When is the
time to introduce them to the colourful world?
Sound and sight delight newborns. Their sense of smell
is acute and hence they identify so well with their
care giver. This is when stimulation is high to touch,
seeing and hearing and this is our best chance to
slowly expose the child to life's pleasures. It is
a very surprising fact, that children have sound logics.
Many times they identify items by way of color, shape
and size. The smile and the twinkle in the eye on
seeing a colourful object is their way of recognizing
things and a sure reason to mark a milestone.
When
we buy a rattle for a child, they are intrigued by
the color and sound of it. Flying objects like a silly
cloth hanging on the clothesline attracts their attention
and they are often found squealing at the curtain
or moving colourful items. Once the motor skills are
achieved, probably by the age of two, it is the
best time to introduce them to the colourful world.
Invest
in a good clay set for starters and let them play
with the same. Make a snail and snake and they will
love/imitate the same. Appreciate surely. Teach them
the basic color like red, blue, green, yellow, white
and black. Buy a thick crayon stick and let them hold
the same for an entire day. Anything novel is a fancy
item. Slowly introduce the paper and let them do what
they want with it.
The
next week is exciting for both of you. Give them a
crayon and demonstrate how to hold the same. Take
a paper and scribble, doodle or draw a huge circle.
They sure are amazed at the wonder. Encourage them
to mimic the activity. Many kids may not be particularly
fond of your coloring themes and for starters they
may shred the paper or want to break the crayon. Use
safe colors and please supervise to avoid accidental
swallowing.
One
need not be a painter or blessed with a artistic bone
to teach the child to color. Invest your time and
be with the child. Toddlers have keen interest in
colors. Water colors are best for holiday recreation.
Get to a family 'painting Sunday' in the garden and
have your breakfast along with coloring. Each person
needs to color a picture. Ready pictures are available
in animal prints, vehicles, body parts and cute daily
life activities.
Make
a garden, a mountain, river with boats, fishes and
a wide mouthed crocodile. Draw a star, sing a rhyme
on astronomy and let your child color all the pictures.
Clap hard and praise well ignoring the mess. Draw
an edge for them near the outline and tell them to
color the hair in black, brown or golden. They will
slowly become independent and present you a colored
picture for approval.
Outline
alphabets, balls, houses, blocks and get them to know
about magenta, turquoise and ash blue. Mix colors
for them. Teach them to count and recognize words
but end the revisions with coloring.
The
best time to make wise use of colors is during festivals.
Halloween coloring pagesand
pumpkin carving using pumpkin stencils is the best
way to enter the world of colors. Children can also
learn cake decorating ideas, painting ideas and other
coloring ways by exploring their creativity and thoughts.
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