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Teaching toddlers about colors
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Paula

Toddlers are interested in the world around them. They are inquisitive and eager to learn. Teaching a toddler something new is not always easy however because their  attention spans are short and not all of them are ready for a 'lesson' just yet. If you plan teach your toddler all about the different colors, here is the best way to start.

The first activity  you do together should be very simple and basic.Get out your crayons and a coloring book or some plain white paper. Start with the  primary colors: red, yellow and blue.

Show your toddler each colored crayon, say the color to him, then together. If he does not want to say it, that’s okay – he is still learning by looking at the color and listening to you.

Together, chose a picture to color.  Little boys enjoy coloring pictures of cars and trucks while little girls usually enjoy coloring images from fairy tales and princesses  -  at sites like Barbie Coloring Pages you’ll find the best Barbie colouring

If you are using white paper, let your toddler choose something to draw and color together. Now it’s coloring time!

As he colors, tell him what color he is using. Then attempt to say the name of the color together. Do not force him or her to tell you the color. This should be a fun activity for your child not a drill! Make sure to compliment his efforts by commenting as he colors, "What a pretty blue flower!” or “I love the way you colored the blue car.”

After you have colored together, make sure to put his picture on display somewhere prominent where visitors to your home can comment on it.This will give your child confidence and boost his or her self esteem – which is great for you because s/he will want to color and draw with you again – and you will have yet another opportunity to talk about colors together.

Once your toddler has mastered the basic red, ble and yellow – you can move on to other colors – don’t overwhelm him/her with the rainbow just yet!

Remember that crayons are a choking hazard - always supervise your child while he draws and colors.

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The cultural differences of coloring and drawing in children
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Blog
Paula

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 their  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  studies 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 example, French children tend to spend 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-American children. Children from the island of Bali meanwhile, typically use many small marks to draw complex, colorful designs which fill the page.

While many cultures use and value drawing as art, there are a few cultures that show no evidence of drawing at all.

The children from the island of Ponape (in Micronesia) 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.

Interestingly, when children from cultures that don’t include drawing in their children’s life are first introduced to the tools, they tend to experiment, scribble, or attempt realistic drawings right from the start. There seems to be great deal of 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 both 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 paper, crayons, paints, coloring books and even online resources in plentiful supply. Little boys tend to enjoy coloring pictures that represent what he sees every day such as cars, trucks and machinery while little girls enjoy coloring images from fairy tales and   princesses and at sites like Princess Coloring Pages you’ll find the best free princess coloring

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.

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Encouraging art and creativity in children
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Paula

Encourage creativity in your children by providing them with the time, resurces and the space for making art.Set aside interruption-free time for drawing, in a mess-proof zone – so that their creativity can run wild. Make sure you cover all surfaces so that any splashes of paint or scribbles of crayon are ‘caught’ – because  nothing squishes creativity more so than a parent saying “Don’t make a mess” every 2 minutes.

Choosing the right drawing materials is also very important. Many craft materials can be improvised (think of kitchen roll tubes, yogurt pots etc) but when drawing tools and paper are required, opt for a small selection of good quality age-appropriate products, rather than loads of inferior products. Be sure to check safety information and follow instructions. Young children should always be surpervised during arts and crafts activities because many necessary materials – such as crayons – pose a choking hazard.

Surroundings:As with writing or working at a computer, good posture and a comfortable position are important for drawing. A child-size table and chair is actually preferable to an easel. If the chair is a little high, provide a phone book as a footrest. A coffee table and an inexpensive plastic chair work well. A small kitchen storage trolley is ideal for containing supplies, or if space does not permit, a portable tackle box is a good option too. Messy toddlers may need a drop-cloth and supervision to avoid stained walls, as even ‘washable’ pens very often don’t deliver on that promise!

Art Materials:Avoid cheap markers, too-hard pencils and thin paints – these types of materials are discouraging to the child and therefore  a waste of money. Provide many sheets of plain blank paper to inspire their creativity and occasionally invest in a canvas so that your child can paint something and chances are you’ll want to hang it on your wall!  Provide also coloring books or coloring pages which are bountiful online – coloring pages are not so great for creativity, however they do provide children with the  chance to practice their fine motor skills and sometimes it’s very relaxing and just what they need. They can simply color in without the ‘pressure’ of thinking about WHAT to draw.  Little boys typically enjoy coloring pictures of cars and trucks while little girls usually enjoy colouring images of princesses and fairies - sites like like Fairy Coloring Pages you’ll find many coloring pictures of fairies

When it comes to drawing and coloring, at each age/stage of your child’s life provide….

Toddlers:

  • Child-safe markers and wipe-off boards
  • Chalk boards and safe chalk
  • Plain paper and coloring pages

Juniors:

  • Sketchbook
  • Student colored pencils
  • Washable Markers
  • Oil pastels
  • Plain paper and coloring pages

Middle School:

  • Sketchbook  or scrapbook
  • Graphite Pencils
  • Watercolor sketch paper
  • Watercolor pencils
  • Marker pens, marker paper
  • Plain paper and coloring pages

High School

  • Sketchbook  or scrapbook
  • Quality drawing papers and boards
  • Graphite Pencils
  • Artists’ quality colored pencils
  • Illustration markers, marker paper
  • Pastel paper and hard pastels if liked
  • Plain paper and canvases to work on

All ages:

  • Safe sharpeners, erasers, dusters, stencils and rulers
  • A  folder for storing large pieces
  • Storage boxes for smaller pieces
  • Consider photographing or scanning pieces for a permanent record.
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