For materials and tools for drawing at an early age, specific requirements can be distinguished. Not all adult materials and tools are suitable for a baby. In this post, I provide an overview of only our favorite, proven, materials from 1 to 3 years.
Oil pastels (oil crayons)
Oil crayons are a convenient and inexpensive alternative to pencils for preschoolers. In my childhood, there were only classic wax crayons. The latter painted inconspicuously and required strong pressure. Now among the materials for drawing a wide variety. Oil crayons are a type of wax crayon that do not require much pressure and leave bright colors. Among the oil pastel sets you can find very interesting color palettes. The only disadvantage of oil crayons is brittleness. If you throw them, stand on them with your feet, sit down, the crayons break, if they are used for their intended purpose, then they behave perfectly.
Oil crayons
Of the proven options, we liked the Colorino crayons. They have an interesting color scheme, a juicy soft trail. In the photo above, the surviving part from a set of 12 crayons (my-shop). When buying, each crayon was wrapped, but Yana tore off all the labels. This set is already more than six months old, it was freely available to Yana and for its age it is perfectly preserved. Colorino also has a set of oil pastels 24 colors (my-shop). We haven't tried the extended color gamut yet.
Also painted:
- oil crayons Orange Elephant, they are similar in texture and color to Colorino;
- soft trihedral crayons from the Luch chemical plant, declared as oil crayons (my-shop). But they have a rough texture and gloomy colors, compared to Colorino. I do not recommend.
Oil pastel for the little ones (oil crayons)
Oil crayons in a plastic holder
When Yana was already 3 years old, I noticed on sale oil crayons in a plastic holder of the Colorino brand (my-shop). They are even softer and juicier than regular butter crayons. The retractable mechanism allows you to adjust the length of the rod. The plastic case protects the crayons from breakage. The thickness of the crayons in plastic is about 1.5 cm.
Washable markers
The next important tool in children's drawing are felt-tip pens. For children under 2.5 years old, it is better to choose washable ones. It turns out that felt-tip pens from different manufacturers are washed off in different ways. So, with the felt-tip pens of one unscrupulous manufacturer, we spoiled the color of the dishwasher door with our drawings. After this incident, I decided not to take any more risks, and bought washable felt-tip pens only from the trusted Crayola brand. Pictured below are Crayola washable markers for different ages. Pay attention to the shape of the rod:
- for the smallest, the rounded tip of the rod protrudes by 1.2 mm, felt-tip pens 1.5 cm thick (my-shop). These markers are designed to grip the marker perpendicular to the surface. For children from 2.5 years old, they may already be uncomfortable!
- for two-year-olds, the rod is enlarged and sharper, the thickness of the felt-tip pen is 1.5 cm (my-shop). Drawings made by such felt-tip pens can be seen.
- for older children, the shape and thickness of the markers are classic (my-shop).
Markers (regular)
When Yana was 3 years old, we switched to ordinary felt-tip pens. The reason for the switch is that regular ones are cheaper and have a more interesting color scheme. In search of an inexpensive and high-quality option, I settled on the Giotto brand. Our Giotto set of 24 markers (my-shop , labirint) was purchased about 8 months ago. Most felt-tip pens still draw beautifully, and there is no need for new felt-tip pens. According to the color scheme, there is a feeling that in the sum of the colors the emphasis is on pink-brown tones. However, no one will draw with all the colors at the same time, but individually there are a variety of shades (3-4 shades) of all colors.
Together with the Giotto set, I bought a set of Erich Krause to try. Erich Krause felt-tip pens started to dry out after about a month, and after a couple more I threw them all out as unusable. Perhaps I came across a stale product, but I have no desire to buy Erich Krause felt-tip pens again.
Finger paint
I diligently tried to understand finger paints, but I couldn’t be imbued with them. Yana's painting with paints went difficult. Then it turned out that children are not very fond of strange textures that get their hands dirty. For those who are not in the know, all finger paints have the consistency of a thick translucent jelly. We tried both nameless options and branded ones. Of the brands that I remember, they tried Jovi (my-shop). None of the options impressed me. In my opinion, it is easier to take starch, jam and cook thick jelly. You can also brew jelly from a bag, but add a third less water than indicated in the recipe. The consistency will be identical to finger paints. For a richer color, add food coloring.
According to Zhabych (a blogger - a teacher at the Children's Art School, I mentioned her in my article), finger paints are not intended for drawing, but for getting to know the texture. In fact, at an early age, the baby does not care what to smear, porridge or paint. It was for this reason that Zhabich postponed her daughter's acquaintance with paints until a more conscious age.
In general, I like the idea of tactile acquaintance with bright tinted jelly, as a developmental activity, more than drawing with finger paints.
Gouache
I don’t remember when gouache appeared in our house, but before the birth of Yana, we definitely didn’t use it 😀 . The period of gouache sampling should be at the age at which the child stops getting dirty. Gouache washes well, but it can be difficult to wash it off the skin. Some colors are directly eaten. Gouache contains toxic ingredients and should not be swallowed.
I went through several options and settled on copies of the Luch chemical plant. For the price and quality for children's creativity, it is optimal. We also liked Ikeevka gouache, but it is more expensive. For comparison so far (January 2017):
- Ikeevskaya gouache costs 469 rubles - 400 ml (8 colors);
- Gouache from the Luch factory costs 157 rubles - 360 ml (a large set of 18 my-shop colors).
- Gouache from the Luch factory costs 85 rubles - 120 ml (a set of 6 colors my-shop, labirint).
- Gouache from the Luch factory costs 115 rubles - 180 ml (a set of 9 colors my-shop, labirint).
Consistencies and colors for these options are different. Differences in consistency are not critical. Both are comfortable even for toddlers. Many people now make high demands on color palettes, so I give a photo.
Ikeev gouache drawings
The classic 6-color gouache palette of the Luch chemical plant in two packaging options - in screw-on jars and in block containers. Screw-on jars seemed more convenient to me.
Fastidious and aesthetes, pay attention to Lucha's gouache in the Lux version (my-shop, labirint). For children, the differences with the classic series will not be obvious. For me, I'm a bore 🙂, in this version, the colors are cleaner and more attractive.
In general, when choosing gouache, one should focus on the quality of the colors. Poor quality gouache when mixing colors can give dirty shades. If, after drying, the drawing becomes dull, we also make claims to the quality of gouache. In this regard, I did not like the behavior of the popular gouache Cartoons from the manufacturer Gamma.
Watercolor
Marina Ozerova writes in her book that watercolor is not needed until the age of 7. Our practice has refuted this. At one point, Yana began to paint with gouache layers that were too dense. It got to the point that one drawing took the volume of one jar of gouache. The transition to watercolor allowed me to dose the paint correctly. Therefore, once again, where there is creativity, there are NO rules.
As with gouaches, I fell in love with the two main producers Ikea and the Luch chemical plant. In the case of watercolor, for the first acquaintance I recommend the 6 color palette of Lucha (my-shop, labirint). Then smooth transitions to wider color gamuts (12 my-shop colors, labirint). Ikeevka watercolor is very beautiful, but dry. It is more difficult for a small child to draw with it than with the classic consistency of honey watercolor, like Luch's. In my opinion, it is better to switch to it after the child has confidently learned to draw with a classic consistency.
Watercolor in the black block - Ikea, in white - Luch chemical plant.
24-color watercolor palette of the Luch chemical plant. Yana's own coloring 3g.7m.
Ikea watercolor. I painted the birds, Yana painted the leaves (she was 3 years old and 6 years old).
Pencils
I placed the pencils at the end of the review because I have nothing to say about them. Yana doesn't like pencils. I bought a pack from Ikea a couple of years ago and they are still intact. Compared to oil pastels, they require more pressure and leave a pale mark. Perhaps I chose the wrong version of the pencils, so they are ignored. Although Ikeevsky is praised by many. There was an idea to choose softer pencils. Maybe you know better options, write about them.
Completion
Finally, everything I wanted to write about drawing, I wrote. I foresee questions about brushes and an easel. Brushes are most like Ikeevsky. Most of the brushes we've tried have lint. Even at the brushes of the chemical plant Luch :-(, although I didn’t expect this from them. We don’t plan to buy an easel. It’s more difficult to draw on it than on the surface, because there is no support for the hand. The purchase is possible only if Yana is seriously passionate about drawing.
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Choosing the best colored pencils depends on the age and skills of the artist. Many young children prefer felt-tip pens or paint over pencils because they produce richer color and don't need to be sharpened. Drawing with pencils is more difficult, but the skills to work with them will come in handy in the future. Therefore, it is important to choose pencils with which it will be convenient and pleasant to draw, they must have the following properties:
- safety;
- ease of use (to lie well in the hand);
- brightness;
- strength;
- availability.
The money spent on buying cheap pencils often turns out to be thrown to the wind: they are not so pleasant to draw with, the stylus can be brittle and break immediately upon sharpening. Such pencils leave a pale color on paper, it takes effort to draw clear lines, which are then easily erased, and the palette leaves much to be desired. A high-quality product will be easily sharpened without breaking, economically spent and give bright, saturated colors, finished works will not be erased from paper and fade over time, pleasing the eye for a long time.
Pencils can be used for drawing from the age of one. Crayola "Mini Kids" is ideal for this purpose. From the age of three, you can start using Stabilo Trio and Kores "Kolores" children's pencils. Older school children and amateur adults will be interested in Faber-Castell and Koh-I-Noor pencils. Professionals have higher quality requirements, and their choice may already be on expensive well-known brands such as Derwent or LYRA.
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of exercises to improve fine motor skills for the development of the child. One of the most fun ways to develop these skills is drawing with colored pencils and felt-tip pens.
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of exercises to improve fine motor skills for the development of the child. One of the most fun ways to develop these skills is with colored pencils and markers. Bright colors, fun designs, various materials - no kid will be indifferent to a colorful box of felt-tip pens or colored pencils.
Traditional pencils
Sets of wooden pencils with multi-colored leads are familiar to all of us since childhood. The choice of them on the shelves of modern stores is simply huge: imported and domestic, modest six-color sets and huge ones, consisting of 32 or more colors ... Pencils differ in shape, length and thickness of the body, and much, much more. What should you pay attention to when buying? How to choose colored pencils that are most suitable for your child?
For children under 3 years old, it is better to choose children's pencils with. Using them, it will be easy for the baby to learn how to position their fingers correctly, to hold the pencil with a “pinch”, as adults do, and not in a fist. Another plus of trihedral pencils is that they do not roll off the table, so the little artist will not have to be distracted once again to catch them or pick them up from the floor.
Thick hex pencils with pronounced edges are also a good option. But pencils of round section for kids are undesirable.
For beginners, it is better to choose pencils with a thick wooden body about 1 cm in diameter (diameter of a standard pencil is 0.6-0.7 cm), as young children often press the pencil very hard when drawing, and the thin lead will constantly break from this . But you should not choose too thick a pencil either - it will be difficult to hold it in a small pen.
It is important that the lead is not too fragile, does not crumble inside the case if the child accidentally drops the pencil on the floor, and does not break when sharpening.
Pencils for young children should be soft enough, then it will be easy for the baby to draw with them, bright lines will be obtained without excessive pressure. On domestic-made pencils, the degree of their softness or hardness is determined by the “T” or “M” familiar from childhood and the numbers in front of them. On imported pencils, the designations are different: the softest is B, the hardest is H. And pencils marked F are classified as hard-soft.
A good domestic company for the production of pencils is the Siberian Pencil Factory (pencils "Siberian Cedar", "Russian Pencil", etc.) From imported ones, I like Crayola, JOVI, KOH-I-NOOR and SILWERHOF.
My children's favorite wooden crayons are the Crayola 10 color set with funny animals painted on the barrel. They write softly and brightly, and their leads have never broken when sharpening, although children often drop pencils from the table to the floor.
watercolor
Another type of pencil with a wooden body is watercolor. They combine the properties of colored pencils and watercolors. If you run a wet brush over a drawing made with such pencils, it will seem that it was made with watercolors.
The core of watercolor pencils is made of pressed watercolor paints using a special technology that does not allow it to crumble during use. These pencils are very soft and much brighter than slate pencils. Drawing them for children is a pleasure. When I bought one pack of KOH-I-NOOR watercolor pencils for testing, they became my 4-year-old son's favorite.
The only drawback is the high price and the lack of a "children's line" (watercolor pencils are available in standard thickness, round or hexagonal), as they are intended mainly for professional artists.
Wax
Wax crayons are also a great gift for a little artist. Wax crayon sets for kids are made from natural wax and food coloring. Wax rods have a bright, fade-resistant, rich color. These pencils do not get your hands dirty, although they consist entirely of a writing rod. They draw with any end and even sideways and thus do not require constant sharpening. And sharpening them is so easy that even a two-year-old kid can handle it on his own.
High-quality wax pencils are very soft and draw perfectly even with light pressure, so they are suitable even for very young children. They lay down easily, so it is much more convenient to paint large details in “baby colorings” than slate ones.
Wax pencils draw well not only on ordinary paper, but also on cardboard, whatman paper, wooden, clay and other rough surfaces, they are indispensable in the manufacture of collages. But for glossy (polished) paper, such pencils are not suitable.
Another advantage is that drawings made with wax pencils can be erased with an ordinary eraser if necessary.
But it is inconvenient to draw thin lines and small details with wax pencils - the soft core grinds off quite quickly. Too thin (less than 1 cm in diameter) wax pencils (such sets are available from Crayola) in diligent children's pens often break. For kids under 3 years old, I would advise buying thicker pencils and with a triangular body shape (such sets are available, for example, from JOVI). Also, my kids were constantly trying to rip off the paper wrapper that every Crayola wax crayon is wrapped in, so these wrappers were more of a disadvantage than a virtue for me. From the stories of familiar parents, I know that for some reason it was precisely thin wax pencils that were asked “for a tooth” by their already quite conscious children and, in order not to be gnawed, were removed away.
The other extreme is a pencil ball: wax balls are inserted into the plastic case. It is assumed that a very tiny, literally one-year-old baby will clamp this device into a fist and draw its first lines on paper. However, the familiar kids - the owners of such pencils, were apparently embarrassed by the unusual shape and did not recognize them as real - the balls were taken out and gnawed. And besides, child psychologists advise putting a pencil into a child’s pen correctly at any very early age - this is a skill that the sooner you acquire it, the better, including for brain development.
Plastic
Another type of colored pencils is plastic. They are harder and paler than wax, more difficult to adhere to paper. The pictures they draw are not so bright.
But plastic pencils give a thinner stroke than wax ones, and they do not grind off as quickly. Thanks to the faceted shape, they do not roll off the table, do not break when they fall, do not get their hands dirty, they are easily sharpened, but they do not require constant sharpening (they draw on either side). Just like wax pencils, they are erased with an eraser.
felt-tip pens
Even more than colored pencils, children love to draw with felt-tip pens. After all, felt-tip pens are left on paper without any extra effort, and you don’t need to sharpen them at all. But before you buy a colorful box for your baby, do not forget to carefully read everything that is written on it.
It will definitely indicate that felt-tip pens are not recommended for children under 3 years old. This is due to the fact that any felt-tip pen contains small parts. In particular, a cap that protects the writing rod from drying out. Kids need to buy felt-tip pens with long, fairly large and necessarily ventilated caps. Moreover, the packaging should be marked that the ventilation system of the cap complies with the international standard BS 7272/90, according to which the ventilation holes must pass at least 8 liters of air per minute. Even if such a cap is in the airways, the child will not suffocate while he is being helped.
Attention should be paid to the design of the marker itself. According to NFS 51-205, the plug must be firmly welded to the body. Then the child will not be able to disassemble the felt-tip pen into parts and accidentally swallow them or taste the ink swab. By the way, the ink itself, which felt-tip pens are filled with, should also be safe for children. You should choose felt-tip pens with inks that do not have a pronounced specific smell, are made not on an alcohol basis, but on a water basis, and better with the addition of food coloring.
But no matter how safe the felt-tip pens you bought are, kids should draw with them only in the presence of adults.
water soluble and not
Perhaps your mother, having heard that you are going to buy felt-tip pens for your one-year-old son, will dissuade you, citing the fact that it will be very difficult to wash the crumbs stained with ink later. Dont be upset. For little body painting lovers, it is now easy to find water-soluble felt-tip pens that are washed off children's skin under running water even without the use of soap. Such "water-washable" Crayola markers are also very easy to "revive" if the baby suddenly forgets to close them with a cap, and they dry out a little. To do this, just lower them for a while with the rod down in a container of water.
Stem: thick or thin
Felt pens for children from 1 year old are better to choose felt-tip pens with a thick stem (JOVI MAXI, thick water-soluble Crayola). For some reason, children at this age are very fond of tapping on the table with felt-tip pens, and if the felt-tip pen has a thin rod, then it often “hammers” into the body after the first blow. On the packaging of high-quality children's felt-tip pens, there may also be an icon showing the shape of the rod with a sort of “skirt”, which protects the rod from “clogging”. If you have a young artist growing up, this designation, like the CE mark, is for you. In addition, coloring pages for young children - usually with large pictures without small details, and felt-tip pens with a thick rod are the best here.
But for drawing small details, you can’t do without a thin rod. So if your kid likes to “shrink” and treats felt-tip pens with care, feel free to buy “thin” felt-tip pens for him. For example, my daughter, a very neat girl, fell in love at the age of 2.5, taking a thick coloring book and a thin blue felt-tip pen, go through this coloring book from beginning to end, “painting” the eyes of all the characters (drawing fancy squiggles in place of the eyes).
With stamps
Another type of felt-tip pens is felt-tip pens with stamps (for example, MOLA from the Swedish company IKEA and "Mini Stampers" from Crayola). Having removed the cap from such a felt-tip pen, instead of the usual writing rod, you will see a mini-print (curl, butterfly, dolphin, etc.). Such felt-tip pens are intended so that the child can decorate his drawings with small decorative details (“scatter” flowers in a clearing or butterflies in the sky).
The idea, in general, is good, but I still would not recommend buying such felt-tip pens for kids under 4 years old. These prints are very small, and in order to get a clear print, you need to be very careful, otherwise the picture will be smeared. I once bought these felt-tip pens for my son when he was about 3 years old. The kid really liked how cleverly the mother “planted” a flower on paper with one movement. But he himself, no matter how hard he tried, received only shapeless circles and was very upset about this. I had to postpone the felt-tip pens for a while. By the age of 4, my son had learned to make fairly accurate prints and filled entire sheets with them. But he got bored with this rather quickly. Of much greater interest was a set of real large seals, the prints from which could then also be painted in different colors.
For the board
Hygienists believe that it is more useful for young children to draw while standing (and even lying down) than sitting. There is now a large selection of various children's easels in stores, on which you can draw with special felt-tip pens, and then wash the drawing with a cloth. Some boards must be washed with a dry cloth, while others can be washed with a damp one. For example, Ikea's MOLA children's easel can be washed with a wet cloth - it has a transparent plastic coating. IKEA also sells special felt-tip pens for this easel of the same MOLA series, but in fact, any water-soluble felt-tip pens are suitable for it.
How many flowers to take
For babies 1-2 years old, a set with 7 colors of the rainbow plus black and brown will suffice. That is, a set of 10-12 colors is enough. In order to save money, it is better to choose a brand that also has sets of 6 colors: it often happens that the baby “paints” (dries) the primary colors (red, yellow, blue, green), and the rest of the markers remain almost untouched. In this case, it will be convenient to “refresh” the old set of 12 colors by purchasing a new one of 6 felt-tip pens and replacing the dried-up markers with new ones.
When there are too many colors, young children get lost and distracted from the process of drawing. My daughter, 2.5 years old, if you put a chic set of 36 multi-colored felt-tip pens in front of her, takes them all in turn, draws a small squiggle with each and puts it aside. And so on until all 36 pieces are sorted. It is difficult to call such an occupation drawing. At the same time, having only one felt-tip pen of any color at her disposal, the baby draws with enthusiasm, commenting on her actions: “This is mom, here is her nose, here are her legs, dress ...”. The result, of course, is far from the portraits from the Tretyakov Gallery and most of all resembles a cobweb, but at such a tender age, the main thing is the creative process.
Sets of 24 colors, and even more so of 36, are designed for older children, it is advisable to buy them closer to the 5th birthday of the baby. At this age, children usually already color in medium-detailed pictures quite accurately, and they are interested in working with shades. By the way, it will not be superfluous for you to refresh the names of these 36 colors with your child.
When choosing children's stationery, be careful about safety - buy products only from trusted certified brands. I hope that my advice will help you choose exactly what will best reveal the creative potential of your baby.
Chubchenko Olga
Drawing for children This is a very interesting and useful direction in the development and formation of a child's personality. Through drawing, the child learns the world around him, splashes out all his emotions on paper, develops his imagination. In addition to being very an exciting creative activity that develops fine motor skills, and this is stimulation of brain areas responsible for thinking, speech, visual and motor memory, coordination.
Not knowing how to properly hold a pencil or brush in their hand, they try to scribble on paper. Why are they doing that? After all, a one-year-old child is not able to depict something meaningful, and his parents will not see drawings with houses for several more years.
The first attempts at painting on the walls are complex actions. The child does everything at once: develops motor skills, imitates adults and tries ways of self-expression. He is aware of himself as a separate person (usually this happens during the period of the so-called "crisis of the first year of life") and feels the need to leave a visible mark on the world. Drawing enables him to see the results of his own actions.
A child should always have paints and brushes, colored pencils and felt-tip pens, crayons, drawing paper, illustrated editions with paintings by artists.
In this article we will talk about which set of pencils is best for a child.
Colored pencil sets from our childhood
Currently, there are several varieties of colored pencils on the market. The first ones are the most traditional wooden ones, invented several decades ago, with a lead made of colored pigment and kaolin. The ones that we and our parents drew. Once upon a time, such pencils made up 100% of the product range in their market niche, but today progress has already stepped very far, and many other types of pencils are presented on the plastic and virtual shelves of physical and online stores. Pay attention to the materials, softness of the lead, size, shape.
How to choose the first colored pencils for a child
Due to the special shape of the rod, perfect for naughty little fingers triangular pencils. A box of colored triangular pencils is an ideal gift choice for preschool children who are just learning how to hold a pen in their hands. Another small plus of such drawing tools is that they do not roll off the table, reducing the possibility of distracting the child from an activity that requires concentration.
If you couldn’t find trihedral pencils in the store, then opt for a set hex pencils. The worst option for an insecure children's pen is pencils with a round section.
Children under 3 years old it is better to choose thick enough pencils with a diameter of about a centimeter.
For children, soft colored pencils are preferred. They are brighter and it is much easier to draw with them, you will not develop the habit of pressing on paper with a writing instrument.
As for the choice of color palette, then during the period when children are just getting acquainted with colors, it is worth limiting themselves to a small set - 6, maximum 12 colors.
Variety of colored pencil sets
watercolor colored pencils - combine the advantages of colored pencils and watercolors. Their basis is watercolor paints pressed using a unique technology that does not allow crumbling when pressed. When drawing, they allow you to get very bright colors, compared to slate, they are softer. And if a drawing created with watercolor pencils is wiped with a brush dipped in water, then we will get the effect of watercolor paints on paper. Very interesting idea, right?
Wax pencils - As the name suggests, they are made from natural wax. Bright colors provide natural and absolutely safe food colors. In this case, the pencil is entirely a drawing rod, and at the same time it does not get your hands dirty at all. It also does not require regular sharpening, the kid can draw with either side of the rod, even sideways. In addition, images created with this type of pencil are durable and do not fade in the sun. And you can draw with them not only on paper, but also on many other surfaces (wood, cardboard, clay, etc.).
plastic pencils
- less common than the other types mentioned above, but still having a number of advantages. In particular, they give a thin touch, do not break when dropped, and are easily erased with an eraser. But at the same time, the colors are not as bright as those of watercolor and wax. And the plastic pencils themselves are harder.Let your child draw whatever he wants. The results may surprise you!