- Definition
A rubbing plate is a textured surface, like a piece of cardboard with glue or lace on it, that your child can place paper over and rub with a crayon to create a textured picture. It helps them explore different patterns and feelings through touch.
Placing a piece of paper over a bumpy piece of cardboard and rubbing a crayon over it reveals the texture.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: A rubbing plate is like a bumpy toy that you can press paper onto to copy its texture.
Ask your child: How does this texture feel on your fingers?
Common mix-up: Kids might think rubbing plates are just for scribbling. The idea is to use them as a tool to carefully copy a texture onto paper.
Examples
- Laying paper over a leaf and rubbing with a crayon to see the veins appear.
- Pressing paper onto a coin and rubbing with a pencil to copy the face.
- Making a rubbing from a piece of lace to capture its delicate pattern.
rubbing plate is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
