How to Upcycle Old Crayons into Valentine’s Day Party Favors for Kids + Free Valentine Printables

Looking for a way to reuse the ever-growing pile of broken crayons in your home? Upcycle those forgotten pieces of colored wax into cute party favors for kids! Print my free Valentine’s Day cards to accompany your crayons to create a beautiful, sustainably-minded gift.

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I don’t know about you, but our house accumulates a lot of crayons in a year. Pieces of waxy colors can be found in just about every nook of our home and car. Instead of trashing them, we love to mix and match the crayons to create beautiful new coloring tools, in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Perfect for little hands, we’ve given upcycled crayons as party favors and classroom Valentine’s Day gifts instead of sweets and single-use plastic trinkets and they are always a hit.

The Importance of Upcycling and Reusing Materials

In our modern world that is dominated by the “more, cheaper, faster” mindset, I find it incredibly important to address the topic of consumption with my kids. Instilling thoughtful consumption habits has been a priority in our home. One major tenet of this thought process is to address the waste associated with consumption, not only from a packaging point of view but about the longevity of the item itself.

Here are a few questions I casually ask my kids to spark discussions surrounding waste. 

• Can this item be mended and continue to serve its purpose?
• Can this item be transformed or upcycled into something new?
• Can this item be taken apart and its components be used for another purpose?

If the answer is no to each of these questions, then the next level of discussion sounds something like this:

• Can we recycle any of the parts of the item?
• Could this item be of value to someone else as is?
• What is the most responsible way to discard this item?

This level of discussion may not happen every time you toss something in the trash, but it sets a precedent for the fact that materials have value, and the extraction of any raw materials needed to create the item has both economic and environmental costs that should be considered.

For this activity, melting old crayons to create new, usable party favors for kids is a fantastic way to address consumption and waste!

Free Ways to Find the Materials You Need to Upcycle Crayons into Cute Party Favors and Gifts

If you don’t have some of the materials to make the upcycled crayon party favors, consider a few of the following sustainable alternatives to purchasing the necessary supplies.

Ask Your Friends, Family, and Neighbors

Did your grandmother ever tell you a story about how she went to the neighbor’s house to borrow a cup of sugar? As the pace of our modern lives has increased, we have forgotten or have never known what it’s like to walk across the street to ask to borrow something. Capitalize on the kindness of your neighbors, family members, and friends, and revitalize the simple act of borrowing!

Shop Your Local Buy Nothing Group or Facebook Marketplace

If you’re missing some materials to make the upcycled crayons, consider putting a request on your local Buy Nothing Group or Facebook Marketplace. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your request is met by others looking to declutter their homes! Another option is to stop into your local secondhand or consignment shop and see what items they have available. I have successfully shopped secondhand for crafting materials more times than I can count. 

Check With Your Local Library

Libraries are for borrowing much more than just books! My local library continually hosts children’s activities and crafting sessions. Put a request into your librarian for extra crafting supplies they may have left over from a workshop. My good friend Jen, editor of Honestly Modern, has written an entire series based on ways you can capitalize on your local libraries’ resources. 

Materials to Make New Crayons from Old Crayons

Here’s a simple list of supplies you’ll need to upcycle your forgotten bits of crayons.

• Crayons of all shapes, sizes, and colors
• Sharp knife or cutting blade*
• Silicone baking/candy molds (I used heart-shaped and dinosaur-shaped silicone molds.)**

*Adult assistance is needed to complete this activity, as removal of crayon wrappers is much easier (and faster!) when a sharp blade is used.

**I find that small silicone baking molds are the easiest material to make upcycled crayons because of the simplistic way the new crayons pop out of the trays once they are fully cooled! However, using what you already have or have access to is a priority in sustainable living. You can use ice cube trays, candy molds, or cupcake baking sheets as alternatives to the silicone molds, however they may be a bit messier at clean-up time. 

There are a lot of fun silicone baking mold shapes to choose from. The types I find that are the best size for upcycling crayons resemble ice cube trays or small candy molds. Our two favorite silicone mold shapes are heart molds and dinosaur molds.

Instructions to Upcycle Old Crayons into Party Favors

Follow these simple steps to transform your old crayons into cute, new Valentine’s Day gifts and party favors.

1. Heat oven to 200℉.
2. Using a sharp blade, remove the wrappers from the crayons.
3. Break the crayons into pieces.
4. Pile broken crayons into each of the silicon baking molds or cupcake tray holders, organizing the colors however you’d like. My kids enjoy putting like colors together, however you can have total creative freedom in the colors you pair together!
5. Fill the molds or cups to the top of each cup. As they melt, they will condense.
6. Place the baking tray on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until all of the crayons have melted.
7. If after 25 minutes, all of the crayons have not melted, increase the oven temperature to 225℉ for 5 additional minutes. If there are still piece of unmelted wax, increase the oven temperature to 250℉ for 5 additional minutes, watching the crayons to ensure they do not begin to burn.*
8. Once melted, carefully remove the tray from the oven and let cool until completely hardened.
9. When the new crayons have hardened, gently remove them from the baking tray.
10. Package them alone in a small gift bag or cloth wrapping, or pair them with some recycled paper or unwanted coloring sheets for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift!

*I have found that different brands of crayons are better at melting than others. For example, Crayola brand crayons melt well at 200℉ for 25 minutes, while Cra-Z-Art brand crayons take a bit longer to melt. In addition, the off-brand crayons you get at restaurants may take even longer to melt and require a finishing temperature closer to 225 – 250℉ .

The key to successfully upcycling old crayons is to break the waxy colors into small pieces and to keep a close eye on your oven as you near the 25 minute mark.

Examples of What Your Upcycled Crayons May Look Like

Once your crayons have completed cooled and you have removed them from the mold, you may notice a color difference on the top and the bottom of your crayon. This has to do with the composition of the old crayons that you melted. Some crayon brands contain a mixture of clear and colored wax, and when melted, the clear wax separates from the colored portion and floats to the top. I have found that when I use Cra-Z-Art brand crayons and restaurant crayons, I notice a wax separation. I do not get a separation of wax when melting only Crayola brand crayons.

Free, Printable Cards to Accompany the Upcycled Crayons

Make your upcycled Valentine’s Day gifts or party favors complete with these free, printable cards. Simply enter your email address below to grab the free, printable cards!

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Looking for more free, printable Valentine’s Day cards to pair with your upcycled crayons? Honestly Modern has created 6 free, printable cards for you to enjoy! (My favorite is the “Will you “bee” my Valentine” one, FYI.)

How to Sustainably Dispose of Your Upcycled Crayons and Wrappers

Once you’ve melted all of your bits and bobs of old crayon pieces, it’s time to clean up. Here are some simple instructions to sustainably dispose of their original wrappers and repurpose your upcycled crayons again and again.

• If the original crayons were wrapped in paper, you can toss them into the compost bin or recycling bin. Double check that the interior of the wrapper does not contain a layer of plastic. You can tell by running your finger over the inside of the wrapper. If it feels smooth and has a waxy feel, most likely the wrapper is lined with a thin layer of plastic and should be tossed in the trash can.
• Once your upcycled crayons have been used down to bits, they can be reused again! The beautiful thing about wax crayons is that they can be melted down and reshaped repeatedly. Keep the bits and try making new color combinations or shapes.

Activities to Use Your Upcycled Crayons

Here are some activities you can do with your kids to use your upcycled crayons and continue learning about various aspects of sustainability.

Sustainability Bingo

Use your newly made crayons as bingo tokens and introduce your learners to sustainable living habits through this classic game! Composting, eating leftovers, reducing energy consumption, and planting a garden are just some of the 30+ examples provided in this fun family favorite. This free printable includes 30 different game boards and two sheets of calling cards and is perfect for classrooms, birthday parties, and community events of all ages.

Composting Bingo

Want a fun activity to try with learners of any age to help them better understand all the things you can compost? (Hint: It’s way more than just food.) Try this simple, fun, and FREE Compost BINGO game. 

Sustainable Development Goals Coloring Poster

How do we encourage our children to take part in actions for social and environmental justice? How do we raise good global citizens? It can be hard to know what to say, how much to share, and when to get them involved in taking action for a better and more just world.

Coloring and picture books are great entry points to many difficult conversations with our kids. Download a really neat free coloring poster that highlights each of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. You’ll also find a picture book list to go along with each goal to help the kiddos in your life better understand this global framework of social and environmental justice.

More Upcycling Crafts and Activities for Kids

If you’re looking for more upcycling crafts and activities to do with kids, check these out:

• How to Upcycle Greeting Cards into a Valentine’s Day Banner
• How to Make an Easy, DIY Minecraft Pinata
• How to Make a Recycled, Paper Mache Pumpkin