Holiday Gift Guide 2008: Gifts for little artists

November 18, 12:09 PMEarly Childhood Parenting ExaminerAngele Sionna

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If your little ones love every second they spend with a crayon in hand, encourage it this Christmas with gifts that inspire that inner little artist. Here are some ideas...

Aquadoodle Draw N Doodle Mat is a great gift because it is mess free. You paint with water on a huge mat on the floor. When it dries, kids get to start all over again. Aquadoodles are for tots three and up, but my girls (age 1 and 2.5 years old both enjoy them already.)

Crayola Beginnings TaDoodles Scribble & Sing Art Station is a great way to teach shapes and colors, while singing and doodling. I like how it prompts kids to draw certain things. It seems to add purpose and a feeling of accomplishment. The marker ink is all washable and really does wash off hands and out of clothes easily. Watch a video of how it works and printout free coloring pages at crayola.com. Made for toddlers 18 months and up. Other great products in this line of Crayola's include washable flip-top markers and TaDoodles stampers.

For a little bit older kids (think 5 years old and up) Crayola's Color Wonder Magic Light Brush is awesome and mess free! My 2.5 year old and I had fun playing with this one. Watch a video of it in action here:

Fantacolor Junior by Fuercetti Intelligent Toys  is another good choice for little artists with parents who don’t want to clean up the mess. Made for children 2 and up, this one works with big button-like pegs that snap into place on a board with a shape to "color" behind it.

Doodle Pro by Fisher-Price lets little artists create and erase over and over again with a magnetic pen. Made for kids three and up, but my 2.5 year old daughter's been drawing with one of these happily for over a year. I like it because it is mess free and "green."

Lyra Wax-O-Glass Window Crayons give kids something different to do on rainy days. They're specially designed for doodles on the windows.

For the artist who has surpassed crayons (not really) but wants to get a little more serious about her art, eeBoo's 32 Artist Color Oil Pastels. They’re non toxic and made just for kids. Also check out eeBoo’s Great Illustrators Sketch pads.

Signature Stampers by Giving Greetings give little artists an easy way to personalize their work or just create new works with the stamps. Bonus: 10% of all sale proceeds go to charity.

Every artist needs a special place to create. A good choice: the My First Desk by Delta. It comes in several designs including Cars and Disney Princesses. Not only is it a desk and chair with spots for art supplies, but it also comes with all of the art supplies: stamps, paint, crayons, oil pastels, markers.

This is Me - A Kids First Keepsake Journal for kids old enough to read and write basic phrases, this journal is mostly about drawing memories of holiday and other events and activities.