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The Best Crayola Toys For Kids – Top Picks for 2022

Crayola toys are known for inspiring your child to be creative and to get the most out of their growing brains. But not every Crayola toy is perfect for every child with a creative flair.

Some may be too complex for your child’s age, and others might not be in the style of art supplies and arts and crafts that they prefer.

To help you navigate the Crayola toy marketplace, we’ve compiled this list of the ten best Crayola toys and toy sets that we are recommending in 2022.

By the time you’re done reading, you’ll know exactly what kinds of Crayola products will help your child grow in their artistic skill and which are better for helping them to learn the basics.

Our #1 Pick – Crayola Magic Scene Creator

With this Crayola Magic Scene Creator set, your child will get a full array of colored markers as well as a fascinating device that they can use to draw to their heart’s content — all without any additional consumables like paper.

This set has a handful of stencils, stickers, and other tools to help your child experience an all-new kind of art. After they sketch their dreams onto the Scene Creator, they can animate them using the built-in functions of the toy.

Thus, your child can do more than mere scrawling on this toy. They can make entire stories that live. They’ll enjoy showing their creations with you, and you’ll love to see the cheerful designs wobbling animatedly on the screen.

For the youngest children, this toy might be a bit too complex, however. Likewise, if your child has a lot of skill with drawing already, they probably won’t find much extra room to experiment with this toy.

The toy is perfect for a long car ride, but it might not be the best for someone who is ready to start creating real art — it’s more of an entertainment device than a way to produce arts or crafts.

Our #2 Pick – Crayola Ultimate Light Board

If your child loves to create drawings which glow in the dark according to their specification, they’ll love this light board.

When your child draws on this board with markers, they will create glowing figures that can be exceptionally beautiful. Your child will need to turn off the lights to get the full effect of the glowing board, but they can make designs for the toy in the dark too.

This is a great pickup for children to play with at parties. For the artistically inclined child, this toy is a useful tool because it can open their minds to a new way of seeing things.

The glowing of the toy offsets the traditional experience that your child has with light, where they need an outside light source that they imagine to correctly sketch objects. This means that the toy is exceptionally good for young artists who need to be challenged with their creativity.

For less artistic children, this toy still has a lot to offer. Nearly any child will enjoy making glow-in-the-dark designs of their choosing or sketching a luminescent scene. There’s no limit to your child’s creativity — so be sure to indulge them.

Our #3 Pick – Light-Up Tracing Pad

If your child prefers to trace designs rather than generate new creations of their own, this Crayola Light-Up Tracing Pad with colored pencils is a great choice.

Your child will have an easy time tracing stencils and coloring them in with this toy. The result will be that your child creates backlit watercolor-like sketches that are uniquely beautiful.

The backlight of the pad is bright, and makes the gentle tones of the colored pencils shine. The only issue with this kit is that your child won’t be able to save any of their most cherished illuminated works of art.

On the other hand, if this set inspires your child to get more into watercolor or colored pencil artistry, it might be worth the while. For children who don’t appear to show any inclination toward these art supplies, this kit might be a step in the wrong direction, however.

You may also need to be wary of this toy’s bright light keeping your child up at night. Unlike other toys which merely glow in the dark, the entire display lights up. This makes it hard to go to sleep when it is on, and it also makes it drain batteries quickly.

Our #4 Pick – Crayola Scribble Scrubbie

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For children who are enamored with the idea of coloring in a tiny toy animal, this Scribble Scrubbie kit is hard to beat.

With the Scribble Scrubbie kit, your child can enjoy coloring in a trio of tiny pets. You can choose between cats, dogs, rabbits, and hamsters. With each set, you’ll also get a tiny bathtub set which your child can use to wash the colored markers off of the pets.

This makes the Scribble Scrubbie kit a great toy for playdates. Your child and their friends will enjoy meditating on the color schemes of their pets, coloring in the pets with care, and later scrubbing them down — or leaving them on display.

The kit is intended for children under age 6, but it’s entirely possible that older children will enjoy this toy as well. Likewise, this toy set is safe for children of all ages, but you still might want to make sure that they clean up any water that spills during the cleaning process.

This toy might not be the best for young boys or children who don’t like pet-related play, however. Furthermore, given that the selection of animals is limited, if your child’s favorite animal doesn’t make an appearance, they might be disappointed.

Our #5 Pick – Crayola Touch Lights Doodle Board

For children who enjoy coloring with their hands, there’s a good chance that this Doodle Board is a great gift. With the Doodle Board, you’ll get an amazing interactive experience which features glowing light, sound, and pure touch-based creativity from your child.

Whether your child enjoys finger-doodling based on their creativity or a more structured creative experience, the Doodle Board can provide something for them. Using the coloring tablet, your child can make gelatin-like works of art as many times as they desire.

The Doodle Board is intended for children older than age two, but it’s non-toxic and entirely safe. While the music functionality of the board might seem a bit out of place, it is helpful for keeping your young child oriented on creating art.

For the youngest children, the music will be helpful, but for older children who are already developed in their artistic personality, it may be a distraction.

You’ll also need to remember to purchase a few AA batteries for your child if you want this toy to work.

Our #6 Pick – Air Marker Sprayer Set

For the child that is ready to start playing with more advanced art tools, this Air Marker Sprayer set might be a good choice.

This set includes an airbrush-like sprayer which you can use with Crayola’s marker color pods. With the help of the airbrush, your child’s artistic abilities will spring to life unlike ever before.

Your child will be able to spray onto canvas, the sidewalk or anything else — which may be a liability depending on how responsible they are. Most of the pods which Crayola provides are water-soluble, so there’s no danger of doing any lasting harm.

Nonetheless, your child will need to use the proper protective equipment — goggles — when they use this toy. Likewise, they may want to wear nitrile gloves to avoid getting splashed by the airbrush while they are making their creation.

As a result, you should only purchase this toy when you’re sure that your child has a passion for art. This toy may have the appearance of a casual Crayola product, but you should remember that it’s only one or two steps away from a tool that a real artist would use to produce fine art.

Our #7 Pick – The Crayon Factory

If your child enjoys making unique figurines, this Crayon Factory will turn their playroom into their creation station. Using the toy’s molds and blocks, your child can create multi-colored 3D creations.

The appeal of this set is especially strong for families with multiple children and for children who love to have their friends over. If your child has shown an affinity for creating physical things rather than drawing, this toy is right up their alley.

The unit needs to be plugged into a wall outlet, which you will need to do for your child to ensure that it is done correctly and safely. Best of all, if your child uses a lot of Crayola crayons, they can melt those down to make new creations as soon as they are too short to use.

That’s right: this machine will help your child to continue to get more mileage out of their crayon nubs which remain after intense coloring sessions. Especially if your household goes through a lot of crayons, this toy will provide a form of recycling that might be appreciated.

For children who don’t use a lot of crayons, this set is still enjoyable — but you won’t be getting the full functionality of the unit.

Our #8 Pick – Color N’ Plush Unicorn

For unicorn lovers and children who enjoy a beautiful plush creature to play with, this Color N’ Plush Unicorn toy is an excellent choice. This unicorn’s cheerful exterior is ready for an intense coloring session using the included tools.

Once your child has decorated the unicorn to their content, they can either play with it or wash it down and start anew. Your child will get a huge number of color-and-wash sessions out of this toy.

Keep in mind, you won’t need to throw this toy into the washing machine or the dishwasher — your child will be the one cleaning it with the included tools. This will help your child to learn how to take care of a pet while also exercising their artistic muscles.

If your child prefers puppies to unicorns, there is a puppy version of the toy as well, but it isn’t as colorful by default.

Our #9 Pick – Crayola Inspiration Art Case

Sometimes the best creative toys are tools, and this Crayola Inspiration Art Case is the perfect example.

Make no mistake: with this art case, your child will have all of the tools that a real artist would have.

In total, this kit has 64 crayons, 40 washable markers, 15 sheets of paper, 20 colored pencils, and a beautiful carrying case. This is more than a mere introduction to the world of art — it’s an entire dive.

The best part of this kit is that it offers a huge selection of shades of each color. Your child will learn their preferences for particular hues.

For children who are ready to start becoming more serious artists — or even for those who find making art to be therapeutic — there’s no better kit than this one. For the youngest of children, there are probably a few too many options.

Our #10 Pick – Crayola Picture Projector

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If you’re looking for a way for your child to make a special night light that they can modify whenever they choose, the Crayola Picture Projector might be a good choice. Using the toy’s markers and its light-up display, you’ll find that your child can bring new life to their room.

The most compelling part of this toy is that it gives your child the power to modify their environment in a way that doesn’t mess up your furniture or walls. While the projector’s image is only noticeable in a dark room, your child won’t mind.

The storage unit underneath the projector will also ensure that none of the toy’s art materials get misplaced when they’re done customizing their night light for the evening.

The only real downside of this unit is that it only includes three markers. If you provide more washable and projector-friendly markers, your child can color to their heart’s content each night. Lighter colors may not show up as well as darker colors, so encourage cool tones.

How Should I Pick A Crayola Toy?

Picking a Crayola toy is easy. If your child has shown an intense interest in pursuing their artistic skills, you should get your child a Crayola toy which gives them a literal blank slate to experiment with.

On the other hand, if your child prefers to have structure in their creative play, you should probably pick an electronic toy that helps to guide them during play.

These toys provide a great pathway for your child to understand how to use the rules of the toy to create what they want, which helps them to build their mental capabilities.

If your child tends to prefer playing pretend, picking one of the pet-based Crayola toys might also be a good option.

Which Crayola Toys Are Best For Creative Play?

Without question, the best Crayola toys for creative play are the ones which inspire your child to think about creating something. This means that the most imaginative children will find the blank slate style art sets to be the best for creative play.

On the other hand, the children who prefer to build things within the confines of the rules established by something else will find that they do better when the basics are prepared for them. For these children, a blank slate means a lack of a starting point, which can be boring.

Overall, the Crayola toys which provide the abundance of the play opportunities right out of the box are the worst for creative play. The more your child has to work to get the fun out of the toy, the more creative they’ll be each time.

Are Crayola Toys Safe For My Child?

Yes, all Crayola toys are non-toxic. The youngest children may still be at risk for poking themselves in the eye with a crayon or something similar, however, so you should supervise them.

If there is ever a safety concern that you need to be aware of in a Crayola toy, it’ll be mentioned on the box — but these are exceptions. For the most part, your child can be safely left to play with their Crayola toys once they are old enough to know not to poke themselves.

The same is not necessarily true of products which emulate the Crayola brand but are manufactured by another company, however. There’s no guarantee that all of the components are non-toxic and safe with other brands.

Furthermore, the electronic Crayola toys are not necessarily still safe if they are severely broken. For example, while the exterior of the toy may be very safe, if it is punctured or ripped apart — which would be very hard for your child to do — the internal components shouldn’t be touched.

Are Crayola Toys Durable?

Crayola toys aren’t known for their durability, but they aren’t especially fragile either. Most of Crayola’s art products are durable enough for children to use comfortably.

Likewise, most of Crayola’s electronic toys are durable enough for your child to use them until they grow bored. Serious abuse may still cause problems, but casual drops or scratches typically don’t cause any problems with the toy.

The main issue with the electronic Crayola toys is staining. If your child uses them with greasy hands, you may find that the screens become discolored and somewhat disgusting.

You can sometimes clean the screens gently with soap and water, but other times there’s nothing to be done. Be sure to consult the manual before trying a cleaning product, as many cleaning products can permanently damage the screen even worse than grease can.

Nonetheless, taking a minute to discuss the durability of Crayola toys with your child will ensure that they can get the most out of the toy.

Crayons only require a small amount of pressure to use, which many young children have a problem doing consistently. This causes the crayons to snap in half and become difficult to use. So, teach your child the right amount of pressure.

What Age Are Crayola Toys Best For?

While Crayola toys are made for a wide variety of age groups, you will probably find that children between ages 5 and 12 will derive the most benefit from Crayola toys.

During this age range, your children are growing in many dimensions, and the creative opportunity which Crayola toys provide will help their brain develop.

After this age range, your child will probably want a more complex art setup — or perhaps nothing to do with art whatsoever. In contrast, before this age range, many Crayola toys are a bit too complicated for your child to express themselves.