Kids of any age enjoy using crayons- whether it be for coloring, or for getting creative. Crayons are economical and plentiful and serve as the perfect base for crafting. Below, you’ll find a variety of 40 of the best crayon activities you can use with your students. Whether you’re looking for crayon books to share, ideas on what to do with broken crayons, or creative ways to use crayon boxes, read on for some fresh and inspiring ideas!
1. Sort Colors into Crayons
For children who are learning their colors, this is an engaging activity that requires little prep. Download these printable crayon cards, cut out the items, and challenge kids to sort by color.
Learn More: Playing Tots
2. Make Crayon Wands
If you have leftover crayon bits, try out this fun and simple activity that uses melted crayons. Simply melt and shape using jumbo straws. The result? Magical and colorful crayon wands!
Learn More: Crafting A Green World
3. Wrap a Plant
This bright plant wrapper is a perfect teacher appreciation gift. Simply glue crayons onto a flower pot for a creative twist that will add a pop of color to any classroom.
Learn More: Made With Happy
4. Make a Crayon Letter
Here’s a fun, personalized crayon activity: upcycle crayons to create a framed crayon letter. Glue the crayons into the shape of the letter, pop a frame onto it, and you’ve created a beautiful piece of crayon art.
Learn More: Little House Living
5. Make Heart Crayon Pencil Toppers
For a sweet crayon craft, melt crayons, pour them into molds, and add the pencil topper. Then, let the mixture cool, and add it to your pencil. You can use red, pink, or even purple crayons to add some creativity to your daily writing tools.
Learn More: Skip To My Lou
6. Create Sea Shell Crayon Art
This is a beautiful craft for older children. First, you’ll need to either buy shells or take a walk along the beach to collect them. Then, heat up the shells in the oven and then carefully color them with crayons. As the wax melts onto the hot shells, it leaves a beautiful decorative design.
Learn More: Fun At Home With Kids
7. Make a Crayon Candle
For a beautiful array of crayon colors, create a candle made from melted crayons. Simply melt down your crayons and layer them around a wick. This makes a great gift for teacher appreciation week!
Learn More: Evermine
8. Read The Day the Crayons Quit
For a fun read-aloud, read Drew Daywalt’s picture book, The Day the Crayons Quit. Children will love the fun personality of each crayon, and will beg for you to read the others in the series! After reading, there are several extension activities you can do with your students.
Learn More: Drew Daywalt
9. Do a Reader’s Theater
If your students loved the engaging story of The Day the Crayons Quit, have them act it out as a reader’s theatre! Create your own script, or use one that’s already been created for a ready-to-go lesson.
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
10. Create Sun Crayon Art
For a fun take on melted crayon art, try using crayon bits on cardboard. Place them out to melt in the sun, and you’ll have a beautiful piece of artwork in no time.
Learn More: Coffee Cups And Crayons
11. Melted Crayon Ornaments
For a festive activity, create melted crayon ornaments. Shave down old crayons, pour them into a glass ornament, and use a hair dryer to melt them down.
Learn More: Heathered Nest
12. Make Your Own Crayons
If you’re up for the challenge of making your own crayons, try out this nontoxic recipe. You can rest assured knowing that these are all natural and work beautifully.
Learn More: Nourishing Joy
13. Write Secret Messages
Put that white crayon to use for this creative idea: draw secret pictures or write secret messages. When your child scribbles over it with another colored crayon or uses watercolors to paint over it, the secret message will pop!
Learn More: Mom Brite
14. Create Wax Canvas Art
Using a stencil, crayon shavings, and a hairdryer, you can create a beautiful piece of art. Line up the bits of crayons along the edge of the stencil, heat, and your piece will be ready for your wall.
Learn More: Instructables
15. Create Crayon Letters
This activity is perfect for Pre-K children who are learning their letters. Print out these letter mats, give children crayons, and have them build the letters with them. For an extension, they can count the number of crayons used.
Learn More: Homeschool Preschool
16. Feed Me Numbers Crayon Box
Here’s a fun activity that doesn’t actually use crayons. Use this printable template for easy setup, and have students practice their numbers by feeding numbers to the crayon box.
Learn More: Fun Learning For Kids
17. Make Crayon Playdough
Crayons can give your homemade playdough a pop of color! Try out this simple recipe and add some shaved crayons to make it colorful. Children will love making this and will love playing with it even more!
Learn More: Little Bins For Little Hands
18. Build Shapes with Crayons
For an easy STEM project, have students build different shapes with crayons. Come up with your own printable cards, or use pre-made ones for easy prep. Challenge kids to build the shapes on the cards.
Learn More: JDaniel4’sMom
19. Play a Crayon Game
Help your students practice counting with this fun game. Print out these cards to get started, and give your students a die. To play, students will roll the die and then count out the correct number of crayons.
Learn More: Life Over Cs
20. Do a Writing Activity
After reading The Day the Crayons Quit, give students an opportunity to write about what they would do if they were a crayon. A template for the cover is available so you can focus on fostering your students’ creativity and writing skills.
Learn More: A Blog From The Pond
21. Create Popsicle Stick Crayons
Another creative crayon craft that was inspired by The Day the Crayons Quit, you can complete this with items from around the house. Using a popsicle stick and some pipe cleaners, children can draw faces and color on the sticks to create crayons.
Learn More: The Pinterested Parent
22. Read Harold and the Purple Crayon
Inspire your students with the classic story, Harold and the Purple Crayon. Students will love the imaginative ways in which Harold illustrates his world, and will hopefully be inspired to do the same.
Learn More: Amazon
23. Trace with a Crayon
Inspired by Harold and the Purple Crayon, this activity encourages kids to practice their tracing skills. Create your own, or use this ready-made template.
Learn More: Tot Schooling
24. Make Crayon Headbands
Children will love this activity! Simply print out these templates, let children color them in, and then attach the ends with paper clips to create headbands.
Learn More: Simple Everyday Mom
25. Make a Crayon Sensory Bin
You can create a sensory bin around any theme, and how fun is a crayon-themed one? Let your children create this with you; adding in crayons, papers, and anything else they think will work well. Then, let the fun begin!
Learn More: Toots Mom is Tired
26. Play with Crayon Puzzles
A really awesome tactile activity, and one that promotes letter recognition; these name puzzles are great! Use the editable PDF on the link below to create name puzzles for your students.
Learn More: Early Learning Ideas
27. Read Creepy Crayon
Share this silly fictional story about a rabbit who has a creepy crayon! It’s a perfect read-aloud for Halloween time and is a great introduction to other activities.
Learn More: Simon And Schuster
28. Do a Sequencing Activity
After reading Creepy Crayon, challenge students to do a sequencing activity. They can color the cards, which are different scenes from the book, and then place them in the correct order!
Learn More: Mrs. Will’s Kindergarten
29. Make Crayon Slime
For an amazing sensory experience, try adding crayon shavings to your slime. Follow your usual slime recipe and mix in crayon shavings of your favorite colors!
Learn More: Homeschool Hideout
30. Do Name Crayon Boxes
If you’re helping students learn their names, this is the perfect activity. Give students a crayon for each letter in their name. They’ll print the letter on each of the crayons and then sort them to spell out their name correctly.
Learn More: Miss Kindergarten
31. Sing a Crayon Song
Perfect for helping students learn their colors, this crayon song is a fun way to incorporate singing and learning into your classroom.
Learn More: Oh my Genius Nursery Rhymes and Kid Songs
32. Do a Rhyming Chant
For this activity, you’ll need a bin full of different colored crayons. Ask students to pass you a colored crayon that rhymes with a word. They’ll need to decipher the color, and then select it from the bin.
Learn More: Growing Book by Book
33. Make Mermaid Tail Crayons
For a fun twist on traditional crayons, try making mermaid tails. Buy a mermaid tale mold, glitter, and use bits of recycled crayons. Pop these into the oven to melt, and then wait for them to cool before using.
Learn More: My Home-Based Life
34. Make Different Rock Types
This is an amazing STEM activity for students who are learning about different types of rocks. Use shavings to create a sedimentary rock, an igneous rock, and a metamorphic rock.
Learn More: Uplifting Mayhem
35. Make Wax Paper Lanterns
With some different colored crayon shavings, two pieces of wax paper, and an iron, you can create these beautiful wax paper lanterns. Let children place shavings in any way on the wax paper, and then melt the wax.
Learn More: Artsy Fartsy Mama
36. Make a Melted Crayon Pumpkin
For a festive pumpkin, melt some crayons over it! Place crayons in any pattern on top of a white pumpkin and then use a hair dryer to melt them.
Learn More: Color Made Happy
37. Learn How Crayons are Made
Learn how crayons are made by watching a Mr. Rogers episode. In this episode, children will learn alongside Mr. Rogers by visiting a crayon factory. Kids will love this virtual field trip!
Learn More: How It’s Made
38. Make Marbled Eggs
For a fresh take on Easter Eggs, try melting some crayon shavings and dipping eggs into them. Children will love the bright, marbled eggs they end up with!
Learn More: SoCraftastic
39. Make Melted Crayon Rocks
For some beautiful rocks, try out these melted crayon rocks. The key to this project is first heating up the rocks and then drawing on them with crayons. The max will melt upon contact, and you’ll have some amazingly decorated rocks.
Learn More: Creative Ramblings
40. Make Star-Shaped Glitter Crayons
Create beautiful glitter crayons! Find a silicone star mold, and fill it with bits of crayons. Add some glitter while you melt them down. Let them cool before using them!
Learn More: Martha Stewart