Texture Rubbings Art Project for Kids

Here is a fun project to do for the element of art texture. It is great for the little kids in grades K and 1, but I have found that the older kids in grades 3 and 4 enjoyed it too. It is also good as an early finisher activity for the older kids because it doesn’t require a lot of instruction.

The supplies are simple. You will need a marker to draw the shapes, peeled crayons and texture rubbing plates. (Amazon affiliate link at no extra cost to you.). You can find texture rubbing plates on Amazon or in any of the major art supply catalogs (Blick, Nasco, Sax, etc.).

1. Simply draw a shape of any kind with a marker. Now is a good time to talk about the difference between organic and geometric shapes. Organic shapes are freeform shapes (like a cloud, leaf or blob), and geometric shapes are mathematical shapes (like triangles, squares and circles).
2. Next, place a texture rubbing plate underneath the paper.
3. Use a small, peeled crayon. Hold it on its side and rub over the paper, you will see the texture showing through! Repeat for all of your shapes.

Here’s a tip for peeling crayons quickly: leave them in a bucket of water overnight. The wrappers should slide off easily after soaking for a night. Don’t use washable crayons as those will kind of melt in the water.

This project will take one 40 minute class period or less. This is a great process art lesson to help with fine motor skills.

Another idea is to use watercolors on top of the texture rubbings. These turn out very beautiful.