Hasta La Gadget!

Great kids’ toy or cynical attempt to keep selling pens and paper? You decide

There are a few things I know about kids. One is that they never stop screaming or wanting something. The other is that they press really, really hard on my iPad screen, which is why I no longer let them near it.

If you are a breeder, however, and can no longer endure little Johnny’s wheedling pleas to let him play with your iPad, then you might consider the Trace & Draw from Crayola and Griffin.

The toy consists of two parts. A kid-resistant polycarbonate case with stick-on screen protector form the hardware part, and a free drawing app is the software part. Little Johnny clips a sheet of tracing paper over the screen and traces whatever is on screen. There are variations on the drawing theme, with connect-the-dots games and coloring-in pages.

If this sounds to you like a way to keep selling pens and paper, despite the forward march of technology, then you’re probably right. After all, why even bother with paper and ink when you could use a stylus directly on the screen (Crayola even sells one)?

In fact, the best thing about preventing the kids from producing paper “paintings” is that you’ll never have to hang them on the front of the refrigerator, only to shrink in shame every time your singleton friends see them.

The Crayola Trace & Draw is available now, for a whopping $40, with pen and paper included. The app is free

Crayola Trace & Draw product page [Griffin. Thanks, Madison!]

See Also:

• Crayola iMarker, a Kid-Friendly iPad Stylus
• Crayola Keyboard Teaches Kids to Comply
• You Know, For Kids!