Your child will love these crayon resist conversation hearts with hidden messages that appear when you paint over them! This fun Valentine’s Day craft only requires a few simple supplies, and it is perfect for both younger and older kids.
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These crayon resist conversation hearts are a part craft, part science experiment, and perfect for Valentine’s Day! Write secret messages in white crayon, and watch as they are revealed when you paint the inside of the hearts.
This activity only requires a few minutes to do, and it is lots of fun for kids of all ages. You probably already have all the supplies you need at home, so make sure to save this tutorial for the next time your little one is looking for something to do!
Why You’ll Love This Activity
- Easy to make: This super simple craft only requires a few minutes and a few easy steps to make!
- Simple supplies: You probably already have all the materials to do this activity at home, and if you don’t, a trip to the dollar store should provide you with everything you need.
- Magical effect: Because they are written in white crayon, the messages inside the hearts are invisible at first, but magically appear once you add watercolor paint. My kids thought it was really cool to see!
- Fun for all ages: This activity is perfect for kids of all ages—younger children will love seeing your secret messages appear, while older children can write their own or use them to create their own valentines.
Looking for more heart-themed crafts and activities? Check out these Glue & Chalk Pastel Hearts, these Fizzy Baking Soda Hearts, this Floating Heart Experiment, these Toilet Paper Roll Heart Stamps or these Free Heart Coloring Pages!
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Required Materials
- Cardstock: I used white cardstock because it is thick and holds up well when watercolor paint is added to it. If you don’t have any, watercolor paper is also a good option. Regular paper is likely to get too soggy and break.
- White crayon: You’ll be using a white wax crayon to write the secret messages. (A white oil pastel can also work.)
- Colored crayons: I used colored wax crayons to draw the hearts, because my box of crayons was already out, but any sort of writing implement will do, including markers, pens or wooden pencils. You can also simply cut hearts out of cardstock and skip drawing the heart outlines entirely!
- Paint: There are a few different options to choose from. I used regular washable watercolor paint, but you can also use liquid watercolor paint, or even liquid food coloring diluted with water.
- Paintbrush: Any type will do! Medium-sized is best for this project. Mine came from the dollar store.
- Heart candies (optional): These are optional, but I thought it would be fun to replicate the colors and messages of real conversation heart candies, then have my kids match them up!
The full supply list and instructions can be found in the how-to card.
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How to Make Magic Reveal Conversation Hearts (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Draw hearts. Draw the outline of several hearts on a sheet of white cardstock. (I used the pink, blue, orange, green and yellow to match real conversation heart candies, but you can use any color you want.)
Step 2: Write messages. Use a white crayon to write messages inside the heart outlines. You can copy the messages from real conversation heart candies, or invent your own.
Step 3: Reveal messages. Paint the inside of the heart outlines with watercolor paint and watch as the messages you wrote are revealed! The paint will adhere to the paper, but not to the wax, which will allow the white crayon to become visible.
Step 4: Match candy (optional). If you have conversation heart candies, have your child match the colors and messages to the ones you created… or use them as inspiration to create the next ones!
My kids all had lots of fun making the secret messages appear, and my toddler was so happy to be included! We’ll definitely be making this craft again the next time Valentine’s Day comes around.
Tips & Variations
- Use off-white paper: Having trouble seeing what you’re writing? Instead of using white cardstock, try using off-white or very light gray. This will allow the messages to be a bit easier to see as you are writing them, while still requiring the paint to make them more visible.
- Add a learning component: Don’t be afraid to get creative! Instead of writing conversation heart messages, try turning this craft into a fun learning activity by using it to practice sight words, colors, or adding anything else you happen to be working on with your kids!
- Stick with darker colors: For messages that are easy to read, you’ll want to stick with darker paint colors. I used the same colors as real conversation heart candies, but the light green and yellow were more difficult to read because they didn’t create as much contrast with the white crayon.
- Create your own valentines: Want to give these out to friends or classmates? Instead of drawing heart outlines, cut hearts out of cardstock and write your secret messages on those before making them appear with paint!
More Valentine Crafts for Kids
If you have tried these Crayon Resist Conversation Hearts or any other project on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments below. I can’t wait to hear from you!
Crayon Resist Conversation Hearts
Materials
- 1 sheet cardstock or watercolor paper
- 1 white wax crayon
- colored wax crayons assorted colors
- watercolor paint or liquid watercolor paint
- 1 paintbrush
Instructions
- Draw the outline of several hearts on a sheet of white cardstock. (We used the pink, blue, orange, green and yellow to match real conversation heart candies, but the colors you use are up to you.)
- Use a white crayon to write messages inside the heart outlines. You can copy the messages from real conversation heart candies, or invent your own.
- Paint the inside of the heart outlines with watercolor paint and watch as the messages you wrote are revealed! The paint will adhere to the paper, but not to the wax, allowing the white crayon to become visible.
- Optional: If you have conversation heart candies, have your child match the colors and messages to the ones you created, or use them as inspiration to create more hearts.
Video
Notes
- Try off-white paper: If you are having trouble seeing what you are writing with the white crayon, try using off-white or light gray paper instead of white.
- Stick with darker colors: For a clearer view of the secret messages, use darker watercolor paint that creates a bigger contrast with the white crayon.
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