If you've ever tried to color with babies or toddlers, you've no doubt spent more time keeping crayons away from open mouths than you have actually creating art, and even if your kids aren't prone to gobbling writing implements, you know how frustrating it can be for little hands to manipulate the things. Leave it to Crayola to come up with a fix in Crayola Beginnings, a line of fun, finger-friendly supplies designed for budding artists ages 12 to 36 months.
TaDoodles Washable First Marks (pictured above) and TaDoodles Washable All-in-One Paint (both $5.99) are chunky, egg-shaped tools that toddlers can easily grasp in a palm, and as a bonus to those of us who have to clean up afterward, they have no caps to choke on (the markers also contain six times more ink than Crayola's regular washable markers). They'll dry out between uses, so you just dab them on paper to reactivate the ink or paint supply.
TaDoodles Washable Crayon Buddles ($4.99; pictured above) hold triangular crayons in their noggins and safeguard against broken tips via their chubby frames. As older kids graduate to something a bit more their size, Crayola Beginnings Washable Triangular Crayons ($2.99-$4.99) ease toddler grips into a natural tripod position to help with early writing skills.
In a clever if slightly incongruous twist, the TaDoodles characters also double as Weeble-like figures that wobble but won't fall down, and kids can wheel them around in the Crayola Beginnings First Marks B.U.V. (a.k.a. "Beginnings Utility Vehicle" -- $14.99) when they tire of coloring. The all-in-one Creativity Central ($19.99; pictured above) is a double-sided easel that uses gel-filled surfaces and water to simulate fingerpainting and ink drawing without the mess.
