Making Homemade Soap – Cupcake Soaps - Art Activities for Children

by Susan
(Harvest, Alabama)

A unique and fun art activity for children is making homemade soap. There are lots of different ways to handcraft soap but the key is finding a way in which your child can learn, be creative and have fun!


There is a pre-made soap making kit that is overall, easy, convenient and safe for children to use. Children can make three of their own cupcake soaps with little mess and easy to follow directions. Afterward, you will probably have plenty of remaining ingredients to create more soaps! We did!

This soap making activity is best suited for children around eight to thirteen years old. Children ages five to eight can use it, but with more difficulty, needing more guidance and supervision.

This soap making kit contains basic colors of soap clay, (similar to playdough), a plastic knife, bath salts, glitter, cupcake liners and three plastic storage containers with lids. Young children, ages five to eight, have more difficulty holding the plastic knife and cutting this soap into desired shapes. Simply rolling the clay into large, flat shapes or thin strips is more suitable for these young ages.

Of course, any age can decorate using the sprinkles and bath salts! Watch out, though! Using the sprinkles and bath salts can get messy! Young children may pour the entire bag of sprinkles on a cupcake soap! Again, the younger ages will need some help and guidance handling the enclosed ingredients.

The soap making instructions are easy to follow for older children and adults. Younger children will need guidance and supervision to know the basics steps. There are some pictures in the instructions, helpful when cutting different shapes.

Preparing for this art activity was really simple. Before working with this kit, lay some type of cover across a table. It will make clean-up a lot easier. Sprinkles, bath salts, and bits of clay are easy to clean-up, but they’re very tiny to see. When working on top of a cover, you will be sure to gather up all tiny bits of excess ingredients. Save any large bits of clay, remaining bath salts or sprinkles to make more soap! We stored the remaining ingredients in a zip lock bag.


This is an art activity that the kids really enjoyed. Kids can follow the basic designs mentioned in the instructions or make their own designs. The soap clay had a nice soft scent, not over bearing or harsh. The kids love the idea that they can use their creative art activity while bathing! Watch out, though! The sprinkles may remain on the skin, after bathing. Of course, the girls really liked this, but the boys not so much.

Store the cupcake soaps in a cool and dry location. They may look good enough to eat, so be sure to warn others that they are really soaps to use and not cupcakes to eat!

This soap making kit was convenient and easier for children than most other kits around. There was no heating, melting, mixing, or pouring soap into molds. There are “Melt and Pour” soap making kits, available, but these types of art activities for children are best suited for older aged children up to adults.

Overall, this cupcake soap making kit is a fun way to spend a few hours with children. It was easy to prepare with very little clean-up. These creative soaps can make nice homemade gifts or bath decorations. The children enjoyed this art activity and were proud of their soap creations!

Editors note:
To find out more about making your own soaps, you can find some great soap recipes at Natural Goat Milk Soap.com

They also have gorgeous handmade soaps which are so lovely for your skin!