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Make Your Own Crayon Rubbing Plates

The other day I made crayon rubbing plates to extend our son’s coloring activities. He loved them so much, I thought I’d share the easy DIY project with you!

You’ll need: 

Cardboard cereal boxes (or similar thin cardboard)

Paper Cutter

White glue

Directions:

Break down a large cereal box and then use the paper cutter to cut squares or rectangles in the size desired. I found about 5×7 worked best for easy handling.

Trim the edges even. Because this Type-A mom said so. You should get 4-6 “plates” from a large cereal box.

Use the white glue to draw designs on each plate. Try squiggles, lines, circles, shapes, your child’s name, a favorite object. Anything goes.

Go heavy on the glue. It dries down fairly flat, and you need some kind of “bump” to make the crayon show the design.

Let dry overnight. With the thick glue you have to leave it that long to make sure it’s dry all the way through.

To Use: 

Place a rubbing plate underneath a piece of sketch paper.

Use the side of a crayon to rub across the area of the plate and the design will appear!

Children may have to be shown to use the crayon sideways, and also to apply enough pressure. My son colors rather lightly so this was the challenge for him.

Our oldest loves to color. And the baby isn’t far behind. Using these homemade rubbing plates, our preschooler can add designs to his drawings, “write” his name on paper, or create the outline of a truck to color in himself!

I put these materials into an activity bag, but I leave it handy where he can grab them when he wants to make artwork!

What will you make on your DIY Crayon Rubbing Plates? 

If you like this craft, please pin it! Thanks!

Create a Personalized Handmade Book - Melissa & Doug Blog

Wednesday 3rd of June 2015

[…] your child can decorate the cover! We used rubber stamp sets, and our crayon rubbing plates we made last year to create geometric designs on the front and […]

Eric Carle Club | Thrive After Three

Thursday 19th of December 2013

[…] After attending the best professional workshop I’ve ever been to at the Eric Carle Picture Book Museum, I am inspired to plan an Eric Carle Club for the spring. After introducing the children to Eric Carle, I am going to setup two different kinds of stations: a paint station and a crayon station. You’ll have most of the supplies around already. You can purchase rubbing plates (Lakeshore has great quality ones!), or you can make your own. […]

Eric Carle Club | Thrive After Three

Thursday 19th of December 2013

[…] After attending the best professional workshop I’ve ever been to at the Eric Carle Picture Book Museum, I am inspired to plan an Eric Carle Club for the spring. After introducing the children to Eric Carle, I am going to setup two different kinds of stations: a paint station and a crayon station. You’ll have most of the supplies around already. You can purchase rubbing plates (Lakeshore has great quality ones!), or you can make your own. […]

6 Easy Activity Bags for Instant Entertainment (and Learning!) - Melissa & Doug Blog

Friday 13th of September 2013

[...] crayons work great for this activity as they give a larger rubbing surface! You can even make your own crayon rubbing plates and create any design or pattern your child [...]

6 Easy Activity Bags for Instant Entertainment (and Learning!) - Melissa & Doug Blog

Friday 13th of September 2013

[...] crayons work great for this activity as they give a larger rubbing surface! You can even make your own crayon rubbing plates and create any design or pattern your child [...]

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