How to Make Soap Crayons for Sensory Play

Inside: Involve children of all ages in making this simple soap crayons recipe for sensory play.

We had so much fun making these soap crayons. It was a great sensory experience that resulted in crayons that children can use for drawing on paper or for drawing in the bath. Although the process was quite messy, it was good, clean mess. How much cleaner can you get than soap?! This is what we did…

How to make soap crayons for sensory play

How to Make Soap Crayons

To make soap crayons you will need:

  • Soap flakes – commonly found in the laundry aisle of the supermarket
  • Liquid food coloring
  • Hot water

Directions:

1. Measure one cup of soap flakes into a bowl and add the food coloring of your choice and a tablespoon of hot water. 

2. Mix until the soap flakes have melted enough to form a thick paste. It can take a few minutes for the paste to form. Adult help may be needed for this part. Just when you think it’s not going to come together, it does!

Soap crayons for sensory play

3. Mold the paste into whatever shapes you like – we made spheres, thick logs and stars.

To make spheres and logs mold the paste as you would play dough. The spheres are easy for toddler hands to grasp and color with.

To make flat shapes, like the stars, pat the paste with your hands until it’s a flat disc and then place it onto baking paper. Use cookie cutters to create your chosen shape. The baking paper stops the paste from sticking to your work surface.

Instructions for making your own soap crayons for sensory play

4. Leave your crayons to dry out for two days before using them to draw.

5. Repeat the process for each different color you wish to make.

Make your own soap crayons for sensory play

Tips for best results with soap crayons:

  • Use lots of food coloring. The more color you add, the brighter your crayons will be.
  • The paste is great for little hands to squelch and squeeze just for fun! Don’t skip this part 🙂
  • Work near a sink or outside near a tap to make it easy to rinse the soap and food coloring off your child’s hands. Thanks to the soap it comes off very easily.

For more like this, check out these related sensory play posts;

Rainbow snake clay pots
sensory play ideas
Best ideas for sensory play for toddlers
C101_team tag

For something a little different, today the Childhood 101 contributors are playing a game of online tag! It’s lots of fun and a great way to discover new blogs and  fun ideas.
I invite you now to head on over to Debi’s blog, Go Explore Nature, where you’ll find my post about making recycled bottle lanterns with kids.


25 Comments

  1. Looks like you had as much fun making these as you would playing with them!

  2. A recipe for squelching & squeezing with little hands? Yes, please!

  3. Christie.

    This game of tag is such a wonderful idea. I’m enjoying the game and learning some wonderful new ideas.

  4. I love that these look like loads of fun to make – and the fun continues when you get to use them 🙂

  5. This looks like so much fun.

  6. Hi Christie (it’s always lovely to meet another “ie” person!)! I was pointed in your direction by Amanda @Not Just Cute, and now it seems I will be redirected all over the web following your tag game – eeek! They are all such wonderful posts though (the reminder to get out and play in the cold is timely for us), and I have added Lux soap flakes to my shopping list for next week as an excellent rainy day activity! Thanks!

  7. What great fun to make, let along use. I am really enjoying this tag team today, and I think my kids will enjoy the results of it too 🙂

    This may be a ridiculous question, but how do you use soap crayons? Are they for using in the bathtub, or do you actually draw on paper with them?

    1. Hi Kirsten, you can do both 🙂 We used them in the bath and on paper. The more colouring you add to the crayons, the brighter the colours turn out. Have fun!

  8. Assuming you use these in the tub, does the food coloring come off tub and tile easily?

    1. Hi Larlyn, you can use them in the tub or on paper, and we had no trouble rinsing it straight off of the tiles. Enjoy 🙂

  9. Thanks for this craft idea. I was looking for a soap for my daughter to make. This is so easy that all four of my kids to make crayons. Now we just have to get them to patiently wait two days till they can use them.

    We made dinosaurs, stars, crayons, flowers and hearts – using our hands & cookie cutters. I suggested we could make these for friends for gifts as well.

    Thanks so much for this post.

  10. Thank you so much for sharing this I have been looking for something like this for a while, I will be making this next weekend with about 15 kids, thank you again.

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