I’m the first to admit that the Crayola Color Wonder product line is ingenious. My daughter has taken a green crayon to the wallpaper and a black marker to the carpet, so I was the first to jump on the Crayola Color Wonder bandwagon. However, as we’ve used them over the years, I find myself wondering if by limiting the mess, I’m also inhibiting my daughter’s creativity. Are Crayola Color Wonder products the most innovative arts and crafts line on the market, or are they really just helping your kids become less and less creative and parents become less and less involved?
What is Crayola Color Wonder?
The Crayola Color Wonder line consists of markers, paints, and paper specially designed to only work with other Crayola Color Wonder products. White to the naked eye, when a marker hits the Color Wonder paper it will turn red, blue, or purple. These markers and paints are amazing. They won’t ruin tabletops, carpets, or walls, in case your little one forgets where they’re supposed to draw.
Are there benefits to the Crayola Color Wonder product line?
On paper, these products sound like the perfect solution. They certainly do what they claim to do. My daughter loves that the marker tip on a Crayola Color Wonder marker looks white, but then she might draw a pink line on her paper. To a little child, it’s like magic! These are great products for in the car or on a plane because they limit mess.
What’s the problem then?
There are actually a couple of problems with the Crayola Color Wonder product line. First of all, I found that because I didn’t have to worry about my daughter making a mess with the Color Wonder markers and paints, I stopped sitting with her at the arts and crafts table every time she was coloring. They made it easier for me to clean and get things done around the house. While that might sound like a good thing, I think I actually got too laid back about it and forgot to enjoy arts and crafts with my daughter and offer her input and companionship during that time.
But the real concern that I have about Crayola Color Wonder products isn’t that I don’t always sit with my daughter when she uses them. It’s that when your children use regular crayons, markers, and paints, they get to see the results on paper immediately. However, when they use Color Wonder markers or paints, they only see the results on the special paper and sometimes only in special places. Can children use their imaginations to create when they need special markers and special paper? In addition, Color Wonder products aren’t cheap, with a pack of markers and blank paper (at least preferable to their coloring books) costing $10.50!
Conclusion
I do believe that there is a time and a place for Crayola Color Wonder products. For children just learning to use markers, for example, they can really eliminate the mess. Similarly, if you are on a plane or in a car, they are a good choice. I think that Crayola Color Wonder are wonderful products, as long as they aren’t the only thing you use to help your child express their creativity. Sitting with your child and doing arts and crafts together with a wide variety of markers, crayons, papers, and stickers is the way to encourage your child to become a creative wonder!
