Coloring in is one of the main starting points of creativity in children. Being able to expressed ones self with a piece of paper and colored pencils or crayons is a great thing to be able to do and remember, it leads onto being able to learn other brand new skills. Quick tip! If your child has difficulty holding a colored pencil then try them with crayons first. Crayons are easier to hold because they are larger and softer. But as your childs skills and abilities progress they will prefer the greater accuracy of using colored pencils.
So weve identified that every new skill that we learn requires a step-by-step approach. Youll notice that even coloring in can be broken down in smaller steps in terms of the stages of the development of this type of skill. A child will begin by simple learning how to pick up and hold a crayon or colored pencil. Then they will learn how to apply the color onto the paper. Youll notice that your child goes over the lines of the outlined drawing at first but dont worry, this is only natural. Your child will soon learn how to color within the outlined areas. You should encourage your child to select different colors for different parts of the drawing.
When I was a child I just loved to draw and paint but, as I remember, before I even could begin to draw accurately I used to color in. The next stage was to learn to draw using stencils and then I graduated to be able to draw freehand which provided me with an absolutely fantastic sense of achievement. I went on to love drawing but the point I am trying to make is that it all started with the simple yet effective art of coloring in!
