Igniting Critical and Creative Thinking

The Crayon Man Activity for National Crayon Day

Everyone loves crayons! Kids and adults alike.  I remember as a little child getting my box of 64 counts Crayola crayons. I was so excited when they added a crayon sharpener on the front of the box. There’s just something about a brand-new box of crayons that brings a smile to your face. March 31st is National Crayon Day. Why not teach about the history of that holiday and spend the week celebrating all things crayons?! Students will love The Crayon Man Activity and I’m sure you will as well.

Learn the History of Crayon Day

First, before digging into any activities, start with the history of the holiday. Integrate a social studies lesson about the history of Crayola, how it all started, and the significance of National Crayon Day. Engage students with a Web Quest or even an interactive timeline. This will allow students to understand why they are celebrating National Crayon Day and lay a foundation for the week of fun activities ahead.


national crayon day

Learn About the Invention of the Crayola Crayon

Next, guide students in learning about the invention of the Crayola Crayon with this The Crayon Man activity for National Crayon Day. Explore who made it, and how the first one was created. Check out this video from Crayola that highlights the first invention and history behind them. This is a great way to discuss the invention with your students as well as the creator himself, Edwin Binney.

The Crayon Man Activity for National Crayon Day

The Crayon Man by Natasha Biebow is a fairly new picture book and tells the story of Edward Binney and the invention of Crayola crayons. It’s filled with wonderful information about the engineering design process. I really love the part that talks about how Edwin’s wife, Alice, invented the word “crayon.” I highly recommend this book!

National Crayon Day Picture Books

One of my favorite ways to celebrate National Crayon Day is with a great picture book! There are so many titles to choose from, but some of my favorites are The Day the Crayons Quit, Harold and the Purple Crayon, How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow, and Red, A Crayon’s Story. Click the titles, to shop any of these suggested book titles.

I especially love The Day the Crayons Quit! I have created an activity based on this favorite read-aloud, that I know you’re going to love. These are such cute titles to expand on National Crayon Day. Use them as a vehicle for anchor charts, and even writing prompts and activities. Discuss each book with your students and engage them in learning!

National Crayon Day

Crayon Day Activities

I know your students will love the opportunity to play with crayons. And yes, I said PLAY. It’s one of the best ways to learn and celebrate National Crayon Day! Engage students in Squiggle line stories, where you draw a squiggle on a page and students turn it into something no one else would ever think of. So fun, and the best part is that it promotes creative thinking skills.

National Crayon Day

Grab my Squiggle Activity here for FREE. A cheap and equally engaging activity is wax crayon pictures! Use melted, broken crayons to create a new picture. Last, for a STEM activity, guide students with a Crayon rubbing activity. Find a bunch of flat objects, with a lot of texture, then place a piece of paper on the objects. Use the crayons to make a rubbing. I especially like to do this to make leaf rubbings. You can do STEM activities, building towers out of crayons, and even brainstorm a list of all the many, different and unusual ways you can use a crayon.

Do you use Crayons every day in your classroom? If so, how are you planning to celebrate National Crayon Day? I hope these tips have inspired you and have sparked creative ideas for National Crayon Day in your classroom!

Do you know a teacher that would love to share this The Crayon Man Activity for National Crayon Day with their students? Just forward them this post!

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The Crayon Man Activity for National Crayon Day

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I'm Susan!

I’m Susan Morrow and I help overwhelmed teachers create thinking classrooms where students discover the joy in learning and achieving.

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