This was our first year making Valentine’s Day treats for friends. Luke is three and between (daycare) friends and cousins we had 10 valentines to create. I wanted to do something that:
- Luke could assist in making;
- there weren’t too many steps;
- he (and kids his age) would enjoy; and
- wasn’t food related.
This crayon mold craft checked all those boxes and was pretty fun, too.
You’ll need the following:
- 4 boxes of Crayola Crayons (24 count and not the washable kind – they won’t melt correctly)
- Silicone molds – we bought heart-shaped at Michael’s. They were located in the candy/cookie decorating section. You can find any kind of shape or themes though in case you’d like to try this for a birthday party, Easter, or a themed party at school.
- Clear plastic party bags
- X-acto knife or steak knife (which is what I used), non-perforated
- Cutting board – I’d suggest a small wooden one that you don’t mind converting to a craft one afterward
*These supplies made 2 crayon shapes/per kid, for 10 total treat bags.
Step 1: Remove the paper from each crayon. I found that slicing along the seam on each crayon made it very easy to remove in one piece.
While I was doing this, Luke colored since he couldn’t help with the cutting part(s). Also, we discarded the black, gray, brown and peach colors because we read they ended up dominating the other colors in the mold. I would suggest pulling a few blue or purple ones out too. The first batch that we did the blue was really heavy on half of them.
Step 2: Cut each crayon into smaller pieces (4 or 5). You can also use crayon pieces that you may have already or broken ones from your home art stash if your kids are willing to part with them. In that case, you may not need to cut them at all. Place them all into one Tupperware container.
Tip: If your kids are school-age and you are doing this for their class, as their teacher if they have any crayons they’d be willing to part with for this project. I had a few teacher-friends, and my husband, say they either did these for their class or had pieces of crayons that would work perfectly. Would save a step and a few bucks!
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
Step 4: (This is where your toddler/kids can help!) Using your silicone mold(s), fill each mold ½ to ¾ of the way full; depending on how large the mold is. Make sure you have a good mix of colors in each mold. You can also do one color family (i.e. dark green, lime, fern, aqua green) together to create some pretty cool looking crayon shapes, too.
Step 5: Place the mold(s) on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 13-16 minutes. 13 minutes for the first batch for us didn’t melt all the crayons. Timing may vary based on your oven.
Step 6: Remove the mold(s) from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes to cool. Place the mold(s) in the refrigerator for approximately 20 minutes, or until completely hard. Loosen the sides of each crayon mold and pop out.
Ours came out really easily and none of them broke! The mold that we bought also had some small detailing and little shapes and they really gave each heart some extra detail, especially with the different colors swirling together.
Step 7: Create a message for your valentines or treat bags. We went with: ‘For CRAYON Out Loud, Happy Valentine’s Day!’ I’ve also created a template for this message, which you can download here:
Valentines Day Message Template
You’ll need to write in your little one’s name and place in the bag or attach on your treat! Voila!
Here are a few other message ideas, if you want to write them out or create on your own:
- Color Your Heart Out, Valentine (give a small color page with this for them to use their crayon)
- Have a Colorful Valentine’s Day!
- Keep Calm and Cray-On!
- You Make Me Melt.
- You Make My World More Colorful.
Looking for another cute Valentine’s Day treat? Check out my friend, Amanda’s Facebook page: Questionable Choices in Parenting. She has a weekly segment on TLC’s #lifehacks and is frequently featured on the Today Show and Good Morning Washington.
