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!