coloring 101

[MeganW]

It has become obvious that despite an unbelievable amount of practice, my kids are never going to become good at coloring without some more direct instruction.

 

I'm having a hard time figuring out how to teach something that seems so intuitive, though. Apparently everyone else thinks it's intuitive as well, b/c there is very little on the internet about how to teach coloring.

 

If you had to teach coloring to someone who had the basic fine motor skills, how would you break it down? Tricky parts? Covering large areas neatly?

 

PS - yes, I know not everyone agrees that coloring is important, but I do and I'd really like them to get the hang of it, so please don't bother responding if you are just going to say it isn't important. Plus, the kids are annoyed that they spend so long getting their drawings just the way they want them, then the coloring screws it up.

[MomatHWTK]

Believe it or not, I had to take an interior design class in college and the very first thing we learned how to do was color. I did not do well either! There is a technique to applying pressure evenly, going one direction only and stopping at the edges. You are also supposed to color very lightly and just go over the area several times to get the correct shade rather than pressing heavily.

 

To blend colors you are to go one direction only then cross hatch it with the opposing color, etc. There are all kinds of little tricks which I can't remember and have no idea where you would find. But- it is an "interior design" topic, or was 25 years or so ago.

 

For more tips you can google using colored pencils, a lot of the techniques will be tranferable to crayons.

 

Wow- there's even a YouTube video. LOL

http://www.ehow.com/video_5996015_smooth-look-prismacolor-colored-pencils.html

Edited January 27, 2012 by MomatHWTK

[MeganW]

Believe it or not, I had to take an interior design class in college and the very first thing we learned how to do was color. I did not do well either! There is a technique to applying pressure evenly, going one direction only and stopping at the edges. To blend colors you are to go one direction only then cross hatch it with the opposing color, etc. There are all kinds of little tricks which I can't remember and have no idea where you would find. But- it is an "interior design" topic, or was 25 years or so ago.

 

Thank you thank you! It's a lead - I'll take it! Off to google "interior design coloring"!

[MomatHWTK]

Try here too:

http://artmakeskidssmart.blogspot.com/2011/10/year-of-color-crayon.html

 

Now I want to get out the kid's crayons and play. :001_smile:

[Paige]

Kumon has a series of preschool coloring books. It starts with Let's Color and then goes on to something like My First Coloring Book. It's like the other Kumon books in that it teaches the kids skills in a very incremental way.

[ErinE]

I was taught coloring in middle school. I had a social studies teacher who couldn't stand sloppy maps so she spent some time making sure we were coloring correctly. For school work, I'm pretty firm that the kids must color neatly.

 

MomatHWTK has given you great advice. I would add to keep a close watch on their grip, making sure they are holding the pencil lightly. Also, they shouldn't move their hand much, most of the coloring motion should come from their wrist. It may take some time to build up to coloring large areas. Coloring this way requires lots of fine motor skills. My son is always shaking his hand after working on maps.

[boscopup]

FWIW, my 7 year old has just this year started coloring neatly. I think it was just developmental for him. I'd taught him about staying in the lines and showed him how to go back and forth, gradually moving one direction. He just didn't get it. Now he's starting to a little bit. I wouldn't say it's completely "neat", but it's a lot better. My 5 year old, who has better fine motor skills, now colors a whole object, but doesn't always stay in the lines. He's getting there. When I took him through R&S ABC series at age 4 (that series encourages neat coloring), he wasn't ready to color in the lines yet, and he certainly wasn't ready to do the outline in a darker color and then lightly shade the interior like they're teaching in R&S. I don't think my oldest is ready for that yet. :tongue_smilie:

[Mommee & Baba]

I'm gonna say that in time it'll come. Atleast that's what I'm hoping will happen. :lol:

 

My ds3 doesn't like to color much at ALL! A few scribbles and he's done. But give that boy a glitter glue stick and he goes to town like nobody's business!

 

My dd6.5 doesn't mind coloring at all. She will sit and color during her school lessons that have a coloring sheet. As sweet and calm as a peach she'll sit and color. To my surprise she colors UGLY though. :001_huh: That's just terrible to admit! I mean she colors skin tones correctly. When it comes to coloring boats, jackets, houses, and such things she puts on some crazy color combo's. It's ugly. There I said it! :glare: My dh has seen alot of her colorings and just looks at me like I'm a crazy mom for even saying how nice it is...:lol:

 

My dd8.5 colors beautifully! She's always been a coloring kid. She will draw, paint, anything artsy and crafty she's on top of it! She puts the time and effort into everything she works on when it comes to anything art related. When she colors a page she stays in the lines, will even add extra realistic details to the picture and colors the picture with colors you'd see in a photograph. She will even use a marker or colored pencil to outline something and shade it in with the same color but lighter to make the picture really POP.

 

I know this isn't fair to judge all my kids on their ability, but I'm posting all this to say that my dd8.5 use to scribble and color outside the lines and within the past few years she's really picked up on her neatness of it. I don't know if this is because she's more art influenced or not. Even though my dd6.5 colors ugly, she stays in the lines a fair amount.