crayons at 1?

We have a free program where a lady comes to check development (a great relief that I don't have to worry about this).

She asked if our twins will draw with crayons.

Am I the only one that thinks one is way too early for crayons?

 

I just did crayons for the first time last week (18 months). They drew, but also tried to eat them. FWIW, they started using side walk chalk outside around 14 months.

 

We have experimented with both crayons and sidewalk chalk and both get eaten pretty quickly.

 

I read that at our 1-yr visit and so went out and bought Beginnings crayons (the things that look like weeble-wobbles with crayons stuck in the bottom). They looked at them and stuck they right in their mouths, so I tried coloring and they didn't seem to get it that they could do that, too (or didn't care). Last week I got them to make a mark on their grandpa's get well card by holding their hand and moving it around...so I think we haven't reached that milestone yet, either.

 

We just had our 15 month appointment and the ped. asked if they were using crayons or markers. I told him that I had tried, but they just don't seem ready. My DD will make a few marks, but DS just tries to eat the crayons. I have to constantly take them out of his mouth and it ends up with tears and a bad scene. We'll keep playing with finger paint and try again in a month or so. The doctor said their experience with drawing and crayons was totally normal.

Jessica

 

i haven't tried crayons because they will just eat them. everything goes in their mouths first. i just had their 15 month appt too and the ped never asked me if they were using crayons or markers. most of the things i try on the kiddies i learned from people here doing it with there kids.

 

My twinsies just turned 2 and they just got to the point where they will actually color for more than 5 minutes without putting the crayon in their mouth. My DS will still try it ocassionally, but he is alot better about coloring the paper. They have been using crayons in daycare since 15 months, but have always tried putting them in their mouths.
I think 12 months is a little too young. . give it a couple months.

 

My boys STILL try to eat any sort of creative implement (crayons, markers, paintbrushes, etc.). The only thing that they didn't devour was finger paint... but they did each try a little taste! I'm excited for them to draw/color, etc... but right now I'm just being patient.

 

Mine mainly eat them, even the Beginnings ones. I have had better luck with the color wonder markers and paper. They don't seem as intent on eating them and they do color some with those but that's only been recently.

 

We never had much luck with crayons, but they loved markers. They do put them in their mouths.....which is why I only get the Crayola Pipsqueaks; they're non-toxic and they wash off easily! Now they don't put them in their mouths anymore; they just color all over their arms.

 

Oh boy, I have tried a few times and they just want to eat the crayons. Then I colored in front of them and they didn't care at all, they were not interested.

 

Mine liked them for short periods of drawing around 16-17 months. I think 12 months would have been WAYYYY too early! And my girls are pretty good with motor skills.

 

At 12 months, ummm... no. I will note that my youngest is an exception. At 14 months, he will actually color with a crayon for several minutes before breaking it apart and eating it. He wants to be so much like his older brothers that he will copy everything that they do.

 

Mine will scribble for a minute or so, and then it's right in the mouth (or tearing up the paper, or fighting over who gets the yellow one, or anything but drawing).

 

The sidewalk chalk was the first thing they touch, scribble all over the place and then tries to put them in their mouth. I tell repeatly tell them No, No, staying constantly. They started using chalk around 17-18 months beginning of Spring/Summer. They have done really well for most part without putting them in their mouth.

We have been taking them to restaurants during the summer where they give out crayons. So we decided to give a try and of course they tried to put them in their mouth. We tell them not to give us crayons because we bring them their own toy! (Tip: A small DoddlePro will be great for restaurant) to distract them. It took almost all summer for us to use the crayons without putting in their mouth. And now we are onto Play-Doh started this past August. My daughters attempt to put it in their mouth, I let her so she knows that it taste bad. She spit it out! So now they play with Play-Doh every few days with me.

*They are all done teething which is why they don't put it in their mouth anymore.

Theyll be '2' next week!
D, w/Rianna and Justin

 

Way too early! No worries. We haven't even tried yet. I doubt many kids will enjoy coloring before 18 months, at the earliest...and I think even that's a stretch.

 

We started shortly after their first birthday. I take some large sheets of paper and tape them onto large thicker board like pieces and let them go at it on the floor. They scribble for a bit and then get bored very quickly. They do much better with sidewalk chalk.

 

12 months? Not here!

I started introducing them around 15 months, but they weren't interested in anything more than eating them until around 18 months.

 

I agree that it is too early to expect them to know how to use crayons, but I don't think that there is anything wrong with allowing them to experiment. But as others have mentioned, they will probably do more eating and destroying than coloring. If you are ready, start them out with 2 crayons each and some paper, and be ready to take it away when they start to eat them. We started with 5 min coloring sessions, maybe 3-4 times a week. As we did it more, they got the hang of it and stopped eating them. Now, they still destroy their crayons and coloring books after about 20 minutes of coloring, but they don't eat them any more... They have always love sidewalk chalk and never ate that (I think I started that after they were walking confidently on their own). I have also tried homemade playdoh outside, and they didn't try to eat that either (surprising).

 

We were out to lunch last week and the lady asked if they wanted crayons and I said no, very suprised she thought they would play with them... but the childrens menu has crayons in it, so as we took them out, they were reaching for them. So we thought what the heck and let them try... well they actuallly wrote with them and didn't put them in their mouths after the first time of telling them no....

I was shocked!!

Shannon

 

:rofl: No.

I'd say that crayons were actually used for the correct purpose around 2. Otherwise, it was about 10 seconds of staring, flinging and eating. They were both so oral from about 18-24 months, that it wasn't worth it. They didn't understand and they just wanted to chew. Lots better stuff to chew than crayons!

 

My babes love coloring. I cover the table in paper and give them each a crayon. I take one as well. I get them to mimich what I do. First I was banging it on the table, then banging the table with the tip then swooping across. After a few days they got it. Now they cry when they see the crayons and want to color.

We also have an easel where we use chalk and they like that some.

 

I started at 13-14 months with all of mine. They do go in the mouth but I just keep redirecting. My boys used pacis so I let them have them while we were using crayons.

 

My girls got crayons at 17 months but only because we were at a restaurant that put them out at the table. I didn't think they were ready at all but they did okay with only the occasional crayon eating problems. As a singleton with big siblings, Dax got crayons by 1 year old but, of course, he often tried to eat them. He'd do the occasional scribble but nothing worth even saving because it's pretty much just two lines each time. He eats the crayons a little less now but he still doesn't color much, he likes to use them as drumsticks. :lol: