I swear I learn something new every day and today is no different.
I was today years old when I learned that the count of the crayon box you buy matters almost as much as the brand.
I think it’s safe to say that we all know that teachers prefer Crayola brand crayons for the pure fact that they color better and are better quality.
But did you also know that teachers prefer the 16 count over the 24 count of Crayola crayons? If you said no, I didn’t either.
After all, the 24 count of crayons are typically cheaper because they tend to go on sale at retail stores for around $0.50 a box. While the 16 count is harder to find and is more expensive (around $2.99 a box).
Well, this teacher explains that especially in grades Pre-school to 1st grade, the 16 count box gives kids the exact colors they need for lessons which includes just 1 primary color.
She uses the example that if she asks the kids to color something blue, the 24 count box has about 4 different options that look blue.
However, when a child begins coloring, they quickly notice that only one of those colors is actually blue and one is actually purple when colored.
What?! My mind is BLOWN. I never noticed this before!
So, when you get the 16 count of crayons you are helping teachers get through their lesson plans without having frustrated children who can’t seem to find the right color.
This teacher even mentions that when kids get frustrated, she’s pretty much lost their attention because they are so focused on the color of their crayon.
Moral of the story – grab the 16 Count Crayola Crayons or you can get a Massive Box of Classic Crayola Crayons and in return, you’ll be helping your child and teacher!
What an interesting concept! I’ve never thought of this when buying Crayola crayons for my boys!
We thought it was interesting, too, and had to share the info!
This seems like a missed opportunity for experiencing shades of colors. Why couldn’t sky blue, dark blue, or purple blue be used even for a color coded project? If there is a particular crayon or two that are tricky, many possibly quick fixes shared here- and I’ll add taking off the paper wrapper!
Signed,
a PreK Teacher who buys crayons and markers with the most shades possible
I’m not a teacher but I do home based childcare and once kids hit close to preschool age (about 2.5 yo), they start being involved in the more structured learning; similar to how some Preschools and Kindergartens do (like color this shape the color *blank*). We only ever use the most basic of colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black and white). I find the 16 ct. packs to just be easier, especially with the 5-6 year olds who do a lot more thing independently and love to show how they can put all their crayons away on their own. I’ve had parents send 24 ct. packs and it was just so confusing for the kids as they would grab what looks like blue but it would actually color purple; some kids get really upset if it’s not the color they want even if they are just using their imagination to color.
That makes sense, Alex!
As a veteran first grade teacher and someone who loves a bargain, I always ask for three boxes of 24 crayons at the beginning of the year. I store the other two until needed. I would rather see parents buy them when they are 50 cents! I also don’t mind the 24 crayons because it seems like they always lose the basic crayons and I tell them from the beginning of the year if I tell you red and you don’t have a red, you can use a shade of red! They seem to catch on real quick! Never has been a problem for my students in my 30+ years of teaching first grade.
I did have a “new” problem last year when Crayola introduced all of the different varieties! Confetti, glitter, etc…might be nice for at home and presents, but we need the basics at school!!
I don’t have a problem with schools making these kinds of requests of parents. But can anybody see the value in going straight to Crayola and requesting that THEY come up with a better color combo plan? Or is everybody afraid that Crayola corp. is struggling financially compared to the average parent, or what?
Thank you for your feedback, Bill!
16 crayons because you want children to only have the primary colors? Have colors been promoted from secondary and tertiary? When I was in school there were only 3 primary colors, red, blue and yellow. Perhaps children could come to school with the 4 packs that they give away at restaurants. These have all three primary colors plus black. Or is black a color now also?
Why not use 8 packs? Aren’t they the ones that come in extra fat crayons? I would think they would be best for prekindergarten and kindergarten.