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Parents and caregivers can promote drawing and coloring  as a way to improve physical, social, emotional and cognitive development-and to have a lot of fun along the way too. Here are some suggestions:

The simple acts of drawing and coloring are  literally childs’ play, however, they both play an important role in a child’s physical, emotional and cognitive development. Like no other activity, drawing  and coloring allows young children to express emotions, experience autonomy and build their confidence. 

1. Provide children with nontoxic drawing materials, blank sheets of  paper and coloring pages.

2. Model drawing. Show children that you like to draw and color too -  make designs but do not show your children what they  should draw.

3. Encourage all drawing and coloring  efforts by talking about the beautiful colors, the lines and  shapes the child has made.

4.Rather than enquire, “What is it?,” say “Tell me all about your lovely drawing”. Asking “What is it?” suggests to the child that s/he has failed to depict what they intended.

5. Talk about concepts like  thin, thick, wide, narrow, dark, light, edge, shape, contour, etc.

6. Don’t just display their art in their bedroom – give it pride of place in your home in places where visitors to your home will see them. Point their artwork out to visitors – the praise they will receive will make them feel proud of their work and will encourage them to draw and color again. 

7. Give children the freedom to choose the subjects of their drawings and of their coloring sheets. For example little girls  may enjoy coloring images of  princesses and fairies and at sites like Fairy Coloring Pages you’ll find the best fairy printables

Little boys on the other hand tend to prefer images of cars, trucks and machinery – however, favorite characters such as those from Disney movies  are also hits with little boys.

8. Crayons pose a choking hazard – so always supervise younger children while they draw and color.

Culture plays a large role in  many things – from what we eat to how we dress – and it even has an effect on the minutae of life – like whether or not drawing will enter into a child’s repertoire of behavior.

For example, studies have shown that  Taiwanese-American and Chinese-American parents tend to plan more drawing time for their children than they  European-American  counterpart parents do. As a result of more time spent drawing, Taiwanese-American and Chinese-American children’s drawings have been deemed more advanced than those of their counterparts.

According to research carried out in 1983, when children are provided with drawing materials and encouragement they tend to create works that reflect their particular culture – and each culture has its own ‘style’. For instance, French children are prone to spending a good deal of time on drawing, filling the entire page with large, colorful designs, drawings by Japanese children meanwhile tend to be more complex, harmonious and complete than drawings by North-. Children from the island of Bali on the other hand,  typically use many small marks to draw intricate, colorful designs which fill the page.

While many cultures use and value drawing as art, there are a few cultures that do not foster coloring of drawing at all.

The children from the island of Ponape usually have no prior drawing experience. Yet when  a recent study was carried out, those Ponape children that were given drawing materials  tended to draw  by starting in the center of the page making shapes that connected outward like  groups of linked bubbles – they also tended not to fill the page and used only one color per drawing.

When children from cultures that do not include drawing are first introduced to the tools, they tend to experiment, scribble, or attempt realistic drawings right from the start. There appears to be great variation in first attempts. However, in general, it has been found that children tend to draw from a cultural perspective, imitating the designs reflected in fabrics, architecture or other aspects of the adult culture including symbol systems such as written letters or characters and numerals.

Culture therefore confines and defines  the art of children.

Children from ‘First World’ countries like the USA have many opportunities to draw and color and are encouraged to do so by their parents, teachers and other caregivers. Material is plentiful too with crayons, paper,  coloring books and even online resources in plentiful supply. Little boys tend to enjoy coloring pictures that represent what they sees every day such as cars, trucks and machinery while little girls enjoy coloring images of fairytale scenes – however you can seldome go wrong with Disney characters as most children have a favourite and at sites like Disney Coloring Pages you’ll find many disney colouring

With both encouragement and resources a-plenty, our children are very lucky to have both the means and the support to express themselves creatively through drawing and colouring.

The simple acts of drawing and coloring are  literally childs’ play, however, they both play an important role in your grandchild’s physical, emotional and cognitive development. Like no other activity, drawing  and coloring allows young children to express emotions, experience autonomy and build their confidence. 

Parents and caregivers such as grandparents can promote drawing and coloring  as a way to improve physical, social, emotional and cognitive development-and to have a lot of fun along the way too. Here are some suggestions:

1.         Provide your grandchildren with nontoxic drawing materials, blank sheets of  paper and coloring pages.

2.       Model drawing. Show children that you enjoy drawing and coloring too – make designs but do not show your children what they should draw.

3.     Encourage all drawing and coloring  efforts by talking about the beautiful colors, the lines and  shapes the child has made.

4.       Rather than ask ”What is it?,”  say “Tell me about your drawing”.Asking “What is that?” suggests to the child that s/he has failed to depict what they intended.

5.       Talk about concepts like  thin, thick, wide, narrow, dark, light, edge, shape, contour, etc.

6.       Display their art on the kitchen fridge, in their room and in places where visitors to your home will see them. Point them out to visitors, friends and relatives – the praise fthey will receive for the work will boost a child’s self esteeem and confidence. 

7.Give kids the freedom to choose the subjects of their drawings and the types of coloring sheets they would like. Some argue that coloring sheets do little to foster children’s creativity – however they play a pivotal role in developing a child’s fine motor skills – a pre-cursor to writing – and often encourage children who wouldn’t otherwise draw and color to pick up a crayon to color in their favourite character. For example little girls  may enjoy coloring images of  fairytale princesses while boys enjoy coloring images of favourite characters such as Pokemon or Spongebob Squarepants and at sites like Spongebob Coloring Pages you’ll find many Spongebob Squarepants printables Always supervise younger children while they draw and color – crayons pose a choking risk.

When the kids get home from school in the afternoon and say ‘I’m bored’, at least you can point them towards doing their homework – however – when they come home on that last day of term – you know that it won’t be long until you hear ‘I’m bored’ several times a day!

Times are tough economically but entertaining kids has never been an expensive enterprise -  so here are eight ideas to keep your children busy, creative and active during these long summer months.

Milk Jug Bird Feeders – Rinse out an empty plastic gallon milk jug with lid. Cut a window in the front of the jug, and make two small poke holes for the perches. Insert sticks for perches and fill the bottom of the jug with bird seed. Depending on the ages of the child, let them problem solve and figure out the best way to secure the perch and if they wish they can decorate the birdfeeder before hanging it on the balcony or in the garden.

Aluminum Can Crafts – Paint an empty, rinsed out tuna can with acrylic paint or spray paint.Decorate with glitter, glue, buttons, stickers and any other odds and ends you might find.Once completed these make cute little holders for hair accessories, paper clips, rubber bands, keys, jewelry etc. Apply the same idea to an empty soup can to make a pen or pencil holder. These are great to give to dad to take into the office.

Coloring in – Coloring in was the staple activity of many summer holidays when I was little. If you have access to the internet and a printer, it means you don’t even have to pay for a coloring book. When it comes to coloring pictures, you really can’t go wrong with Disney and at sites like Disney Coloring Pages you’ll find the best Mickey Mouse colouring book pages

Coffee Can Stilts – Using two 1-pound coffee cans, turn each can upside down so that the plastic lid is on the bottom. As a parent – and using a screwdriver - poke two holes, one on each side of the can. Using several strands of yarn braided or twisted together, or some rope, thread through holes in cans. Tie off inside the can and practice walking on them. Kids cand ecorate the cans if they so wish.

Jar Candles – Keep aside the stubs of candles. When you have several saved, melt them together in a double boiler. Color the wax by adding bits of wax crayon to the mixture. Pour the wax into glass jelly or mason jars or metal cans. Use cotton yarn for wicks and decorate the outside of the candle holder with acrylic paints. Once the sun sets – light your candle…but always surpervise your children around flames!

Paper Towel Rain Makers – Young kids love noise makers such as maracas. Paint, color and decorate the paper towel rolls. Cover one end of a paper towel roll with waxed paper (for extra noise!) and close it off with a rubber band or three. Pour a handful or three of dried beans or split peas in the open end and close the open end the same way as the other. Poke toothpicks through the rolls at different intervals to add a ‘rain shaker’ sound – like the ones the aboriginal people of Australia create.

Paper Towel Tube Holders – Decorate a paper towel tube with paint, markers,  stickers and crayons. Once decorated this is  a colorful carrying tube. Roll up drawings and put them inside the tube to take them to their teacher, grandparents, friends or relatives.

Pet Rocks – Pet rocks have stood the test of time and any rock can be turned into a pet rock with a lick of paint and some googly eyes. First, find smooth, flat or round rocks. Be sure to clean off any mud or sand and dry completely before starting. Paint with acrylic paints. Decorate faces by adding yarn for hair, googly eyes, glitter and any other bits and pieces you like. I always add freckles on my Pet Rocks!

Enjoy yourself these summer holidays!

To the casual observer a child who is drawing or coloring in,  is just scribbling. The marks seem to be haphazard, almost meaningless. But there is much more happening in your young child’s mind while s/he engages in the physical act of drawing and coloring.

In fact, examining children’s drawing may give us important insights into how drawing fits into the overall physical, emotional and cognitive development of the young child. From toddlerhood through primary school, children choose to draw and color, but the process starts much earlier – during toddlerhood.

At around the age of 18 months, toddlers become interested in scribbling. It seems to provide sensory enjoyment, but research has shown that the child is also interested in the marks that are made. The act of scribbling can serve several useful purposes for the young child. Small muscle coordination and control improve eventually with practice. Cognitive abilities are exercised, opportunities for social interaction arise and importantly, the physical movements provide emotional release.

Because a toddler’s small muscle control is not fully developed, he or she may approach the coloring sheet by grasping the marker with his or her fist and may have difficulty placing the marks exactly where he or she wants them. Movements are typically large. They usually involve the entire arm with very little finger or wrist control. This is because the pattern of physical development begins from the center of the body (the trunk) outward.

With practice, the toddler will naturally improve his or her control, full control, however, will not be achieved until much later. A few toddlers rest the forearm on the drawing surface to give them additional control. A rhythmic, repetitive, scrubbing motion is common among two-year-olds, providing sensory enjoyment and making drawing a very physical act.

By providing children with the materials and opportunities to scribble we can promote physical skills. Just as babbling is a natural way to gain language, scribbling is a natural gateway to muscle control and coordination.

Intellectually toddlers are concerned with both the process and results of their art. They do not intend to represent particular objects at first. Instead, they are concerned with color and line. However, they may look at the marks and scribbles they have made and, in surprise, recognize a shape and name it. While they may not have intended to draw a dog or tree, the scribbles suggest the shapes. Children interpret, rather than intend. This is called fortuitous realism and becomes common as a child approaches three years of age.

As a parent you can encourage your child to draw and color by offering him or her opportunities to do so. Provide them with blank sheets of paper to let their creativity run wild or supply a coloring book or coloring sheets – many of which are available free of charge online. Little girls may enjoy coloring images of  princesses and at sites like Princess Coloring Pages you’ll find many disney princess coloring

Little boys to tend to prefer images of trucks, cars or machinery – but images of Disney characters are also a hit with little boys.

Remember that toddlers need constant supervision while coloring due to the choking hazard that crayons pose.

To the casual observer a child who is drawing or coloring in,  is just scribbling. The marks seem to be haphazard, almost meaningless. But there is much more happening in your young child’s mind as s/he engages in the physical act of drawing and coloring.

In fact, examining children’s drawing may give us important insights into how drawing fits into the overall physical, emotional and cognitive development of the young child. From toddlerhood through to primary school, children choose to draw and color, but the process actually starts much earlier – during toddlerhood.

At around the age of 18 months, toddlers become interested in scribbling. It seems to provide sensory enjoyment, but the child is also interested in the marks that are made. The act of scribbling can serve several useful purposes for the young child. Small muscle coordination and control improve with practice, cognitive abilities are exercised, opportunities for social interaction arise, and the physical movements provide emotional release.

Because a toddler’s small muscle control is not fully developed, he or she may approach the coloring sheet by grasping the marker with his or her fist and may have difficulty placing the marks exactly where he or she wants them. Movements are typically large, involving the whole arm with very little finger or wrist control. This is because the pattern of physical development proceeds from the center of the trunk outward.

With practice, the toddler will naturally improve his or her control, full control, however, will not be achieved until much later. Some toddlers will rest their forearm on the drawing surface to give them additional control. A rhythmic, repetitive, scrubbing motion is common among two-year-olds, providing sensory enjoyment and making drawing a very physical act.

By providing children with the materials and opportunities to scribble we can promote physical skills. Just as babbling is a natural way to gain language, scribbling is the precursor to muscle control and coordination.

Intellectually toddlers are concerned with both the process and results of their art. They do not intend to represent objects at first. Instead, they are concerned with color and line. However, they may actually look at the scribbles they have made and, in surprise, recognize a shape and name it. While they may not have intended to draw a car, a house or a tree, the scribbles suggest the shapes. Children interpret, rather than intend. This is called fortuitous realism and becomes common as a child approaches three years of age.

As a parent you can encourage your child to draw and color by offering him or her opportunities to do so. Provide them with blank sheets of paper to let their creativity run wild or supply a coloring book or coloring sheets – many of which are available free of charge online. Little boys may enjoy coloring images of  cars and trucks or of favorite characters such as Pokemon and at sites like Pokemon Coloring Pages you’ll find the best free Pokemon coloring

Little girls on the other hand tend to prefer images of fairies and princesses and these too are plentiful online.

Remember that toddlers need constant supervision while coloring due to the choking hazard that crayons pose.