Can three year old girls color neatly at all?

[Momma H]

I am trying to do the Rod and Staff Kindy books with my almost 4 year old. I picked those because she is pretty smart--she knows all her letter sounds and can count and do simple addition so I thought it would be better thant the really young kids stuff Rod and Staff has. I think the really young one is called Beginner Activities Set.

Well, she is a horrible colorer. She really does not want to do any coloring at all and just half heartedly does a couple of scribbles and is like, "done". It is pathetic! She is a girl and is supposed to love this stuff! The books say to do your best tidies work and be diligent. It is the opposite with her. Ideas anyone? What is up with my girl? Is she going to be a slob? I will say she is ADHD and was exposed to major drugs in utero (not from me! She's adopted)

Edited July 29, 2011 by Momma H
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[Momling]

It's a funny developmental leap when it happens. She may never like coloring, but at some point she'll be able to color in the lines. My guess is that it's a sign she's not ready for that kind of work. I'd set it aside for 6 months or so and try again later.

[----]

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[Colleen in NS]

I am trying to do the Rod and Staff Kindy books with my almost 4 year old. I picked those because she is pretty smart--she knows all her letter sounds and can count and do simple addition so I thought it would be better thant the really young kids stuff Rod and Staff has. I think the really young one is called Beginner Activities Set.

Well, she is a horrible colorer. She really does not want to do any coloring at all and just half heartedly does a couple of scribbles and is like, "done". It is pathetic! She is a girl and is supposed to love this stuff! The books say to do your best tidies work and be diligent. It is the opposite with her. Ideas anyone? What is up with my girl? Is she going to be a slob? I will say she is ADHD and was exposed to major drugs in utero (not from me! She's adopted)

 

Some kids like to colour, and some kids just don't. Colouring is just one way of developing finger coordination, but there are other ways to do so than colouring. I would not worry about a 3 year old's future as a slob. :) Just find some other activities she can do to develop her finger muscles.

 

Also, I love R&S math and grammar, but I do think that the instruction to "do your best and tidiest work, and be diligent" is typical of R&S publishers. And the instructions can be written in a way that would make a person, who's not always sure what she is doing with teaching (me), feel like she is not teaching/doing up to par or that my child is somehow failing a goal. Which is just not true.

 

So, no, I would not worry about your three year old not being able/taking interest in colouring those pages. Let her have fun, but don't pressure her to make it your (or R&S's) version of best/tidy/diligent. It's only ONE activity that can help teach those things. You can branch out and try different things that will develop finger muscles, tidiness, and diligence (basic chores come to mind).

 

hth

[Ellie]

You do know that R&S considers "preschool" to be anything before first grade? You're asking her to do something that R&S assumed would be done by dc who are 5 or 6yo.

 

IOW, she's way too young to (1) be doing much coloring within the lines, and (2) be expected to do anything like coloring "with diligence."

[...................]

Your dd is normal.

 

I found that the Rod and Staff workbooks were much much more effective when I waited until closer to *five.* Because Mennonite schools do not have Kindergarten, the term "preschool" for them means a 5-6 year old child. Therefore although your dd might know her letters, she is not developmentally ready for them.

 

They are such a treasure and *very* useful for teaching carefulness and diligence, so if you wait until just a few months before You are ready to start K, they will serve their purpose better.

 

On in the meantime, Before Five in a Row, and the Timberdoodle Toddler package may serve your dd better

 

:)

[cloversandlions]

My first dd hated coloring, and still does. A couple years ago, when we did some of the history pockets, she asked if she could draw the pictures instead. Why not? She did the work and more importantly, she enjoyed the lessons. My dd2 went through a phase where she liked to color, but of my three children, she was the only one who did. Personally, I don't like coloring books; dd2 only ever used them at places like the doctor's office or the gym, while we were waiting.

 

At 3yo, your dd will do much better with open-ended activities that allow her to explore her world - sensory stuff (finger paints, tearing paper, play-doh, etc.) will likely appeal to her more than a coloring page, and will encourage those fine motor skills and be a whole lot more fun. My sensory-seeking ds, and later, my younger dd, LOVED a large container of rice with various toys and tools in it - small cup, a car, a spoon, a funnel, little animal toys, etc.

 

Also: I loved to color when I was a kid, and I am both ADD and disorganized and...well, FlyLady has a plan for folks like me. :lol:

Edited July 29, 2011 by WorkInProgress

[Crimson Wife]

She is a girl and is supposed to love this stuff!

 

Not all girls are Little Miss Arts & Crafty types. More girls than boys I suspect enjoy doing coloring pages, but I've got a DD who never much cared for coloring and a boy who :001_wub: it.

[3peasinapod]

Same with DD4. She scribbles when she doesn't want to do it. She doesn't like coloring as much as her 2 older sisters. She made a jump one month a bit ago where she colors mostly within the lines. We are doing some fine motor control stuff, trying to draw simple animals and stuff. The things our other DDs did with ease, she has problems. She gets frustrated as it doesn't look like the picture I draw, but her fine motor skills just aren't developed yet. I think it's normal. :001_smile:

[FO4UR]

:iagree: She's still quite young for that.

 

To give some perspective, I was concerned when my oldest was 4yo b/c he didn't draw AT.ALL! Fast forward to 8yo...he's an amazing little artist. You would never guess now that he's the one who didn't draw a bit before about age 6.

 

Child development is a funny thing...kind of like the weather. There are patterns you can watch unfold in the long-view, but it's pretty unpredictable in the short term.

 

Relax. Enjoy her. Let her scribble.

[Momma H]

I can see what everyone is saying. Do you think that the younger books would be better. It says it is for 3 to 4 year olds and she is 4 in October.

 

I love the set, even though yes, I feel like a looser mom cause my kid is NOT neat and tidy. OK, I am really fine over all with where she is at. Like I said earlier she was exposed to the worst drugs there are and she is pretty darn smart. I think she may just be too ADHD to color just yet.

[rockermom]

I don't have any girls, but my son didn't really care for coloring (nor did he stay "in the lines") at almost 4. Two months into 4, however, and he suddenly loves to color and is staying (mostly) in the lines. :001_huh:

 

I have always let him learn and progress at his own pace without worrying too much about his coloring or writing abilities.

[lovintolearn]

My daughter (sample) loves to color. She was never a colorer until I introduced her to these books. They start off with an almost fully colored picture and a little circle to fill in. It's not overwhelming and the pages slowly become "harder" (more to color). Kumon's My First Book of Tracing is also a great one to work on the fine motor skills. If she is in the right mood, she'll focus on her coloring. If not, she scribbles to finish quickly.

Edited July 29, 2011 by lovintolearn

[crazyforlatin]

When DD was 3, she disliked coloring and when she did color, because the teacher told her to during one of those zoo classes, she would color outside the lines, not even trying to stay within them. Now, 3 years later, she loves to color and draw, but more of the latter and she does stay within the lines now. I really think kids go through their own stages and shouldn't be compared to anyone else.

[msk]

Another data point, for what it's worth: My 5.5yo girl just started coloring neatly inside the lines "automatically" (i.e., without seeming to pay any particular attention to doing so) in the last few months. I don't think I ever saw her do it at 3; at 4 she *could* do it but only with some effort (which she didn't normally feel like putting into it). Her drawings suddenly became much more organized and recognizable in the months after her 5th birthday (again, I'm talking about casual drawing, not the occasional ones she put a lot of effort into).

 

We've never really emphasized coloring as a skill, so all this has been what she felt like doing rather than something we asked her to do. That and the suddenness with which it happened makes me think it's more of a developmental thing, and in my (admittedly tiny) experience it sounds like your daughter is perfectly normal. This may be one of those things you can either devote lots of effort to now, or let happen effortlessly in a couple of years, depending on your family's goals.

[parias1126]

I am not sure how the two relate, but my children who knew all their letter sounds, etc and even began reading by the age of 4, could not color in the lines. My DS who is 4 is nothing like his brother and sisters. I have been very concerned because he doesn't know his letter sounds and can not identify his numbers or letters. I have started working more with him at home and he has started coloring in some of the workbooks we have. I almost fell out of my chair last week when I saw his coloring. He is so particular and colors in such short strokes. He doesn't ever go out of the lines and if he does, it frustrates him and he wants to start over. He colors better than my DD who is 8.

[parias1126]

My daughter (sample) loves to color. She was never a colorer until I introduced her to these books. They start off with an almost fully colored picture and a little circle to fill in. It's not overwhelming and the pages slowly become "harder" (more to color). Kumon's My First Book of Tracing is also a great one to work on the fine motor skills. If she is in the right mood, she'll focus on her coloring. If not, she scribbles to finish quickly.

What book are those coloring pages from? My DS would love those! I love the way you have hung all her work with clothespins on the wall. That is an awesome idea and it also shows your DC how proud you are. Thank you for the idea! I have wall space to cover in our schoolroom and this will work perfectly.

[wapiti]

FWIW, age-appropriate expectations issue aside, I never colored inside the lines (I remember getting in trouble for it in K). Um... it didn't stop me from being successful. Except for situations where an older child has issues that warrant evaluation (such as fine motor or vision), I wouldn't give it another thought. Ever.

[LittleIzumi]

My 3-year-old CAN color in the lines, but she does NOT like it. She usually refuses to color at all. She will, in her own words, "scribble" instead, in the general area. I have seen her color in the lines nearly perfectly in the lines on the rare occasion that she chooses to. Generally she dislikes coloring. She does not do ANY of the coloring in her MFW K. She will even write the number itself instead of drawing the number of objects, or write the word (asking me how to spell it) instead of drawing a picture of the thing.

 

Honestly, I think she thinks coloring takes too long & is pointless. When she does color, she takes a long time to color it in exactly, and then gets bored & scribbles the rest anyway.

[LittleIzumi]

Plus, you'll find that academic ability does NOT necessarily keep pace with gross or fine motor skills. A lot of kids can do the math long before they can write the numbers, for instance.

[nmoira]

 

Well, she is a horrible colorer. She really does not want to do any coloring at all and just half heartedly does a couple of scribbles and is like, "done". It is pathetic! She is a girl and is supposed to love this stuff!

She sounds perfectly normal. FWIW, colouring, inside the lines or out, is something I didn't push or even mention casually. We're an art supplies and blank paper kind of family.

[wapiti]

Plus, you'll find that academic ability does NOT necessarily keep pace with gross or fine motor skills. A lot of kids can do the math long before they can write the numbers, for instance.

 

By the way, I thought of you at Target yesterday (or at least I think it was you) - I got some dotted number stamps for $2.50 (in the dollar-bins by the front).

[SnMomof7]

Well, my 8-year-old hates coloring, but she can do it very well. My 5-year-old started coloring brilliantly around five months ago. My 3-year-old scribbles a tiny bit on a coloring page, she's done.

 

Sounds normal to me :).

[lovintolearn]

What book are those coloring pages from? My DS would love those! I love the way you have hung all her work with clothespins on the wall. That is an awesome idea and it also shows your DC how proud you are. Thank you for the idea! I have wall space to cover in our schoolroom and this will work perfectly.

 

This is the activity book from All about Reading Pre-Level 1. It comes in the student activity pack and I think? it may eventually be sold separately. Now I'm off to figure out where all my clothespins went for the laundry :D

[Tarreymere]

I have had only one girl who liked to color and was neat about it. The other three that I raised from birth were like your daughter. My almost eight year old still can't color in the lines and hates to color. She loves to draw, though.

[CalicoKat]

I am trying to do the Rod and Staff Kindy books with my almost 4 year old. I picked those because she is pretty smart--she knows all her letter sounds and can count and do simple addition so I thought it would be better thant the really young kids stuff Rod and Staff has. I think the really young one is called Beginner Activities Set.

Well, she is a horrible colorer. She really does not want to do any coloring at all and just half heartedly does a couple of scribbles and is like, "done". It is pathetic! She is a girl and is supposed to love this stuff! The books say to do your best tidies work and be diligent. It is the opposite with her. Ideas anyone? What is up with my girl? Is she going to be a slob? I will say she is ADHD and was exposed to major drugs in utero (not from me! She's adopted)

 

Your daughter may never enjoy coloring. Only one of my daughters love it and she is the only one diagnosed ADHD! So I think it's more a personal preference than anything.

 

Do you model coloring in the lines for her? Can she do it at all, even a teeny tiny bit? Then I wouldn't stress. I'd spend more time worrying about being able to draw a shapes and write her name.

 

Your daughter is her own person.