Making & creating
Crayon rubbings
- Builds: Holding and rubbing
- 10 min
- Ages 2–5
- Calm
- No mess
From the house
- Thin paper
- A crayon with the wrapper peeled off
- Bumpy things: leaves, keys, a fork, a place mat, coins
How to play
- Put a bumpy thing under the paper.
- Show them how to rub the side of the crayon over it. A picture appears!
- Let them choose the next thing to try.
- Guess together what each rubbing is.
Fit it to your child
- Easier: Tape the paper and the bumpy thing to the table so nothing slides, and let them scribble hard.
- Harder: Go on a rubbing hunt: they make five rubbings around the house and you guess what each one is.
Words to use
- bumpy
- smooth
- rub
- appear
Why it helps
One hand holds the paper still while the other rubs, which trains both hands to do different jobs, and the picture that appears feels like magic.
Grown-up eyes: Put coins and keys away afterwards. They’re choking hazards.