Do your kids love to color? It’s a pretty standard activity for most children. And while coloring is an old standby kind of activity, it can also be easily forgotten. In my own home, there is a collection of coloring books that haven’t been used for ages. Or it could be that your kids color so often that it’s become boring. So how can we make coloring a little more engaging for our kids? It may be that we simply need to take out some crayons and paper and place them out to be used. But maybe we could find a few easy ways to make coloring more exciting for our kids, to make it a bigger deal than usual.
Color on something different
Our kids are used to regular paper and coloring books. So a different medium for coloring could be a way to make coloring more exciting for our kids. Super big paper is always a hit. Try to find a big roll of paper or several sheets of big, BIG paper. If you can’t find really big paper, you could use poster board or even tape several sheets of standard paper together.
You could also color on wooden pieces, rocks, a dry erase board, or a chalkboard. You could color on t-shirts or pieces of fabric. We could go on and on. See if there’s something different that your kids can color on.
Add something extra
Children love to add extra stuff to anything. So why not break out some stickers? Or something sparkly, like glitter glue, which is a wonderful, mess-free alternative to actual glitter. Special markers can make coloring more exciting for our kids, and there are all kinds of unique markers out there.
Try printing some coloring pages of your kids’ favorite characters or favorite things. At Signing Time, we have some printable coloring pages to help reinforce signs and words. You can find those here.
Another way to get really extra about coloring is to use some gel pens with black paper. Betcha your kids will go through page after page of this sparkly fun.
Go for a special coloring set
There are many special coloring sets out there. There’s a kind that has no mess markers that show up only on the special paper. Or what about the everything-included sets that follow a theme or a character?
Another way to make it special is to color with something completely different, like watercolor crayons. After the picture is finished, your kids can paint over it with water, and it turns to watercolor paint without the mess of actual paint.
Or you could get a scratch art set, where your kids can color with a stylus and scratch their drawings onto scratch art paper. They love to scratch off the top layer to find the colors underneath.
Coloring signs and shows
These are just a few ways to make coloring more exciting for our kids. The ideas really are endless. And while you are bringing new life to coloring in your home, why not learn some coloring signs to go along with it?
In our free Signing Time Dictionary, there are lists and lists of signs you can learn with detailed instructions and videos. We have an entire section on colors! The sign for colors is a good place to start, and then we could learn the names of some colors, like red, yellow, green, blue, or pink. Or we could learn the sign for rainbow or for paper.
My Signing Time also has several shows to help your kids learn about colors and coloring.
Color Train from our Mother Goose Club Toons series
Color Thief from Active Adventures Season 3
Los Colores from Basho & Friends
How to Color from Art Time at the TreeSchool
Rainbows from Rachel & Me
Box of Crayons from Classic Signing Time Season 2
Don’t let coloring get boring or forgotten at your house! Find a way to make coloring more exciting for your kids today!