how to encourage coloring/writing in 3.5yo

[hollyh]

My son has no interest in writing, coloring, using markers, etc. He has never colored anything more than a couple scribbles at all. I know he is a boy, and therefore more active, but I'm just wondering if there is anything I can do to encourage him in that direction- at least a little bit. Don't get me wrong, I am not wanting him to sit at a little desk and write letters or something. I am just starting to get a bit concerned as my oldest dd was writing words by this point and his twin can sit forever and color- yet he has no interest in even holding a pencil. I'm assuming the hive is going to tell me this is normal for boys and all.. but wanted to throw it out there and see what people said.

[violamama]

Pretty normal, you're right, but you can still encourage it. Sidewalk chalk, paint (and anything with water!), dry erase, all interested my boys more than writing at first. The elder kid writing words by that point was the unusual one, but it sounds like you know that.

[kubiac]

Maybe let him write on something "naughty" like writing on a wall somehow in a safe way? (Bathtubs? Sidewalks?)

[Arboreal TJ]

Bathtub crayons!

 

I have twin DS, now 6, they didn't care to color either. Both were riding a bike without training wheels at 3, they will do whatever they want to do without regard to what I "think" they should be doing. They still don't write much but they LOVE to paint!

[throughpagesandfields]

Mine's the same. But he loves stickers - so I use them kinda as a transition. He does like to paint sometimes. He also likes to try to use scissors. There are some "early learning" books I got off amazon - an abc, animal and number one. They were basically just a toy gift because I thought they were mostly stickers.... but there's something about the interactive format that my son wanted to do more. I actually think going to storytime has helped him start getting itnerested. There are lots of little girls - and they're all SOOO excited about the craft portion that it's made him reluctantly start getting interested in coloring, pasting, that kind of thing.

 

I was worrying about it because I wanted him to work on his mobility/dexterity, fine hand skills... But I gotta say I think boys (and my son) are just different sometimes. I've mostly given up stressing about it and instead we go to gymnastics. :) I think getting these busy little boys back into their bodies in whatever way works is great.

 

I plan on doing LOTS of messy, messy outdoor crafty things this spring/summer and am hoping that helps.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Maybe just wait on it and encourage some other fine motor skills- bead stringing, scissors...

[Alessandra]

Shaving cream -- spray on a cookie sheet or bathroom wall. Most kids can't resist scribbling in it.

 

And, as Monica said, encourage other fine motor skills -- play doh, large legos, etc.

[garddwr]

Crayola makes nice window markers--we like the Crystal Effects version.

 

Model it for him and do it with him. Show him how much fun you're having.

[JFSinIL]

Playdough, Duplos, all sorts of activities to encourage fine motor development in addition to the ideas above.

If he does not like finger paint, etc. - may be a sensory issue. Some kids don't like the feel of stuff on their hands.

[AimeeM]

My 3.5 year old HATES anything on his hands - so shaving cream, finger paint, etc wouldn't work for him.

What DID work for him? The white board. I'm not sure what it is about that thing, but as soon as I moved him away from the workbook and onto the whiteboard, he's making progress and very much enjoys it.

Oh, and mine isn't a child who enjoys coloring - at all. I gave up on that.

[longnightmoon]

Magnadoodle.

[Nart]

My oldest son who just turned 6 disliked anything art or fine motor related at 3 and 4. He didn't like play-do, coloring, cutting, drawing, playing with shaving cream, etc. He loved any and all gross motor activities. If we gave him any ball he was thrilled to play for hours -kicking, throwing, catching, running and jumping. He switched back between his left and right hand until just before he turned 5 when we knew for sure he was a lefty. At 5 I started worrying and then made him do Kumon preschool books. He did all of the upper case letter, lower case letter, number, writing word books, cutting, pasting. There is plenty of practice in those. By 6 his fine motor skills are good. Last night he sat and colored in a coloring book. Earlier in the day he wrote 8 sentences in All About Spelling with nice printing. So I wouldn't worry about it. Some kids don't like fine motor activities at 3 and 4.

[Lara in Colo]

I would color with them. I like coloring and would buy myself the HUGE crayon box and just sit and color. I would invite them to sit with me and we would talk and color. After a while, they would join in and color for themselves. They learned new techniques from me and it ended up being a wonderful, relaxing, bonding time.

 

Now that they are older, they like to color and we still keep coloring books in the house (youngest is almost 8), now everyday during reading aloud time, or Bible time--- they color--- it keeps them listening to me and they don't get up and play with the cat or something else distracting.

[momtoamiracle]

Didn't read all responses but my son was the same way. I would provide stuff but had little interest As he got older that changed. He began with sidewalk chalk, then paints, then markers. At age five he began to draw amazingly well. Just the year before he would barely scribble. I can't believe the stuff he can draw now.

 

 

For my son, coloring is boring. He would rather draw it, than color it in. You just never know where a child's aptitude is.

[MrsBasil]

Here's some things that have worked for in one way or another. My son is 4, so this is very much a work in progress.

 

Painting with a variety of brushes

Window markers have been a huge hit.

Magnadoodles

Paint programs on a tablet

Color Wonder with the metallic finish

White board

A dry erase tracing book I found at Sam's

The Crayola dry erase lapboard

Coloring the page with him

Letting him look at the computer screen and choose a page to print and color

 

And just today....finding an old red crayon that colors ON the couch, chair, ottoman, entertainment center, and wall.

 

Buy everything washable!

[Tracy]

My dd is almost 8yo and only in the last year has she been interested in coloring. My ds just turned 5yo and will occasionally color. I think this is very normal, and 3yo is very early to be worried about it. When my dd was that age, she loved stickers and scissors. I gave her a skein of yard that she could cut to her heart's content, and for a year, I had little bits of yarn all over the house.

[blondeviolin]

White boards are HUGE hits here. We also have a sliding glass door on which they can use dry erase markers. We also recently got some crayon rocks and they have been loved by all of my kids.

[hollyh]

Thank you for all the ideas. I will definitely start utilizing them! :)

[NASDAQ]

My four-year-old boy loves mazes.

[duckens]

Ask him what he wants to color.

 

My 2yo has limited interest in coloring. We DO have coloring books, crayons, markers, etc in the house and readily available.

 

But

 

What she likes is when I ask her, "What do you want to color?" If it is a rabbit, I type into Google: "Rabbit free coloring pages". I let her pick which one she wants to color, copy + paste to powerpoint (and adjust for size), and print. She can't wait until it comes out of the printer, and she always colors more intently if it is something she picked out.

 

Color with him/her.

 

I have babysat dozens and dozens of kids. Some like to color. Some do not. Coloring with the child does make a difference in their interest level.

 

Wait until your child turns 6.

 

Some kids are just not interested in coloring at a preschool age. Dd6 never was. However, she has the most beautiful handwriting you've ever seen a 6yo write. Don't despair; there are other ways to develop fine motor skills.

[songsparrow]

If you want to work on letters and numbers with him, consider Montessori-style sandpaper letters that he can trace with his fingers.

 

Or dip the wheels of a little car in paint and have him drive around the shape of the letter, as if it were the road.

[sewingmama]

Don't fret too much. All three of mine were like that at 3.5 but they could all write their name at 4.

 

My current 3.5 yo has been the worst - he has no clue even how to hold a pencil in a fist grip and only recently started making marks on the paper because he couldn't figure out how to press hard enough. Before that he always asked me to colour for him.

 

It is good to encourage them -the more practice they have at it the quicker they will get the skills.

 

The reason that I say don't fret too much....my DD who has had the most practice and done the most colouring and crafting and cutting has terrible handwriting.....my DS 5 who was never interested in crafting or colouring has lovely, neat writing for his age and my DS 3.5 who only 3 weeks ago made his first marks on paper wrote his name today using a chalkboard and a big, thick peice of chalk. So practice is not necessarily an indicator of what their later ability will be.

 

 

[Elfknitter.#]

My 7.5 yo HATES to color. My brother was the same. (FWIW, their birthdays are 4 days apart.) My brother's kinder teacher (whose background was in Art) almost referred my brother to special ed simply because he wasn't a craft oriented kid. Smh.

 

Time and slow introduction worked here with ds. I tried all the other ideas like shaving cream, drawing in the air, etc. it worked some, but it just doesn't interest him. We're loosely trying Draw Write Now. He's finally come around to trying drawing, but still won't color much. I consider it a good day if he uses three colors.

 

My advice: try some of these ideas but don't fret if he doesn't come around. He might later on.