Crayons, Colored Pencils, or Markers?
Posted by Jen Bragg on 24 Feb 2010 | Posted in: Organization and Supplies, Teachers and Teaching
On the shelf behind my desk is a gallon-size plastic bag. In it are crayons, markers, and colored pencils representing every color of the rainbow. A few of the colored pencils need to be sharpened, and I’m sure I could retire more than a few of the markers. But I keep the supplies handy because different tasks require different tools. You know, I need crayons to make worksheet keys, colored pencils when I need to draw fine lines, and markers for creating things like classroom charts. Of the three, I’d have to say I like markers best.
Now when it came to the tools my students used in class, that was a different story. I hated it when they used markers. Crayons, fine. Colored pencils, even better (except when they needed to be sharpened). But markers, yech! Markers covered my students’ hands, their clothes, and their desks. Markers covered printed text to the point where it couldn’t be read and then, when the markers began to dry out, they made students’ work look terrible. I bet you can picture those sad, faded lines, can’t you? I know, I know—I shouldn’t have been that picky. I should have been happy that my students had supplies to use. What can I say? I was picky, and I did all I could to discourage the use of markers in my classroom.
Which do you prefer: crayons, colored pencils, or markers? Or maybe you have no preference at all. Share your thoughts!
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46 Responses to “Crayons, Colored Pencils, or Markers?”
More Comments Pages: [1] 2 3 4 » Show All Comments
More Comments Pages: [1] 2 3 4 » Show All Comments
I teach a voluntary Pre-K 4 year old class. Luckily my own parents encouraged creativity, free expression, mud pies, jumping in mud puddles, etc… I let the kids use all 3. So messes are just a part of life for me. If we don’t let kids get dirty how will they figure out a way to be responsible. Many kids only get to use markers, crayons, paint, and play-doh at preschool and never at home. I would never deny a child the right to learn. First weeks we begin with jumbo crayons and once they are being responsible go to a few markers in small groups with a mini lesson on how to properly return lids. Once we learn to put the lids on all of them I let them go to town. Each small group table has a basket with a few markers, crayons, pencils, colored pencils and paper. They learn to be responsible if you expect them to, even at 3 and 4. And as for drying out, well pretty soon after the first one or two dries out because of no lid, they figure out if they want the pretty colors, then they have to put lids back on.
I find that if I take the time up front to TEACH and RETEACH the students how to properly put on the lids and use the media, it pays off. You can do so much with markers besides color. Bleeding colors art, dot art once they dry out and get smooshed tips. If they dry out completely put them in the paint center and watch the kids really add some interesting lines to their creations. Put them in science and see if we can figure out a way to revive them. For those teachers who don;t like the mess there are always the color wonder crayola markers that only mark on the special paper (same for paint) BTW Trish I adore the pipsqueaks for the reasons you mentioned! Also there are the click top crayola markers that act like ball point pens, and the lid attached version although both of those are pricey. My new favorite is crayola color sticks. A crayon and pencil in one. they’re small and you can color in so many ways
I teach 3 year olds. We mostly use crayons but sometimes we use markers. I never really thought about using colored pencils. But I will now the kids would like something new. I also have a question for Robin( #40 ) Where do you get the small golf pencils from? We were talking about them at work one day but no one seemed to know where we could buy them in a larger quantity.
I teach kindergarten and we use crayons and markers for most activities. I have colored pencils in the writing center for the students to use. If we are using markers, it is usually during center time and is limited to one or two tables so clean up is easier. They love them and they aren’t allowed to have them in our first grade so I let them use them while they can.
I teach kindergarten and I use hi liters alot during reading. Look for the letter u and hilite it in the word. We use this in our papers and little books that they take home. You can still see it and unless they go over it more than once it doesn’t bleed through. It helps parents know which letter we are working on. We also trace over words with hi liter before they write it. We call this buttering the word. They like the thought of putting butter on it. I use markers when they have to label their picture they drew, so this is usually on construction paper which is heavier. But for most seat work I still use crayons the most and then colored pencils second.
I teach Kindergarten and we use all three. As for the Pencils, I found a WONDERFUL TRI sided pencil from Ticonderoga. I bought 2 boxes at the beginning of the year and we are still using them. I have an electric sharpener and students count to 5 and pull the pencil out. No more grinding them down to nothing, and they love to help me sharpen!
Crayons are second, and once a week I sharpen them with a cheap pencil sharpener, usually while I am doing another task…they love it and no more peeling paper back on a crayon. I have a cup for each student (8 crayons, glue stick, 2 pencils, scissors) Markers…last…we use them for graphing and sorting exercises, and art.
What can I say, my Pre-Kinder students used to love them all and I tried really hard to use them all. I considered it a skill in listening if they could get the correct one that I had asked for. If they had their choice- everyone had their favorite! What I hate is when parents buy cheap quality markers, crayons and pencil colors. The pencil colors where the lead keeps breaking, the crayons that streak and do not color evenly and the markers that are finished after one use. I also can’t stand when parents send in adult permanent markers instead of child friendly ones- were these parents never kids?
In my VPK (Voluntary Pre Kindergarten) class we encourage the use of all 3. We use Crayons with our work. Colored Pencils and Markers are a choice when they are at the Creative Center. We also use small golf pencils, they are 1/4 of the size of regular pencils and also encourage the correct grip. I believe children should have the ability to choose which writing utensils they prefer at certain times, it encourages individuality, and creativeness. Like most, I do not enjoy the cleaning of markers but have found that most cleaning agents get rid of the markers on surfaces, and since I have to wipe down the tables every day, it’s not such a hassle.
I teach 2nd grade, and have taught up through 5th…And I love colored pencils! Even my 2nd graders can blend colors later in the year. My next choice is crayon…so many options when coloring. I hate markers, but the kids love them, so we use them occasionally. The twistable colored pencils and crayons are great, but cost more.
I usually have my 4 year olds use crayons. Their hands are small and they seem to work the best. Also, I just had a refresher on the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum. They discourage the use of pencils and actually prefer broken crayons and broken chalk. These smaller tools encourage children to use the correct grip. I usually don’t use a lot of markers with my little kids because they are soooooo messy and also they always seem to wreck the tips!
I help teach a 3/4 yr. class. I personally don’t have a preference. I know with crayons you have the silly paper that may need to be ripped off and colored pencils need sharpened, and the markers, mark everything and eventually run out. I figure what my kids enjoy I enjoy. Creativity is important to me and letting the kids decide what they perfer to use is always good. Kids really never get the chance to decide what they want to do. They are always being told what to do and by letting them choose what tool they perfer lets them have their independance and happiness… AS long as they know how to use the tools safely and dont try to eat them, well I’m okay with that and if they get marker on them, it only takes a few seconds to get soap and water.
Crayons, definitely! Here in China, many brands even come without the annoying paper you have to peel off! I hate how markers bleed or dry out, too, so we leave those on the craft/coloring table. Colored pencils, I’ve found, take much longer when doing a big project.
I agree with comment #24 by Sherrie
I hate hate hate cheap pencils and that is what our school has. They are made by Dixon and they break faster than I can sharpen them. The kids are frustrated with them and I am frustrated with them. I teach first grade and my students are constantly complaining “my pencil broke”. As far as markers, crayons or colored pencils. We use markers and my kids are learning not to get it everywhere. I like them better than crayons because I’m not constantly picking up crayon pieces off the floor and scrubbing crayon off the floor (the janitor does not do this). We have crayola crayons but they break so easy and I have studnets who won’t use them without a point and then they sharpen them down to nothing. That I am now in favor of markers. They don’t disappear near as fast, they don’t break into a bunch of tiny pieces for me to clean up and I don’t have to use goo-gone to get them off the floor. PS - I have taught for 15 years and have never heard of breaking crayons in half, what is this about?