The Ultimate Guide to Crayon Art and Crafts!

Crayons are classic.  They bring back childhood memories and spark new traditions.  Plus they’re so easy to use, it’s no wonder crayons are one of the first art supplies for kids.  That’s why I’ve gathered some of the best Crayon Art ideas and Crafts that you can try at home.

Although I’m no artist, I love to inspire creativity in my children through art.  We like simple projects that don’t take up a lot of time, but that’s because my kids are young.  If you have older children, these projects can easily be adjusted to fit their skill level.

Crayon Art

Rubbings

Use crayons to explore different textures.  Give your children a piece of paper and an unwrapped crayon.  Show them how to place the paper over something and rub it with a crayon to show the texture of the object on the paper.  Have them explore to see all the different textures they can find.

You can use your textured prints to make collages and rubbing art.

We made cards with leaf rubbings.  They were perfect for Christmas Tree Cards, but you could turn your leaf rubbings into anything you want!

Crayon Resist Art

Combine crayons with watercolors to make resist art.  I love the way the colors show through.  Try making a night scene with light colored crayons and black or blue paint.  Or a stained glass effect with dark crayons and light colored paints.

Radiating Shapes

You can do this with any drawing material, but I love doing it with crayons because it makes thicker lines of color and is easier for little hands.  I first saw this project on, where else, Pinterest!  Simply draw or trace a few shapes on paper and fill them in.  With a different color, make zigzagged lines all around the outside of the shape.  Repeat until you fill the paper with color!

Melted Crayons

Melted crayon art can be done in so many ways.  We tried melted dot art for Valentines Day.  I drew a heart on a card and my daughter filled it in with melted crayon.  This took a little time, but the result is was very unique.

Crayon Crafts

Make Crayons

An easy way to reuse your broken crayons is to make new ones!  This summer we cut up our broken crayons and put them in a star mold.  Then I put it out in the hot car to melt.  Volia, new crayons!

Candles

If you buy some wicks and candle holders, you can make candles out of your broken crayons.  Just warm up the crayons in the microwave in a paper cup and pour different colors in a candle mold.

Decorate with Crayons

Glue crayons to the outside of canisters to make rainbow crayon pencil holders.  I’ve also seen them glued into a wreath and even into the shape of a letter.  Make sure you check out the links below for even more ideas!

Learning with Crayons

Practice Spelling and Writing with Crayon Art

I used to do this when I was a child to change up the way I practiced my spelling words.  Now, I use the idea for my children and it really helps their penmanship too!  Simple write their name or spelling words on paper and have them trace the letters with different colors to make “Rainbow Words”.

Practice Reading with Resist Art

If certain words or sounds are giving your child trouble, try this fun reading activity.  Write “secret messages” on hard paper with a white crayon.  Have your child paint over the paper with water colors and when they find a word have them practice reading and spelling it.

Beginning Geography 

To teach my children about where they live, we made little houses and buildings out of envelopes and crayons.  Playing with our lego people, we went from our houses to the city and then back again, but we had to say our address in order to find our way home.

This post is part of the Ultimate Guide to 50 Craft Materials hosted by Craftulate!  This is an amazing resource with hundreds of art and craft ideas.  So make sure you pin and share this post!

Do you have an art idea, craft or activity using crayons to share?  Grab a button and link up your crafts below!  Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest for even more art activities for kids!