I have always been a huge fan of Crayola and the quality products that they offer. I was excited when Crayola so generously sent me the My First Crayola gift pack to review.  We received several fun items as well as a full-size box of Cheerios which included 3 high value coupons inside! I was able to share amongst our learn and play group which consists of kids from ages one to three. The products were a huge hit with the kids, especially the Musical Rub-Art Station and the fingerpaints! I’m not going to lie, I was coloring along with them and thinking “hey, why didn’t I have these when I was a kid”, lol. The little animal characters are just so cute! The Musical Rub-Art Station not only channeled the children’s creativity but it is also a fun and engaging learning tool.

The products were easy for their little hands to grip, allowing them more control in their creations. I was especially impressed by the triangular crayons as it teaches the little ones to properly hold a writing instrument. The products were mess free and any stray marks wiped away effortlessly, which is a huge plus for me. Another nice feature is that the items are easy for the little ones to carry, light-weight and allow for easy portability, which is great when traveling.  The Dry Erase Activity Mat features 12 activities which are reusable (SUPER PLUS) and has a convenient little pouch to store crayons and such. Clean up was a snap and the material allowed for easy sanitation. I would definitely recommend this line of products as they are great learning tools and they help to stimulate your child’s imagination and unleash their creativity. Thank you Crayola and Cheerios for your generosity and for allowing us to try your awesome products!

About My First Crayola

When you encourage your children to grow and develop through their first art experiences, some very important developmental milestones happen.  Large and fine motor skills like hand-eye coordination begin to develop, as well as self-confidence and early literacy skills. As significant as their first words, a child’s first scribbles represent the beginning of their journey for symbolic communication that’s needed to develop reading and writing skills.When children discover that they can make a mark, their desire to create is unleashed.  And that’s where the fun and joyful moments begin for parent and child. Crayola wants all children to be creatively alive and so they’re helping parents begin the journey with a new line of products called My First CrayolaTM.The My First Crayola line includes specially designed art supplies and activities for children as young as 12 months and features three inspiring ways through which little hands can create – with art tools, mess-free activities and creative activities that feature dry-erase crayons and music.

Tips on How to Celebrate Your Child’s First Scribbles
The first colorful mark your child creates is a milestone to be celebrated! Crayola’s child development expert Cheri Sterman offers tips on how to use wonderful, together-time moments to encourage a child’s development and sense of discovery.

• Build their vocabulary. Not sure what to say about the page of dots or dashes your child created?  Describe the colors and shapes you see to help your child add new words to their vocabulary.
• Tell me about your picture? Children’s drawings are their first communication well before they can read and write. Ask your child to tell you about the drawing they create. That blue blob you’re looking at may be a puppy, an elephant or a tiger.  It’s OK for the same blue blob to mean something different tomorrow. Resist the urge to tell your child what you see and listen to their interpretation.
• Focus on the process.  Pudding paintings and rhythmically dotting colors on paper are part of the important journey to eventually creating more recognizable drawings. Emphasize the enjoyment of the process more than the end result.  The actual work is not as important as the joy your child felt when creating it.
• Creative confidence. As your child grows into the toddler years, and their scribbles take shape creative confidence begins to bloom.  One of the best responses to your child’s artwork is, “Let’s hang it on the refrigerator together.”

Check out some of the products in the new My First CrayolaTM line!

Art Tools
My First CrayolaTM Washable Crayons, Markers and Stampers are designed to fit neatly in a toddler’s palm, and are just the right size and shape for a child to create their first artistic expression. For children age 12 mos +.

Triangular Crayons & Washable Markers
My First CrayolaTM art tools progress from easy-to-grasp washable crayons, marker holders and stampers, to triangular shaped crayons that guide a child’s hand into a proper writing grip. The shape also makes it easier for little ones to draw in a more purposeful and controlled way.  For children age 24 mos +.

Mess-Free Activities
Toddlers can have clean, colorful and creative fun with My First Crayola Mess-Free Marker & Paper and My First CrayolaTM Mess-Free Fingerpaint and Paper. When used on magic mess-free paper, special markers and fingerpaints instantly reveal colorful patterns with no mess on skin, walls or fabric. Mess-Free Marker & Paper is recommended for children age 12 mos. + and Mess-Free Finger Paint for children 24 mos. +.

With the My First Crayola Mess-Free2-in-1 Doodle Board, little ones can enjoy twice the fun without all the mess. With no ink, paint or paper required, the double-sided board allows for reusability and endless creative doodling. The “water drawing” surface magically reveals bold colors, providing little ones with lots of space to create with the refillable water pen.  Flip it over to the sealed gel painting surface and children will get the feel of finger painting, but without the paint and the mess. For children age 24 mos +.

Creative Activities
My First Crayola Washable Dry-Erase Activity Mat is perfect for colorful on-the-go creativity. It features 12 activities that slide into place on the mat so little ones can draw, erase and draw again using washable My First Crayola Washable Triangular Dry-Erase Crayons. The crayons’ triangular shape guides little fingers into a writing grip, so toddlers can more easily trace and create broad sweeps of color. The mat folds up easily and features convenient carrying handles and built-in storage. For children age 24 mos +.

Your child will be captivated with surprising sounds while creating adorable farm-themed artwork with the My First Crayola Washable Musical Rub-Art Station! Select one of the dual-sided rubbing plates, place it in the frame with paper and then watch your toddler create a scene with the character rubbing tool. The crayon rubbing activates music and animal sounds for toddlers to enjoy while they create.  For children age 24 mos +.

For more clean and creative fun, bring home My First Crayola Bath Crayons and Canvas and transform your bathtub into an art studio. The cute character-shaped, bath crayons are designed for little ones to easily grasp in their palm. Watch their creativity flow as your little one draws on the two-sided canvas. The canvas adheres to the tub wall and rinses clean for use again and again, with one side featuring a cute design to be filled in with color and the other, blank for free scribbling. Two crayon refills come with each set For children age 12 mos +.

Special Offer
Crayola and Cheerios® cereal are offering up to $5.00 in coupon savings on My First CrayolaTM products, so you can enjoy a little colorful fun at the breakfast table!  Look for My First CrayolaTM on original Cheerios cereal boxes.

Learn more about the tools from Crayola that make it easy for parents to help children develop their creativity, by visiting www.Crayola.com and liking Crayola on Facebook!

The Giveaway

But wait……there’s more! It’s time for a giveaway! One lucky reader will receive their own My First Crayola gift pack which will include:

• My First CrayolaTM Washable Crayons
• My First CrayolaTM Washable Markers
• My First CrayolaTM Washable Stampers
• My First CrayolaTM Washable Dry-Erase Activity Mat
• One specially marked box of original Cheerios® cereal

How to enter:

Follow The Coupon Maverick by one of the following means (Facebook, Twitter, RSS, Google+, Pinterest), fill out the Rafflecopter form below and then leave a comment on this post. Good luck to all who enter!

This giveaway is only open to U.S. residents and ends at 11:59PM EST on Friday, May 18, 2012. The winner will be chosen randomly using Rafflecopter and will be announced on Saturday, May 19th. The winner will also be notified via email after of which he/she will have 48 hours to claim their prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: The information, products, coupon, video and additional My First CrayolaTM gift pack was provided by Crayola® and Cheerios through MyBlogSpark. However, all opinions are unbiased and strictly my own.