The amazing thing about coloring and drawing is that it is another way of telling stories, especially for children who are not yet ready to write yet, or for those who want to express themselves in a different way. There is always paper, crayons, pencils around the house, so don't underestimate the power of these magic tools. Here are some ideas to present the art of drawing to children, encouraging coloring as an eternal pastime and help them to flow their imagination:
Learn how to Draw:
DrawinGeek is a YouTube channel with a wide variety of easy-to-follow tutorial videos for drawing designed especially for children: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKfdhiF29bi_O5yTgK8IbIw/videos
One of my favorite videos is How to draw a Little Monster Step by Step | Drawings Tutorials, because I think drawing monsters is one of the easiest projects for young children and besides, these can be very cute and fun.
When our library open to the public, check out this book: Monsters by Mark Bergin for lots more ideas:
Drawing Dog Man and Captain Underpants!
Are you a fan of the Dog Man and Captain Underpants book series? Its author, Dav Pilken,
publishes on his website a series of teaching videos on how to draw
many characters from his books, plus additional activities to watch, read, color and even to create your own comic. Give it a try!
Are you bored of the same old coloring sheets?
Coloring is always a super fun activity for the whole family, each member can have their favorite theme, their special type of crayons or techniques, and you can always learn something new.
Check these websites for new ideas and printable sheets:
- Lego coloring sheets:
https://www.legoland.com/california/legoland-california/llcbuildingchallenge/1-coloring-sheet/
- Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin authors of the lovely Click, Clack, Books series, offer in their website a bunch of printable activities, like coloring's sheets, drawing projects, mazes, connect dots and much more. Take a look!
- Crayola website is a classic and features coloring sheets for Disney characters, plants, animals, special holidays collections, and even you can find printable for adults coloring:
Encouraging Free Drawing:
Free Drawing will be always the best: Set a time of the day for just draw or coloring, have supplies in hot spots around the house like in front of TV, video games consoles, kitchen counters, playrooms, car, etc., and encourage them to draw wherever they saw on a movie, outside or to make greetings cards for their friends and families, etc. Remember always show appreciation for their creations and celebrate their unique and wonderful pieces of art.
Drawing Games:
Dave Romans, author of Astronaut Academy is sharing drawing games on a YouTube called Art Club @Yaytime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0ZLRQF-WX8,
It is worth to try!
Pictionary:
Do you have an old Pictionary board game?
If you do, dust it off and have a game session tonight. Children won't be disappointed, especially if they haven't played it in a long time or if it is their first time.
If
you don't have the board game, do not worries you can also improvise
something at home with the materials you have around you, just check the
game’s rules online.
Check those Online:
Check those amazing resources available in our cloudLibrary:
Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas: From the Creator of Captain Underpants (Dog Man #5) View book URL https://ebook.yourcloudlibrary.com/library/prl-document_id-rherxz9
(there are also more titles available)
Draw Princesses in 4 Easy Steps By: LaBaff, Stephanie; LaBaff, Tom
View book URL https://ebook.yourcloudlibrary.com/library/prl-document_id-d1dwpz9
Hopefully these activities help break up the day, and get your family engaged in drawing and colouring!
If your kids loved these activities, feel free to send us feedback or
pictures on any of our social media platforms, linked below.
Library staff are available by phone (403-887-2130) or email Monday-Friday, 9:00 am 5:00 pm.
You can access all of our digital materials (eBooks, eAudiobooks, and more) through our website. If your membership is expired, or you need a membership, call us at 403-887-2130 and we can help.
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