9 Crafts That Turn Old Crayons Into Art

By Janelle Randazza
April 17, 2020
Credit: Julie Curtin

From melted crayon art to cute candles, these fun craft ideas for kids using used or broken crayons are as easy to do as they are colorful.

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Crayon-Drip Lantern

Credit: @Artsyfartsymama
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Kids will love scraping their old crayons into piles of colorful confetti that, with just an iron, waxed paper, and a few popsicle sticks, can be transformed into vibrant lanterns that look like stained-glass works of art.

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Crayon Resist Art

Credit: Holly Homer of Kids Activity Blog
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Wow your kids with the magic of crayon resist drawing. Create hidden pictures or secret messages with nothing more than a white crayon. With the stroke of a watercolor-dipped paintbrush their hidden messages are revealed.

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Cray-Doh

Credit: Julie Curtin of instagram.com/juliecurtin14/
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Go beyond the basic colors of your kitchen cupboard's food coloring palette. This recipe transforms homemade play dough with melted crayons, letting kids customize their dough with shades from every inch of the Crayola spectrum.

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Upcycled Crayons

Credit: Evin Bail O'Keeffe of EvinOK.com
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Give old crayon nubs new life, transforming them into favorite shapes or characters. The sky is the limit on the new shapes you can give to your old crayons when melting them into silicon molds.

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Sand-Paper Image Transfer

Credit: CINDY HOPPER via alphamom.com
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Let your kids express themselves with personalized iron-on transfers they create themselves with this sandpaper image-transfer project.

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Crayon "Painted" Seashells

Credit: Asia Citro
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Warm up collected seashells (or a bag of mixed shells from Amazon) in the oven, slip on an oven mitt, and let your little one be mesmerized by melting color as they use crayons to color on the heated surface. This easy craft transforms the shells into vibrant keepsakes.

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Melted Dribble Art

Credit: Meg Duerksen
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This craft is so simple, but results in a craft that is so satisfying for kids to watch unfold. The heat of a hair dryer transforms crayons into brilliant dribble art.

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Scratch Art

Credit: firstpalette.com
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There is no need to spend money on scratch art kits when making them at home is so simple. Make sure the paper you use isn't too flimsy and encourage your kids to get crazy with their crayons for the most colorful and exciting scratch reveals.

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Crayon Drip Candle

Credit: Camille Gabel via thepinningmama.com
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With Mother's Day just around the corner, have your kids make Grandma a beautiful crayon drip candle as a gift. Add a few drops of essential oils to make this a sweet-smelling present.

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By Janelle Randazza