Easy to Make Tactile Crayon Counting Cards for Preschoolers

Jan 18, 2025 | DIY Crafts & Activities | 0 comments

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With little ones around the house, over time, any home will accumulate a collection of broken crayons that, most of the time, little ones will be reluctant to use.

I do not throw out our broken crayons because I have seen some cool melted crayon projects that I hope to try. Also, broken crayons still colour, and they can be used to teach a tremendous moral/object lesson!

How do you use broken crayons?

Tactile Crayon Counting Cards

This activity was our first attempt at using our broken, unwanted crayons, and we are super excited to share how we used them with you.

What do you think about these cool and colourful crayon numbers?

My toddler worked to create these tactile crayon numbers, and now we use them quite often to work on the skill of one-to-one correspondence.

She is proud of the finished product and can identify and count corresponding amounts for numbers 1-5.
These cards are versatile. When we use them, we use anything we can find as counters. My Little one loves using them with playdough the most.

This activity is excellent for working on:

Hand-eye coordination
Fine Motor Skills
Concentration
Number Recognition
Tagging
Number Sequence

Why tactile learning experiences are essential:

Learning is more enjoyable
Supports cognitive and language development
Improves retention
Improves understanding
Develops fine motor skills
Boost self-confidence

What you will need to recreate tactile crayon counting cards:

Cardboard ( You can use cardboard from old cereal boxes.)
Broken crayons
Marker
Glue
Scissors
Small plastic container

How to make Broken crayon tactile counting cards:

Step 1: Cut your cardboard into the size of the cards you want to make. ( I started by making one and then tracing it on my cardboard for the other number cards so that they were all around the same size.)

Step 2: Use a marker to write the numbers and the names of the numbers you want your little ones to create on your cardboard.

Step 3: Peel the wrappers off your broken crayons. I gave my older ones the task of peeling the wrappers off the crayons. It was great fine motor practice. My toddler also joined in to help. (An easy way to remove wrappers from crayons is soaking them in warm water for a few minutes. The wrappers will be easier to remove, and you can leave your crayons on a tray or paper towel to air dry.)

Step 4: If you want all your crayons to be around the same size, you can break them so they look more uniform on your tactile counting cards.

Step 5: Place all your broken crayons in a container for your little ones.

Step 6: Pour some glue into a container with a paintbrush so that your little one can use the paintbrush to paint the inside of the numbers with glue to add the broken crayons.

There you have it! In six easy steps, your little ones will be ready to create tactile number cards that they can use repeatedly!

The following can be used as counters when working with your crayon number tactile cards.

Buttons
Bottle caps
Stones
Blocks
Connecting cubes
Pompoms

Other games we use our counting cards to play:

I-Spy: When we play the game of I Spy with our tactile cards, I use the opportunity to extend my child’s vocabulary and develop oral language skills.

When we play, I say to my little one,
“I spy the colour read.” “Red like an apple.” “Can you find a red crayon?” After she finds the colour red, like an apple, I ask her to share the names of other things in her environment that are red.

Counting crayons by colour: I ask, “How many yellow crayons do you see?” I allow her to count, and then we count together to confirm that she is correct. This game enables her to practice the important math skill of tagging.

Other Tactile broken crayon cards you can make:

Shapes
Letters
Patterns

Would you try this activity with your little one?

If you know of any fun ways to use broken crayons, please share in the comments below.

We do hope you find this activity useful. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by sending us a message or visiting us @learning.stepbystep on Instagram, Learning Step By Step on Facebook and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for educational resources that will help you and your littles on their learning journey as they continue to Learn Step By Step!

Thank you for being here!

Kimberlee and the Learning Step By Step Team.