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?”
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More Comments Pages: « 1 [2] 3 4 » Show All Comments
I teach Kindergarten. We use all three of them. Crayons are used most often. I use colored pencils a lot in math. The kids really love them and ask to use them. We have a day set aside for colored pencils to be sharpened. Markers are used only for special occassions. They tend to get all over. The kids know to place a mat under their work before using them. I have attended a handwriting work shop and yes they said that the little short crayons, markers, and pencils are best for little hands. The creator of this program is on the board of Crayola, thus the pipsqueaks are available. They come in all three mediums. I have them available for special center times.
I teach preschool special education so I use them all, although sometimes I have certain students use a particular type more often than the others. For example, my students with traumatic brain injury, severe cerebral palsy, or vision issues, I have them use markers because it takes less resistance to make marks on paper and they can see it better. I do prefer using the crayola pipsqueaks markers over the regular sized ones because they are shorter and promote a better grip. Markers that are dried out can be dipped in water to “watercolor color,” which practices a 2 step action. And, since most of the time multiple tops are off at the same time, I get a little color matching practice in, not to mention fine motor strengthening when putting tops back on!
Crayons are what I use for my older students, when we are working on pre-writing and when we do Handwriting without Tears. This program does not promote the use of pencils in the pre-k program, so we are crayons all the way here-or chalk…which can be made permanent by spraying hairspray over their paper.
Colored pencils are pretty much an option only when they are doing art and given free choice to use any kind of medium.
our district says all media to be used. Personally, I would get rid of markers in the room except dry erase.
I agree with Diana, even though it is hard to break those new crayons in half at the beginning of the school year!
Though all the kids would prefer to use markers, they make bolder lines and color in faster, the crayolas are best because they offer the most resistance, and will strengthen their hands.
also, every class i have taken in the last 2 years say to break the crayola into 2 pieces. it will automatically make the kids hold the color the correct way.
Colored pencils are fun, but they need sharpened so often, and takes forever to color with
Hi I agree with Kara about letting the children use the markers, crayons and pencils. They need to experience it all. I work with two year olds and yes the mess is amazing but it is all part of the process too.
Markers are a more vibrant color especially on light colored paper.
It really does help the children develope a good fine motor skill.
Let them use it all
I have no problem with the mess of markers or playdoh, but in preschool, Kinder, and first grade I much prefer crayons. Markers flow very easy and the kids don’t have to press very hard to get the intensity of color. With crayons, they have to use more fine motor muscles to get the look they want. I teach first grade and have many kids who do not press down hard enough when writing with a pencil. Don’t get me wrong, I think every medium should be used, but crayons for the majority of their coloring. They use colored pencils, but the task of sharpening them each day is not my cup of tea. I won’t let them use the “good” sharpener as the colored pencil tips break off and jam the machine. They have manual sharpeners at their tables.
I too hate markers. There is more of the marker on the student and the desk than on the piece of work. I have converted to highlighters. They let the work show through but are easy to get off. Highlighters also work well on mazes. I have laminated easy and difficult mazes for my students to do when their work is completed. I keep a container of highlighters and/or dry erase markers with the mazes. The highlighters come off with wet wipes. I keep those with the mazes also. Now they come in many different colors so the students have a choice. When we need to be colorful we use colored pencils or crayons.
Use them all! I work with 3’s and 4’s and yes while markers can be messy, the children need to know how to use them properly. When first learning how to manipulate and use various writing tools the first thing they will do is experiment…hands, tables, scribbles, marking over print, etc. At this stage of writing, emergent, the idea is to get children interested in drawing and print. If they have a choice of using a certain writing tool based on certain properties they will be more engaged. We have journal time daily. The children write on white computer paper and have a choice of markers, crayons, colored pencils, pencils, and chalk. At the beginning of the year it was somewhat messy and experimental but now they are efficient at using any of these writing instruments…. and have fun doing it!
I like anything that writes. It’s good to let the kids use all utensils. You never know where that might lead them later in life. With that said, I would rather use markers if it didn’t make those crazy lines. My children/students used crayons more than anything when they were younger.
I have kids bring all of the above -crayons, cored pencils and markers. They also bring oil pastels. Pastels are for “special projects” and are stored by me because they are quite messy. They are a beautiful media for kids to learn with. Markers are messy- but we have certain pages that are marker pgs. and others that are not.Yes, colored pencils do need lots of sharpening and tend to get stuck in pencil sharpeners but are a great medium for kids to lern from. Crayons need peeling but that is what fingernails are for. My first graders use all this media and we love it-Messy -yes but kids are learning and experimenting and sometimes that is just messy business. Kids are washable and “paint shirts” or aprons protect their clothing.
My real pet peeve is “cheap” pencils-ugh! what a pain to sharpen.
I prefer having my students use crayons on a daily basis-however when there is a special project, markers are used-it also reminds them that the project is special because they don’t use markers everyday!