Blogger / 7 September, 2026 / Nanny Anita

Cold Porcelain Clay Fidget Toys and Hearts

The start of school or nursery can be a very emotional time for both parents and children.  Some children have no problems going into their new settings and adjust very quickly.  For others, well it can take longer.  As for parents (and yes, even us nannies), it is hard to see them go off.  NC will be starting nursery this week, and while I am certainly excited for her and all the adventures that she will have.  I am also incredibly sad to see her go.

Lots of nurseries will allow a comforter to go in with the child.  It’s slightly harder for school aged children to take comforters in with them.  This is why I have always made little comfort items for them that they can keep in their pockets.  A reminder of home and the people waiting for them at the end of the day.  These cold porcelain clay fidget toys and hearts are the perfect size to slip into a pocket.

Make sure you follow my dealing with children board on Pinterest for more ideas.  Don’t forget to save the pin for later.

To make your own cold porcelain clay fidget toys and hearts you will need:

• ½ cup PVA glue
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tsp baby oil or coconut oil
• 2 tsp vegetable glycerine
• ½ cup cornflour
• Saucepan

Mix the wet ingredients in the saucepan.  Next add in the cornflour, make sure that it is exactly ½ cup.  You don’t want any heaped cups for this.  Stir it all together until it forms a creamy mixture.

On a low to medium heat, continuously stir the mixture until it forms a dough that comes away from the sides of the saucepan.

Turn the dough out onto a countertop and lightly dust it with some more cornflour.  Keep kneading the dough until it is nice and smooth.  Do be careful when doing this, it will be hot.  Store the dough in an airtight container and let it sit for at least a few hours before using it.  You can actually keep it stored this way for up to 3 months.

If you are making hearts, then roll out your dough.  You don’t want it to be too thin, I would suggest it be between 0.5-1cm thick.  Then using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out your shapes.

If you are making a clay fidget toy, start by rolling out a ball of clay.  Then, using something with a flat bottom, press down on it to make a disk.  Again, you don’t want this to be too thin.

When you have your disk, use your thumb to gently press down from the centre to the edge on one part.

It should create a smooth groove for your thumb to sit in.  The point of this is so that your little one can rub their thumb up and down the groove as a calming strategy.

Leave your clay items to dry for 24hrs before painting them (if you want to).

Although EC and YC are now teenagers heading into GCSE and A level years, and BB is going into the upper part of primary school, I did make them a couple of these and sent them down to them to use.

If you enjoyed making these cold porcelain clay fidget toys and hearts, be sure to check out my worry rocks, worry dolls, and worry pets.

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