DIY crafts in school windows or on the Internet, and they are all made of air dry clay.

Is air dry clay and polymer clay same

Air dry clay and polymer clay are of course different. Although polymer clay is also made of resin material, it requires high temperature to harden. air dry clay dries in the air.

In addition, compared to polymer clay, air dry clay is more suitable for children and beginners to make DIY handicrafts.

Can I Make Air Dry Clay at Home

In fact, the production of air dry clay toys is not as simple as we think. In the industry, we usually need to go through strict material screening, careful formula design, perfect assembly line operations, and tireless QC quality inspections. Finally, high-quality air dry clay toys will be sold all over the world.

There are many recipes on the Internet for making air dry clay at home, and it is different from the toys you see on the market. But you can indeed make air dry clay at home. This recipe generally includes 3 ingredients that you can find in your kitchen or supermarket.

How do you make 3 ingredient air dry clay

First you need to prepare 3 ingredients:

Corn starch (1 cup or 120 grams)
Baking soda (2 cups or 240 grams)
Water (1.5 cups or 180grams)

Step 1: Place the three ingredients into a pot and heat.

You need to stir constantly and scrape the bottom of the pot to avoid the mixture burning. When the water in the pot has dried up and the mixture has turned into a large dough, you can turn off the heat.

Step 2: Prepare a large bowl, line it with wet paper towels, and then pour the large dough in the pot into the bowl to cool.

Wet paper towels will prevent the dough from becoming tough. After the dough has cooled, it will be a piece of air dry clay. You can roll it flat with a rolling pin and press it into molds to get different shapes, or you can pick up a ball and knead or stretch it.

Crafts made with such air dry clay will harden after drying naturally for a few days and can be used to decorate your home. Be aware, however, that they are always a favorite food for mold and ants and are not suitable for long-term storage.

Conclusion of Lightweight Clay

Lightweight clay refers to air dry clay. Compared with normal clay, it is light and is made of environmentally friendly resin and purified water. In school and family education, air dry clay is an indispensable and important game, which is beneficial to children’s growth.