10 Best Crayons 2024 in the US

What are Crayons Made From?

Crayons are solid sticks of material with added color pigment and are used mainly for crafts work and drawing. They’re often made from wax, chalk or charcoal, and come in an impressive range of colors. There are also more specialized crayons on the market, made from ingredients like beeswax. The crayons we’re used to seeing in the market come from huge companies, such as Crayola. Crayola Crayons are some of the best crayons for toddlers and kids, and the variety available on the market today is pretty mind-blowing in terms of sizes and colors.

What should you look for when buying crayons?

Crayons come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. There’s everything from tiny pocket-sized packets that your child can carry around in their school bag, to huge boxes and trays with hundreds of colors, lengths, and widths to choose from. At the end of the day, your purchase will be based on what you need your crayons for. If they’re for your kids, brightly-colored crayons are always a good idea. Smaller kids will appreciate chunkier crayons that don’t require so much dexterity in their little hands and are therefore easier to grip. Bigger kids who have more interest in ‘staying within the lines’ and producing neat and tidy drawings and pictures might prefer slimmer crayons that are easier to control, and allow them to produce more intricate designs and drawings.

What kinds of crayons are safe for your kids?

When you’re shopping for kids crayons, there are several things you should consider:

• Ingredients: What are the crayons you’re looking at made from? Most crayons made for kids are made of paraffin wax and have various color pigments then added to them. These are completely safe...even if your little one decides not to wait until lunchtime and take a few bites. Although wax crayons are non-toxic, obviously they’re not designed to be ingested. A small amount will pass through a child’s system very easily—but there is always a choking hazard, and larger amounts can cause blockages, due to the fact that they’re solid materials.

• Getting rid of scribbles: Let’s face it--there’s a good chance that as much crayon will end up on the wall/table/chair/cat as on your newest piece of fridge art. The majority of crayons on the market can be easily removed with a bit of soap and water. Many modern crayons will also state on the box that they’re fully washable.

• Desirable qualities: The best crayons for you should include all the features and qualities you’re looking for. You want them to be durable enough to stand up to clumsy little hands while being a good value for money. It’s also a good idea to compare different brands and test out different materials to see what works best for your project. What ends up being your perfect crayon might be totally different from what’s right for someone else.

What kind of uses do crayons have?

Apart from drawing, crayons have some pretty interesting uses. It’s not uncommon, for example, for women to use them as lip crayons. They remove the paper, break them up and microwave them for a minute or two before pouring them into lip balm tubs and waiting for them to set. Et voila! New lipstick. They’re often used to perk up Play Doh. Adding flour, oil, salt, and water to melted crayons can help to make boring old Play Doh vibrant and fun.

Main Pros and Cons of Crayons

The upsides of crayons are that they’re inexpensive, widely available, and come in a dazzling range of colors. They’re non-toxic and can be easily removed from walls and fabrics for when your little Picasso decides to create their latest masterpiece. The only cons about crayons are that they can run out pretty quickly and they don’t do well if left in extremely hot weather.

The Top 5 Crayons

There are a ton of crayons available on the market today. These include wax, charcoal, chalk, and various other specialist substances. They come in everything from small packets to huge trays. The list below gives an idea of some of the best crayons available in stores today from a range of brands.

• CrayonKing: They sell many small packs of crayons with just the essential colors, so that every child in the class has exactly the same set. For example, the fifty 4-packs of crayons, just containing red, blue, yellow, and green. This way, you can purchase a set of crayons for all of the children in a class or even two classrooms!
   

CrayonKing 4-Pack of Crayons

• Noyo Crayons: Noyo makes gel crayons for children, which can be used as pastels and watercolors as well, just by adding some water. The colors can be used on wood, or dark/colored paper as well.
  
  
  Noyo Gel Crayons

• Crayola Crayons: Crayola has been making crayons since 1885, albeit originally as “Binney and Smith”, after the names of the founders, Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith. Crayola Crayons have been a staple with schoolchildren since the year 1903 when they started marketing non-toxic, affordable and yet high-quality crayons. Crayola sells assortments of colors ranging from 8 colors to as many as 170 different colors! Let’s see some of what Crayola has to offer:

  • Crayola Bulk Buy Crayons—8 per package: This is a small pack of crayons, including just the colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple), as well as brown and black.

Crayola 8-pack of Crayons

• Crayola Ultra-Clean Washable Crayons: Crayola also makes washable crayons, paints, markers, and gel pens. This way, you can let your child express their artistic talent without having to worry that they’ll draw on the walls or clothing.

Crayola Ultra-Clean Washable Crayons

• • Crayola Jumbo Crayons: Crayola also offers packs of jumbo crayons. The jumbo size is perfect for toddlers since it makes it easier for them to get a good grip. They come in 16- and 32-color assortments.

Crayola’s 16-pack Jumbo Crayons

• • Crayola Ultimate Crayon Collection: This is an impressive 152-color assortment of crayons, arranged in a portable storage caddy that your child can take along with them. It also includes a crayon sharpener.

Crayola Ultimate Crayon Collection, including 152 colors

This is just a small selection of a few of the best wax crayons and washable crayons available from online stores, general retailers and your local hobby shop. Crayons are extremely easy to find and are widely available, even from your local grocery store. You’re bound to find the crayons you need to start that project without too much messing around.

Final Verdict

Crayons are fun! They have the ability to keep children quiet for extended periods of time. In fact, they can also keep adults quiet for hours, so it’s difficult to fault their usefulness, to be honest. There are so many brands, uses, and colors on the market, the only difficulty is whether you have enough room at home to store them all!