# Corn Rubbing Art
> Tape white paper over an ear of Indian corn and gently rub crayons across it to reveal the bumpy kernel pattern. It's a simple, soothing Thanksgiving art project, and the rubbings can be framed or cut into corn shapes.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/thanksgiving-art-corn-rubbing-art-project/
- Ages: 3–7 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: low
- Time: prep 5 min, activity 20 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class
- Skills: fine-motor, texture-exploration, colors, art
- Cautions: corn

## Materials (one batch)
- 1 piece Indian corn (dried decorative ear)
- 1 sheet White paper (household)
- Crayons
- 1 roll Tape (household)
- Scissors (optional) (household)

## Safety
- Dried Indian corn kernels can come loose and are a choking hazard for young children. Check the ears before use and supervise closely.
- Wash hands after handling decorative corn, which may be dusty or treated for display.

## Before you start
- Check each ear of Indian corn for loose kernels before kids use it.

## Steps
1. Lay an ear of Indian corn on a sheet of white paper.
2. Wrap the paper over the corn and tape the edges so the paper stays in place.
3. Set out crayons so your child can choose colors.
4. Gently rub or color on the paper over the corn until the kernel markings show up.
5. Keep going with different colors to fill the paper. You can also skip the tape and just hold the paper down over the corn.
6. Admire the finished rubbing. Frame it as it is, or cut corn shapes from it.

## Tips
- After a few tries your child will get the hang of it! Once the rubbings show up on the paper, things get really interesting for them.
- We did not stick to Indian corn colors. As you can see, the kids loved their greens and purples.
- My 6 year old preferred to hold down the paper instead of using a corn with taped paper. Whatever works for your kid, I say!
- The entire process is very soothing.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2014)

Halloween went by so soon! Boo! Now before just jumping over to the Holiday season let's please remember the Big November in the middle. November is a big month for us : apart from Thanksgiving we have 2 birthdays and an anniversary. Today we are sharing a simple [**Thanksgiving art project**](https://www.funlittles.com/thanksgiving-art/) with corn. We love [**Turkey Crafts**](https://www.funlittles.com/tag/turkey/) just as much as [**corn crafts**](https://www.funlittles.com/tag/turkey/)! { Visit the link for all our Turkey Crafts} **Materials**

- Indian Corn
- White Paper
- Crayons
- Tape

Lay down a corn on a sheet of white paper. Tape the edges to the corn so that the paper stays in place.  Set our crayons so that your child can gently rub/color on the paper. After a few tries he/she will get the hang of it! Once the markings/rubbings show up on the paper things get really interesting for them. We did not stick to Indian Corn colors but if you prefer you may set out only browns, oranges, reds and yellows. As you can see the kids loved their greens and purples.



My 6 year old preferred to hold down the paper as opposed to using a corn with taped paper. Whatever works for your kid I say!



The resulting markings are just gorgeous. The entire process is very soothing. {Check out our earlier **c[oin rubbings](https://www.funlittles.com/art-math-activities-coin-rubbings/)**. Great for math/number sense}



You can cut our corn shapes from the resulting rubbing art or just frame it as it is. Visit our [**fine motor corn art**](https://www.funlittles.com/thanksgiving-crafts-kids-fine-motor-corn-art/) post to see a sample. We created corn art first and made a corn bunting for the mantle.





Thanks for reading

**A few interesting Thanksgiving Crafts and activities post you may enjoy!**

- [**Thanksgiving Turkey Handprint Family Keepsake Art**](https://www.funlittles.com/thanksgiving-art/)
- [**Paper Roll Turkey Craft**](https://www.funlittles.com/thanksgiving-crafts-for-kids/)
- [**Shapes Turkey Toddler Craft**](https://www.funlittles.com/thanksgiving-craft-for-the-toddler/)
- [**Pumpkin Turkey**](https://www.funlittles.com/math-based-turkey-craft/)
- [**Gloves Turkey**](https://www.funlittles.com/thanksgiving-craft-with-gloves/)
- [**Fine Motor Turkey Art**](https://www.funlittles.com/thanksgiving-craft-with-foam-shapes/)