Good Conversations Over Paper and Crayons

by Alicia
(Delaware, USA)

This site really taps into the reasons why I color with my kids. My kids are 12, 8 and 7, and they all enjoy coloring and drawing in general. Even the 12 year old. Sometimes we use pre-printed pages and other times plain paper. When I color with them it's a source of relaxation for all of us. But what I love most about it is that it fosters relaxed conversation.

We can be silly or serious. Sitting on the floor, or at the kitchen table, or even outside at the picnic table, we can just hang out while we color. There is no TV, no video games, no distractions. Just us, some crayons and paper.

Coloring together has made some topics easier to broach because the kids are relaxed and focused when they color. Asking the kids what they're drawing is also a great way to get them to share their thoughts about things that they may not talk about otherwise.

Doing the hidden picture pages together is always a lot of fun too. :)