Categories: Parenting

Crayola TaDoodles, a New Beginning for Your Creative Toddler

Crayola, a brand that we many of us can remember drawing, coloring, and painting with, keeps expanding its brands to include every level of childhood development while continuing to introduce new products to encourage a child’s creativity and imagination. Recently, Crayola Beginnings were introduced to the Crayola family of art and craft products. Crayola Beginnings are specially designed for use by toddlers, age 12-36 months.

The traditional Crayola Crayons have been redesigned for use by tiny hands and fingers and come available in two different sizes, 8 count and 16 count triangular crayons. These crayons are washable so whatever and wherever your little toddler may decide to create you stand a fair chance of washing it off of walls, tables and out of clothing. These triangular shaped crayons are designed so that they fit comfortably in toddlers hands and allows them to scribble freely. They are also less likely to be broken than other round crayons because of the triangular shape which allows for more pressure to be applied and they are thicker in design that regular round crayons. These crayons are recommended for toddlers 24 months and older. The price for an 8 count box is $2.99 and a 16 count box is $4.99.

Crayola’s new product, the TaDoodle’s, are roundly shaped animal characters available in crayon, markers and paints. They are slightly similar in shape to the Weebles characters and designed with a toddler’s love of animals in mind, as each is decorated and designed after a particular animal face and shape.

TaDoodles First Marks are non toxic magic markers for toddlers approximately 18 months and older. The unique rounded end design makes it easier for children to be able to hold them in their hands and scribble freely on paper. Each marker is designated by color and decorated with a toddler friendly animal face. For instance, a black marker is made into a penguin, an orange marker is a cat and the blue marker is a Pig. These markers require no caps to loose and in order to reactivate them you simply dab them a few times on the paper to get the ink running again. As with almost all other Crayola Beginnings products these markers are washable and easily removable from clothing and skin. TaDoodles First Marks come in a package of three different colored markers for an approximate price of $5.99.

For the budding Picasso in your family, Crayola Beginnings offers The TaDoodles All in One Paint Set. These “paint brushes” have the unique rounded shape of the TaDoodles Markers with the easy of mess free painting. The tip of the animal shaped “ball” is a paint brush which allows your child the freedom to explore different squiggles and lines that can be made with a paint brush while the unique round bottom of the brush makes holding the brush easy. No water is needed and no splashing of paints. The paint flows out of the animal into the brush head ready to be spread across the paper. The paints are washable, so easily removable from furniture, walls, skin and clothing. The three pack of paints available in red, yellow and blue or purple, orange and green can be purchased for $5.99.

For the 12 month old in your family, crayons are not a thing of the future. No need to wait until your toddler can grasp the triangular shaped crayons, as Crayola offers TaDoodles Crayon Buddies. These crayon buddies are round shaped, like the markers but end with a soft crayon edge for scribbling. These are non toxic washable crayons available in a three pack of red, green and purple for $6.99.

Various early toddler accessories are also available. If you are looking for a unique way of storing your TaDoodles Markers, then you may want to purchase the Crayola Beginnings Utility Vehicle. This “car” stores three of the TaDoodles Markers and encourages not only fine motor skills through the use of the markers, but also gross motor skills as children can push and pull the Utility Vehicle around the room. The approximate cost of this BUV is $14.99.

Another available accessory keeps your potential artist neat and tidy with the Tidy Top, a paint smock available for $5.99. It is easy to put on and off with Velcro back closures and easily cleaned with a sponge and water. It is long sleeved to protect your child’s skin and clothing from paint is designed for children up to 37 pounds so your toddler can use it for a long time to come.

Also available is the Crayola TaDoodle Hide and Seek Giant Coloring Book and Giant Gardening Pages, for $6.99. Each book contains 20 pages of the TaDoodles “story” so that caregivers may interact with children while coloring or painting. Each page is oversized at 13 ½ x 19 ½ inches and includes lots of free space so you child can also explore the joy of their own scribbles and marks on blank pages while having the option of learning cause and effect relationships through the telling and coloring of the TaDoodle story. Each book also comes with creativity tips for parents to enhance your child’s creativity, encourage his imagination and get you involved.

These wonderful products are only as successful as the caregiver and child using them. They are developmentally appropriate for toddlers as young as 9 months as they begin to explore textures, smells and impressions. At 12-18 months, children start to explore the cause and effect relationships and drawing, painting and coloring assists them in that. They see as they move their arm this way or that, with different types of products different shapes and squiggles will appear. Older toddlers, ages 18-24 months desire to collaborate with their caregivers with each action they take. Look at how many children want to sit on a caregiver/parent’s lap while eating, or pull mom or dad’s hand towards the toys they wish to play with. Toddler’s age 24-36 months start to draw meanings form their drawings and scribbles and realize that certain lines or scribbles can contain meanings. Notice the almost three year old that colors the same thing over and over again, and even begins to name it or identify it at a “cat” or “spider.” Crayola Beginnings markers, crayons and paints now allow toddler children to explore all these aspects of their creativity in safe, healthy and good news for us parents – not so messy environment.