Best Colored Pencils for Kids Play Group

 

Crayons are a great first drawing tool. They’re easy for small hands to grasp, don’t require much pressure to use, and pose a minimal poking risk. There’s a reason that every family restaurant worth its salt keeps some stashed in the hostess stand. However, as kids develop more dexterity and artistic ambition, crayons alone are inadequate, and the time comes to add colored pencils to their artistic repertoire. These are our picks for the best colored pencils for kids, tools for everyone from preschoolers still working on their stick figures to older kids who dream of attending RISD or Pratt.

Crayola Write Start, 8-Count

With a whopping 5.3 mm-thick lead, these are the most crayon-esque colored pencils on this list, and a great candidate for the first colored pencils you should buy for your kids. The girth of their lead means they can’t get too pointy, and the wide barrel makes them easier for little hands to grasp. The little drawings on the side of each pencil? Those are just for fun.

Crayola Colored Pencils, 36-Count

The classic green and yellow box holds the same durable pencils you remember from elementary school art class. They come pre-sharpened and dirt cheap — less than $4.50 for 36 — so if your kid has a tendency to misplace things these are also a great choice.

Everyday Essentials Premium Colored Pencils, 72-Count

These 72 pencils cover 48 different colors, number coded individually so kids don’t, for instance, confuse slate and dark grey. The included canvas bag has two rows of individual slots for each pencil and can be folded and then rolled to about the size of a dopp kit or simply rolled for a longer, slimmer profile.

ALEX Toys Artist Studio Metallic Pencils, 12-Count

Buy kids more and more standard colored pencils and you quickly run into the law of diminishing returns. A 96-pack really isn’t that much more fun than a 72-pack. What is more fun? These dozen metallic pencils, which add a bit of flash to your kids’ drawings and look super cool on black paper, an effect you just can’t pull off with traditional pencils.

Crayola Twistables Silly Scents, 12-Count

Instead of sharpening these, kids can just twist the end of the plastic casing to push out more lead. The sweet-smelling scents range from pretty typical (orange, blueberry, lemon) and totally out there (cotton candy, pineapple, beach).

Derwent WaterColour Pencils, 12-Count

hexagonal barrel, are pretty standard. And you can use these like any other colored pencils, but that’s not why you buy them. You buy them because the lead is water-soluble, letting you create a watercolor-like effect by wetting the tip or drawing on dampened paper. Kids can even use a little bit of water after the fact to blend and smear their drawings, creating muted washes that you just can’t get with traditional pencils.