Today we're doing a crayon rubbing, which is great for young kids to learn about colour mixing and the drawing and cutting helps develop fine motor skills.

Suitable for: 2 years (with help) - through to adults.

Materials:

Old cereal packet with side, bottom and top panels trimmed off.

Chunky wax crayons

A4 plain paper

Paper gluestick

Pencil

Scissors

For children a little young to use scissors, tearing shapes out of paper and/or using found textures like leaves or grass works really well.

Masking tape or sellotape

1: On a piece of paper draw the image you want to cut out. I did a night scene with a whale, but you might think of something better. Once you’ve cut out your shapes, glue them down onto the cereal packet using the glue stick. Trim off any paper hanging over the edge.

2: Place a piece of paper on the work surface and then place your glued panel face down on top of the paper. Attach the panel to the paper with masking tape or sellotape – this will stop it moving around while you do the rubbing.

3: Flip over and start rubbing the crayon over the paper – use the side of the crayon for this.

Build up the depth of colours slowly. Experiment with different colour mixes.

Have fun! And please feel free to post your results on my Facebook page - I would love to see what you or your kids come up with!

Tips: Keep your shapes simple. Use the inside of the cereal packet as the outside has a coating that the glue stick may not adhere to.

Looking for some children's gift ideas? Check out my shop for a great range of New Zealand picture books, art prints, and more.