Clay Frogs

Frogs are cute amphibians that are known for their hopping skills. Did you know that there are over 5,000 species of frogs?! You can find them on every continent, except Antarctica, living in all types of climates – from tropical forests to deserts. We made these clay frogs using our homemade clay recipe, which is really easy to make and fun to work with. You can paint the frog a traditional green, like we did, or you can change it up. Add spots to your frog, or paint it in bright colours. It’s fun to work with clay, no matter your skill level. No special tools are needed to make this clay frog – we only used our hands and toothpicks to sculpt it! It’s such a creative activity that’s great for beginners.

Check out our Clay Frog video tutorial:

*Note: Scroll down for the step-by-step photo tutorial.

How to Make Clay Air Dry Clay Mushrooms Dried Flower Clay Ornaments Turtle Clay Sculpture

Here’s what you’ll need:

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Air Dry Clay (check out our post for How to Make Clay) Acrylic paint Paintbrush Toothpicks

What clay should I use to make clay frogs?

We used our air dry clay recipe for the frog you see in this post and it worked perfectly! It’s so easy to make (only 3 ingredients!), and it’s really nice to work with.

How to dry the frog clay sculpture?

Air dry clay is designed to dry at room temperature. Because the pieces are so large the frog will have to sit for 3 to 4 days to dry completely – but don’t worry, you can speed up the drying process! If you’d like to speed up the drying time and you’re using our clay recipe, you can put your clay frog in the oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake it for 1 to 1.5 hours, rotating it a few times. Shut off the oven and allow the frog to come to room temperature in the oven with the door closed. This baking method works well with our homemade clay recipe, but I can’t guarantee that it will work with other air dry clays. If you’re using store bought clay, follow the drying instructions on the package.

What paint should I use on my clay frog?

We like to use acrylic paint for painting on clay. It’s inexpensive, durable, and the colours stay vibrant once they’re dry. Tempera paint is another good option, especially if you’re painting with kids. Tempera paint isn’t as durable as acrylic paint and the coverage won’t be as good. But it’s washable, which helps if your kids tend to make a mess when they paint. Acrylic paint pens are another great low-mess option for painting finer details.

How can I protect the paint on my frog clay sculpture?

The paint on your clay frogs will eventually fade in sunlight and peel if it’s being handled a lot. To stop that from happening, and to waterproof your frog, you’ll want to use a paintbrush to apply a coat of varnish. You can also use an acrylic spray sealer. Both of these options will protect the frog from scratches, and allow you to place them in a garden or potted plant. Make sure to use this spray outside or in a well ventilated room. Our clay frogs were just for fun and will be staying indoors, so we left the paint as is, without any sealant.

Making your own clay frog is so much fun! With only 3 simple pantry ingredients, our air dry clay recipe makes it so easy and inexpensive to make clay art. This is such an easy craft, that both kids and adults will enjoy.

Here’s even more clay craft ideas:

How to Make Clay

Clay Mushrooms

DIY Clay House

Clay Bear

Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!

Where to buy:

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