DIY Crayons

DIY Crayons for All Occasions

For party favors, treat bags, and the school art teacher!

My rascals have entered the age of birthday parties (both hosting and attending) and I can’t get enough of this. I adore watching my kids interact with friends, practice their communication skills, and learn social norms naturally. Not to mention they are building confidence and independence. I know there will be a day when I don’t get to attend the parties with my kids and they won’t want me around during their own party. Until then, I’ll bask in this enjoyment.

At a birthday party my youngest rascal recently attended, he received DIY crayons in the favor bag and they were a hit amongst the partygoers. Kids were thrilled to have a multicolored crayon in a fun and unique shape. Parents were excited about it being a useful item and having fewer candy treats in the bag. The crayons were an all-around winner. In fact, my older rascal, who did not attend the party, proclaimed that it was a cool party favor, one he hadn’t seen before, and one he would have wanted.

So, we started experimenting with making crayons at home. We explored mixing colors, various molds, and the oven vs the microwave method. We have given DIY crayons as gifts to art lovers, included them in holiday treat bags at school, and plan to include them in upcoming birthday party favor bags.

The process is fairly straightforward and is suitable for young helpers. We offered our services to the elementary school art teacher and took home her collection of broken crayons.

Step 1

Fill a bowl with crayons.

Step 2

Add warm water and wait 5 minutes for the adhesive to loosen.

Step 3

Remove the paper wrapping and discard.

Step 4

Overfill the molds with crayon pieces and experiment with mixing colors.
(Protect your baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.)

Step 5

Bake at 250 degrees for 10-15 minutes, turn off the oven, and then let rest for 20 minutes.

Step 6

Let the crayons cool completely, about an hour.

Step 7

Ta-da!

The uses are endless:
- Add to your own home art supply
- Give to a local day care or underserved community
- Add as an “extra” to birthday and holiday gifts
- Include in treat and favor bags
- Stocking stuffers
- Easter egg stuffers
- Anything you can think of!

Written by Brandi Stanton, mom of 2 rascals ages 4 and 6.