Let’s learn how to make DIY stamps out of a surprising material: styrofoam trays!

Design for Kids: DIY Stamps

Styrofoam trays make a great DIY stamp material! They can be etched and then cut into squares to make personalized and simple stamps for kids.

Materials

• Styrofoam Tray
• Pencil A slightly dull pencil works best
• Toy wood blocks 
• Plastic Caps and Lids
• Tape/Velcro Double sided tape is best
• Hot Glue
• Water Based Markers
• Ink Pads

  

   OR make homemade stamp pad (see below)
• Paper

Instructions

• Step One Cut styrofoam tray into squares.
• Step Two Using a pencil, etch designs or letters into squares to create a stamp.
• Step Three Tape, velcro or hot glue your styrofoam stamp to a wood block or other item to make it easier to hold. Only use hot glue if you are not going reuse the blocks.
• Step Four Start stamping! If you are using velcro you can replace the stamps as desired with other foam letters. This way you don’t need a separate block for each stamp.

DIY Stamp Pad

If you don’t have ink pads, make your own!

• Mix tempera paint and glue with the following ratio: 3 parts paint, 1 part glue.
• Cut sponges to fit small plastic containers, and mix the paint/glue right in the container to make mini ink pads.
• Cover tightly with a lid to prevent drying out. If they become gooey add a little water to dilute.

Tips

• If you don’t have a stamp pad and don’t want to make one here’s the BEST.TIP.EVER. Ink the styrofoam with washable markers and then stamp!
• To make a word stamp, place two or more loop stickers on a rectangular wood block. ( if you don’t have rectangles tape two square blocks together).
• Always remember to place the letters of the word you wish to spell on the stamp BACKWARDS!

Looks Like

Johannes Gutenberg. Johannes Gutenberg perfected the printing press in 1450. The printing press is a printing system that uses interchangeable letters AKA movable type to mass produce printed materials like books.  In a printing press each letter is set in place to forms words in a frame also known as a chase. Paper is then pressed onto the inked letters. What you have done by making a stamp with interchangeable letters is the same concept.

Prior to the invention of the printing press, books were copied by hand and not available to most people. Fast forward to today and the printing press seems antiquated since most printing is done with the help of computers. However the printing press is one of those historic inventions that changed the world, literally, giving everyday people access to books and information.

More

So now that you’ve made a “mini printing press” what can you do with your DIY stamps?

• Make art prints to frame.
• Personalize a T-shirt. Instead of printing these with ink, use fabric paint.
• Print custom greeting cards

If you enjoyed this DIY stamp tutorial, here’s another fun way to make stamps at home: