# When to introduce coloring and what to allow?



## Crazybean (Apr 24, 2008)

At what age do most children start coloring or understand the concept of scribbling? Is it okay to use crayons? It says non toxic but is it really? What about coloring pencils? Markers (too messy?)? What do you do?


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## Miss 1928 (Nov 12, 2007)

:

I want to know this too.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

We started somewhere between a year and 18 months and started with crayons.

Added markers somewhere between 18 mo and 2 yrs (with close supervision)

-Angela


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## XanaduMama (May 19, 2006)

We "allow" pretty much anything, though we discourage scribbling on walls etc. The Crayola markers are washable, so they come off anything easily with water, which reduces the stress level. What's annoying about them is keeping the lids on when they're not being used, to prevent them drying up--for that reason, we like crayons better.

As soon as your dc shows an interest and an ability to hold a crayon, I say go for it! I think for us it was sometime soon after a year.


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## emmasmommy (Feb 26, 2004)

With dd1, we never thought about it, but my artist grandma gave her a colouring book and crayons when she came to visit when dd was 16 mo. She loved it - but she did like to eat the crayons too, so we just had to watch her. At almost 6, she is becoming quite the artist herself and it's one of her favourite things to do when we see great-grandma (other times too, but when she is with grandma she gets to use "grown-up" art supplies ie my grandma's water colours, brushes and paper).

DD2 started colouring when she was a bit younger just because she wanted to be like her big sister. She uses whatever she can get her hands on - since dd1 had everything out it's hard to keep her from using the markers and stuff too.


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## angie7 (Apr 23, 2007)

Mine have been coloring since they were about 18 months old.


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

I think it partly depends on the kid. My 2 year old isn't real interested in crayons. He just likes to pick the paper off the outside. He does like markers but not for very long. My now 6 year old would be occupied for quite awhile at that age with a blank piece of paper and a crayon. He still loves to draw and write and is really good at it.


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## TinyMama (Sep 4, 2007)

We tape big sheets of newsprint to the kitchen floor and let her go nuts w/crayons. DD is 13mo and has been doing this since a/b 11mo.

Coloring on walls/floors is a different sensation than coloring on a piece of paper, so if your dc has trouble w/that, he may be craving a vertical surface--you could tape paper to a wall that would be okay if it got a little bit on it, like a basement or garage wall.

We started young b/c my DH and dad are both artists, so this was important to them!


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## kittyhead (Oct 28, 2005)

i tried crayons at about a year and my boy just wanted to throw them. tried again at about 18 months and he LOVED them. now at almost two he requests crayons and paper every day. he tells me what his drawings are, too (usually a dumptruck or a snake) and we hang them on the fridge. we talked a lot about crayons being for paper only, and so far so good.


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## ryansma (Sep 6, 2006)

We started giving ds crayons at a little under a year. He loved it. I bought big poster board and thick crayons and let him go to town. He was never much of a mouther though, so that was not a concern for us. It depends on your child's interest level.


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## Altair (May 1, 2005)

From a fine-motor and writing readiness standpoint, stick with crayons (not markers). Markers you can hold any way and they don't have any "drag" to them so they have less control over what they draw.

The OTs at my school taught me the best way to use drawing for fine motor development-- peel off the wrappers on crayons and then break them into small pieces. Put them in big bins in interesting ways to make the appealing. The way a kid has to grasp the small crayons gives them really good pincher-grasp control. don't use the big crayons, they encourage a fist grasp.

the handwriting without tears crayons are always a hit-- http://shopping.hwtears.com/product/...ayons/whatsnew


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## elmh23 (Jul 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *XanaduMama* 
We "allow" pretty much anything, though we discourage scribbling on walls etc. The Crayola markers are washable, so they come off anything easily with water, which reduces the stress level. What's annoying about them is keeping the lids on when they're not being used, to prevent them drying up--for that reason, we like crayons better.

As soon as your dc shows an interest and an ability to hold a crayon, I say go for it! I think for us it was sometime soon after a year.

That's how we do it here too. However, I don't allow my son (15.5 months) to use crayons right now because he eats them. Diapers with crayon bits are disgusting!


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## tbone_kneegrabber (Oct 16, 2007)

I am starting to lurk in the toddler forum even though ds is only 10.5 months, just getting ready for the next stage.

Ds is starting understand chalk. Lots of folks bring chalk to the playground and often leave it behind. DS is finally getting that there is somethign to do with chalk besides eat it and will make a few marks on stuff.

sidewalk chalk is great because you can make easy rules "this is for outside only" it washes away etc. Maybe start with chalk.


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## ryansma (Sep 6, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Altair* 

The OTs at my school taught me the best way to use drawing for fine motor development-- peel off the wrappers on crayons and then break them into small pieces. Put them in big bins in interesting ways to make the appealing. The way a kid has to grasp the small crayons gives them really good pincher-grasp control. don't use the big crayons, they encourage a fist grasp.


I have never seen a one or two year old capable of pincher grasp so while I do think it could be a hinderance in later years, I don't see anything wrong with STARTING with bigger crayons. IMO they don't encourage fist grasp. They just make it easier for young children that naturally grasp that way. I don't think kindergarteners should use big crayons but I think they are an acceptable place to start when we are talking about pre-school children.


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## cheygirl (Jun 13, 2006)

DD started showing interest a couple months after she started daycare, so around 18 mos. Now, at 22 mos she is a colouring fanatic. I was very happy to discover stockmar block crayons. They are stubby, perfect for a toddler's hands (they won't break or get bitten off), and they are made of food-grade beeswax. Loooooove them!!!


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## alison_in_oh (Nov 23, 2005)

My son has enjoyed scribbling for a couple months now. He has an easel in his room where we use colored pencils, markers, pens -- whatever's handy.







This thread makes me want to try him with crayons though; he likes the markers best because it's easy to make an impression on the paper as opposed to the pencils, which he has to really press with. I think crayons would be a good medium for him.









He's moved from chicken-scratches to more deliberate, broad strokes. I can't wait to watch the next stages of drawing development!


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## *Aimee* (Jan 8, 2007)

DS1 has been coloring since about a year. He has stockmar crayons but he thinks they're blocks







so we use markers. It gets pretty interesting....


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## CawMama (Nov 4, 2005)

I've given ds crayons since he was about 12 months old. But, I just sort of guaged his readiness by how he reacted. If he put them in his mouth, I'd put them away for a month or two, and then try again. He actively used them around 24 mos.

We get the Stockmar beeswax crayons (they make thick stick crayons or also block crayons...both great for toddler hands to grasp), and feel alright if they do end up in his mouth for any length of time.


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## nighten (Oct 18, 2005)

We started with crayons before a year even, but she wasn't very interested in them then. We've never done markers and don't plan to anytime soon, as right now she's fine with crayons or sidewalk chalk, but no other writing instruments -- markers, pencils, pens, etc.

It's difficult for her to distinguish between why this washable marker is okay for her to color with but that Sharpie isn't.









Fingerpainting has also been a great big fun thing. We tape paper on the table and let her go to town.

And the Aquadoodle/Magnadoodle stuff has been fun for her too.


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## ari's mama (Mar 13, 2006)

My DD has been coloring since about 12 months ( she's 15 months now). My DS and I as a fun project made her crayon cupcakes ( DS loves them too and he is 3 and a half) we gathered all our old broken crayons, peeled off the wrappers, broke them into small pieces and filled a cupcake tray with them ( you have have those cupcake papers in them and fill about half way) bake in oven at 350 for about 10 min, cool remove paper. Perfect for little hands.


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## Crazybean (Apr 24, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ari's mama* 
My DD has been coloring since about 12 months ( she's 15 months now). My DS and I as a fun project made her crayon cupcakes ( DS loves them too and he is 3 and a half) we gathered all our old broken crayons, peeled off the wrappers, broke them into small pieces and filled a cupcake tray with them ( you have have those cupcake papers in them and fill about half way) bake in oven at 350 for about 10 min, cool remove paper. Perfect for little hands.

That's a really good idea.. and that made me hungry for REAL cupcakes







:


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## texanatheart (Sep 10, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ari's mama* 
My DD has been coloring since about 12 months ( she's 15 months now). My DS and I as a fun project made her crayon cupcakes ( DS loves them too and he is 3 and a half) we gathered all our old broken crayons, peeled off the wrappers, broke them into small pieces and filled a cupcake tray with them ( you have have those cupcake papers in them and fill about half way) bake in oven at 350 for about 10 min, cool remove paper. Perfect for little hands.

I LOVE that idea!!! Thanks!

We've tried crayons a couple times with DS since he was about 15 months. He's not crazy about them yet, but is more interested now (at almost 19 mo) than at first.


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## Twwly (Jan 30, 2007)

DS was scribbling regularly by 8 months. He is currently 20 months. He has been holding the crayons in a pretty orderly fashion before 12 months. We realized he wanted to draw one night because he was practically throwing himself at DH (who is a tattooer and draws at the table every other night of the week).

He started out drawing straight lines (just scratching happily away at the paper), moved onto a variety of different shapes and methods (he's gone through a swirl phase and a circle phase, and a trying to trace what we draw phase) and yeah.

He started drawing with chalk at 1 year (we moved into a house that had a chalk wall) but has used crayons for months before that. We also bought him Crayola markers at around 10 months (big at first then smaller ones for variety) and he likes to paint too. We buy giant pads of recycled newsprint and lay it on the floor for him and he goes to town.

I don't know what you mean exactly by "allow"... Any time he tried to draw on the walls or cupboards we would ask him to draw on his paper instead. It worked just fine. We let him draw on himself as much as he wants (and on us... and the dog) because (1) we're really heavily tattooed and it would be pretty hypocritical of us to tell him it's ok for us to have drawings on us but not him and (2) it washes off so who cares.


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## Wolfcat (Jan 10, 2006)

If cleanliness is the issue, I'd go with Color Wonder stuff. DS isn't old enough for the markers yet, so I haven't looked into safety/ingestion issues on it yet. And I know some people don't like buying the "big brands", so that wouldn't work well if that's the case.

DS (23 mo) has been using crayons for about 3-4 months now. He has to sit at his table and he is good about coloring on the paper.


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## lolar2 (Nov 8, 2005)

Don't forget fingerpaint.


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## GooeyRN (Apr 24, 2006)

We started a round 20 months. I would only give her 2 at a time and she was well supervised so she didn't redecorate the house. She did twice decorate. I took them away for awhile. When she would ask for them I said no b/c crayons are only for paper, and she drew on the walls. We will try again when she can understand that. I then allowed her to have them, again. The same thing happened, so there were no more crayons for about a month. When she asked, I just kept repeating. Around 30 months old she no longer decorated the house. During the time of no crayon use I did let her use washable markers. She has her choice now, but always chooses crayons. I no longer need to supervise her. She knows they will be taken away if she draws any where other than paper. I let her have the whole box of 64 now. We keep them in an empty baby wipe container. She also knows if she leaves them all over they will be taken away. So she is very good about keeping them in the baby wipe container.


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## TefferTWH (May 13, 2008)

My son is 25 months and still has very little interest in coloring, no matter what the paper is or what the crayon is. That's too much sitting still for him!


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## balancedmama (Feb 16, 2007)

We started before 9 months. DD was just very interested in pens. By 12 months she had a little notebook that she would crawl around with and draw in. She started off scribbling and by 12 mos she was drawing circles and holding her crayon 'correctly'. At first we used the fat washable crayons, now she prefers the twistable crayons in the plastic barrels as they don't break as easily. We have some Stockmar crayons too but she's not a huge fan.

She also likes the color wonder marker and the fingerpaint although it's really greasy and I'm not in love with it. I recommend waiting a bit on the color wonder stuff anyway b/c it doesn't give that instant gratification and it can be frustrating.


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## henhao (Dec 17, 2004)

As soon as she could hold a crayon, she was allowed to use it. However, my DD stopped putting stuff in her mouth at 9 months. I was not uber concerned about her eating the crayons.

As for markers, my child is a neat freak so I don't even have to supervise.


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## pixilixi (Jun 20, 2006)

Just chiming in - ds is another toddler who is not really interested in drawing. Like a pp said, he is more interested in picking the paper off the outside of crayons. We also have chalk, but that's no more interesting.

He will sometimes draw in the bath with some soap-based crayons he got for Christmas. That's the only way I knew that he could scribble for his 2 year old wbv "checklist".

I've tried shaving foam, but he didn't like the texture. I might make some finger paint and try that (but I think the muck factor might get to him again). I plan to make some salt dough decorations soon - maybe he will join in with brush and paint - though that's a step away from scribbling.

I would be more than happy to lay newspaper all around and make a mess - if only ds were into it. What can ya do?


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## spring978 (Aug 6, 2007)

DS has been using crayons since about 18 months he loves markers on the sliding glass door the best


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## katheek77 (Mar 13, 2007)

We use crayons and markers, but, DD really prefers chalk. My husband had a chalkboard he made out of an old painting (about 2.5 by 3.5 feet) using that special paint, and we put that against a wall for her, and she loves that.

She's been using them since around 12mos old.


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## eepster (Sep 20, 2006)

If you're asking, then it's time. Really there is no reason to wait.

Give him the crayons and some paper sit down next to him with your own paper start drawing. When he takes a bite out of the crayon fish the pieces out of his mouth and put the crayons away.

Repeat this every few days, each time drawing last longer before he will try eating the crayon. He will discover that drawing is fun and crayons don't taste good fairly quickly.

In terms of worrying about toxicity, just buy a good brand made in USA or europe.


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## sarahr (Mar 29, 2007)

I've been giving DD crayons and markers since she was about 1. She's not that into drawing though -- she mostly likes to see how many crayons/markers she can hold at one time.


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## travlr (Apr 28, 2007)

Both my girls started at around 12m. There are a couple of good books to read about the stages of drawing and art creation. Susan Striker is very opinionated about art (for example she hates coloring books) but she has a Montessori outlook and I like a lot of her ideas. Her book Young at Art has some art projects in it, but it primarily teaches about how children learn to draw (the lines, then circles, mandalas, etc.) and how to encourage and not hamper your child's creativity. After reading it, it was fun to watch my younger DD go through these stages. I don't agree with her 100% but she made me think. MaryAnn F. Kohl has a more gentle approach and has some great art projects sorted by age. I recommend her book First Art.

As for art supplies, I mix it up. Big crayons are nice because they don't break when children push hard, but I also like all the bits and pieces of crayons. My older DD would sometimes get upset about breaking crayons so far a while we usually went with the big crayons. The LO (age 20m now) doesn't care and will use anything available but loves markers and colored pencils and chalk. They both know to write on paper and will come ask me for paper if they can't find any on their own, but they'll write on any paper they can find- bags, bills, magazines, receipts, etc.

Products I like:
Crayola Washable Markers-- Washable, Yay!
Crayola Crayons-- the colors are brighter and the wax is softer than the other brands we've tried
Prang Watercolor paints-- My toddler likes to paint with watercolors and has done some great paintings. I do have to supervise closely so we don't end up with muddy paints. These colors are brighter than some of the other brands.
Pencils-- preferably ones with softer lead so the drawings are dark. And both girls love our electric pencil sharpener (again with supervision).
Paper-- I like to use lots of different sizes (from receipts and envelopes on up to about three foot rectangles) and it's fun to try different art papers. I think it was Susan Striker who recommended this and I see how the paper size can influence the drawing. Also, colored paper makes a nice background for art you want to frame and hang in your home.

Products that I've tried and don't care for include:
Colorwonder Markers-- The color doesn't show up immediately and they fade over time and especially in the light. I treasure my girls artwork and I don't want it to diasppear.
Elmers Go Paint-- It looks like a really neat way to paint but it was too hard for the girls to get paint to come out of the tubes. it must be for older kids.
Crayola Slick Stik-- Really bright colors and fun to do, but the colors stay tacky on the paper and you can't store the art without a big ol' mess. My kids also got the colors all over themselves and the table.
Crayola's TaDoodles All in One Paints-- Messy, messy, messy. I threw these away. The paint came out too fast and my girls just smeared it around the page and themselves. There wasn't enough control.


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## clemrose (Dec 20, 2006)

My daughter is 16 months and LOVES to draw. About a month ago a friend's daughter brought a magnadoodle over and my daughter figured out writing on it and loved it. Until then she had never really been given an opportunity to draw.

I instantly bought her big crayons and she, of course, tried to eat them. We ended up buying her three !! magnadoodles (different sizes, two are in the car and are great for going to restaurants) because I've found them at thrift stores.

I'm not a fan of plastic toys generally, but this is great. She draws on it several times a day. I sometimes set her up with markers or crayons and paper but that is more work for me (keeping her from eating the pens or paper). The magnadoodle is great because she can draw whenever she wants. And her skill with drawing has grown so much! Today she sat on my lap with a regular full sized pencil and held it just as I would hold a pencil, near the tip, and drew all over the paper.


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## Magali (Jun 8, 2007)

We introduced crayons (washable of course) at 1 year. At this point he really just likes to hold them and try to eat them. Occasionally he will try to make marks on the paper, but the couch and floor are much more appealing







Like sarahr said, he likes to see how many he can hold at a time...oh and how many he can shove under the stove too!


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## Altair (May 1, 2005)

Sorry so late to respond---

yes, a 2 year old can do a pincher grasp. If s/he can pick up a cherrio, then s/he can pick up a little piece of crayon and color with that. It's the exact same grasp. Imagine your child picking up a cherrio and coloring the table with it.

Especially for kids with fine motor/sensory issues, this is so important! When you fist a writing implement, you don't have the same *feeling* on the paper and you don't have the same control. Using big crayons and fisted markers strengthens exactly the wrong muscles!


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## TheAJs (Jun 29, 2007)

My DD has liked to scribble since around 9 months. We started with colored pencils, but only while she was in her highchair. She loves crayons, markers and pens and she does occasionally like to put them in her mouth so I have to keep an eye on her. She's 15 months now and she goes to town with her Crayola washable markers and crayons. I got her a Dora coloring book and she loves to scribble in that. (Fun activity for me, too, since I still like to color at 31 y/o!







) If she tries to wander off, I just point her back to the coloring book and that has been working pretty well. She also likes putting the markers/crayons back in the box.


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## elizaveta (Jul 1, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *eepster* 
If you're asking, then it's time. Really there is no reason to wait.

Give him the crayons and some paper sit down next to him with your own paper start drawing. When he takes a bite out of the crayon fish the pieces out of his mouth and put the crayons away.

Repeat this every few days, each time drawing last longer before he will try eating the crayon. He will discover that drawing is fun and crayons don't taste good fairly quickly.

In terms of worrying about toxicity, just buy a good brand made in USA or europe.

I agree with this. That's about how we did it with my daughter and I'm honestly not sure when she started using crayons and drawing exactly - she's been doing it for so long now.

And I love the earlier poster who mentioned the cupcake idea! I'm totally trying that out. The only problem my daughter has is that she has a firm grip and a strong hand while drawing (she's an intense artist







:







) So she can have snap her crayons in half quickly and that is a good way of re-using them in a fun way.


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## amandaleigh37 (Jul 13, 2006)

I haven't read all the replies but this is what we did:

DS started using crayons around 12 months.
Markers/paints shortly after that.
You can buy supplies that are nontoxic if you're worried about him tasting them.

My DS is 19 months now and uses paints, crayons, markers, pencils, pens, etc. every day and without any problems. At first he tried to write on the walls, but after much redirection (and eventually me taking them away when he kept doing it) he's got the hang of it now.


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## crayonblocks (Jan 3, 2021)

Crazybean said:


> At what age do most children start coloring or understand the concept of scribbling? Is it okay to use crayons? It says non toxic but is it really? What about coloring pencils? Markers (too messy?)? What do you do?


Crayon Blocks is not just a crayon. It is a step taken towards saving the Earth. With eco-friendly and 100% biodegradable ingredients, Crayon Blocks can eliminate the clutter of paraffin crayons from our homes and landfills. The *best non toxic crayons* help the child to draw and create pictures.


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## Nadia1998 (Sep 9, 2021)

Hello dear mother, if you want to start teach your little angel, then check the video channel on YouTube I just found, there are plenty of similar but this one catches me up more then other 


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8F8Je8KO0DirxrjtDuShhw


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