Colors for young children: crayons, pencils or felt-tip pens?

We all know that drawing is one of the best activities for kids. It’s fun and liberating but also creative and challenging. And we can clearly see that they like it very much from the commitment they put in every time they find themselves with a sheet of paper in front of them and colors in hand.

But drawing and coloring is much more than a game . Drawing a drawing, choosing colours, holding a pencil correctly in your hand, committing yourself to coloring while respecting the contours, are all activities that offer numerous benefits to children.
In particular they help to:

• stimulate creativity, imagination and logic
• develop fine motor skills
• develop hand strength
• improve hand-eye coordination
• improve visual analysis
• find focus
• increase individual confidence
• express emotions
• make them relax.

Colors for young children: what to make them use to draw and color?

When it comes to colors for children, you are spoiled for choice. In fact, on the market there are crayons, felt-tip pens, colored pencils, chalks, tempera and all with different formats and characteristics. But to make drawing and coloring a pleasant experience it is good to offer children, especially if they are young (from 1 year onwards), the type of color suitable for their age group.
So let’s see what are the most appropriate types of colors for young children .

Crayons

Crayons are probably the most suitable colors for young children and are to be preferred, at least in the first experiences, to felt-tip pens and even pencils.
In fact, pastels do not pierce the sheets and do not get your hands, clothes or sofa dirty, which can happen with felt-tip pens or tempera instead.
Furthermore, the crayons, coloring well only if held at the right angle and exerting adequate pressure, stimulate children to learn the correct hand position and to dose the right force in the stroke.
This will enable children to learn to hold and handle pencils and felt-tip pens as well.

The best crayons for young children should be easy to hold and hard to break. Short and stocky ones are therefore preferable, preferably with natural wax, paraffin-free and non-toxic.

One type of crayon for children with the characteristics I have just told you about is Honeysticks Crayons. They are made in 100% pure beeswax and with non-toxic pigments so they are safe for all children aged 1 and up. Each pack contains 12 bright, vibrant colors!

Pencil colours

Pencils are colors formed by a colored lead enclosed in a wooden container. They are one of the first tools for drawing and coloring that are given to children as they are easy to use (just a simple pressure) and do not get dirty.
Compared to crayons, pencils are less practical for young children because they need to be pinned occasionally and because the tip often breaks.
Compared to felt-tip pens , however, they have less bright colors but certainly children get less dirty

The most suitable pencils for young children are what I call pencils. They are real pencils but only smaller and thicker because they are more suitable to hold in the hand. This small, stubby shape also ensures that the tip doesn’t break as easily as thinner pencils. However, the fact remains that occasionally it is necessary to pin them down with a special pencil sharpener

A type of pencil for small children very popular with mothers are the Woody Stabilo. In addition to having the small and large shape and an XXL lead resistant to even the strongest pressures, they are multifunctional pencils and can also be used as watercolors (just pass a wet brush over the line).

Finger colors

Finger paints are liquid paints like gouache, but they are not real gouache. They are colors presented in a jar and are specially made for young children. This is why they are non-toxic, easily washable and their main use is not with a brush but for children to color with their hands (a sensory experience that children really like) or with sponges.
Children will get dirty but a plastic apron and a protective placemat are enough to limit the “damage” (in any case they are washable colors for children designed to be washed without difficulty even on both fabrics and skin).

An example of recommended finger paints are these from Giotto. It is a pack with 6 jars (resealable and reusable) of main colours: black, white, yellow, red, blue, green. The color inside is ready to use and is very thick: ideal for messing with your hands (and feet). You can dilute it with a trickle of water if you want to use other tools such as brushes or stamps.

Felt-tip pens

Felt-tip pens are generally alcohol-based colors and are, together with pencils and crayons, one of the first coloring tools offered to children. They really like them because they are simple to use, they slide easily on the sheet, the colors are bright and even a slight pressure is enough to color even large spaces in a short time.

The most suitable felt-tip pens for young children are the mini felt-tip pens, the ones that are easy to grip because they are small and wide and with a large, rounded and non-retractable tip. Since children can get dirty with felt-tip pens, felt-tip pens with inks guaranteed to be washable with water from both skin and clothes are preferable.

A type of markers suitable for small children and with the characteristics that I have described are the Crayola Mini Kids Markers, specially designed for children from 12 months and made with specific and safe products suited to their needs to develop dexterity, creativity and sense of the colour.

Colored chalks

Colored chalks are another type of drawing and coloring tools that are particularly suitable for young children (2 years and older). These are colored sticks made up of calcium sulphate and pulverized earths, pigmented and blended together to form a stiff compound that is particularly easy to apply.
They can be used for drawing on blackboards and outdoors on rough floors such as asphalt, sidewalks, low walls (for slightly older children, even on rough-grained black card).

The most suitable chalks for young children are the big and small ones because they are easier to hold. They are generally round, but for small children parallelepiped-shaped chalks have also been studied so as not to roll and harder chalks that are resistant to breaking.

An example of chalks suitable for small children and with the characteristics I have told you are the Crayola Chalks. They come in a pack of 16 with intense colors.

Gifts for children who love to draw

Now that I’ve given you some tips on which colors are best suited for young children, you can give your little artists everything they need to draw and color. Don’t forget that in addition to crayons and pencils or felt-tip pens and chalk, they will also need sheets, brushes , blackboards , coloring books and… your complicity! 😉