How To Make Drawing Fun and Exciting For Your Kids

Drawing is one of the kids’ favorite activities, anything and everything can be their sketch pad.

As a kid, I love to draw on everything including the walls. I couldn’t understand why my mom wasn’t proud of my art pieces though. The walls needed decorations.

Now that I’m a mom of 3 boys and after a couple of ‘decorated’ walls, we have a rule that crayons and color pencils do not leave the table.

There are many reasons why it is good to allow our kids to spend their time drawing. I have seen how proud and delighted they looked when they successfully drew a Marvel character, although it looked like Captain America had not been working out for a year. Letting them explore their creativity also gives me time to focus on my work.

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Here are 5 reasons why you should introduce drawing to your toddler:

Improves Concentration

When your kid is focused on drawing something, he is learning the art of concentration. Drawing straight lines, applying the right colors, and coloring within the lines is part of the process. This art of concentration can be applied to their academic studies in the future too.

Makes Kids More Expressive

When kids are allowed to draw freely, they are exploring their thoughts and creativity. Art is a great form of expressing one’s emotions and feelings, and through art, we can get insights into understanding our kids better.

Develops Fine Motor Skills

It is highly recommended for you to cultivate drawing in your children from a young age. Drawing improves your child’s hand-eye coordination and other motor skills like grasping and holding. It is important for hand-eye coordination as their activities will get more complicated, such as playing sports.

Improves Problem Solving Skills

Drawing requires your kids to make multiple decisions at any one time. Should the hands be holding something? What color should the suit be? What happens if the line is too long? All these questions allow your kids to think of the solutions from different angles, and to make a decision on the one they think is best.

Improves Memory

A study found that teenagers can remember better than their peers when they draw mindmaps. They can recall by nearly double. Drawing helps to create a visual memory in the mind and allow your child to remember information longer.

How I Got Them Started on Drawing

When my boys were able to hold a pencil, I introduced the magnetic board for them to doodle. Up till now, though they are way past the toddler stage, they still enjoy doodling on it. They went on to doodle on papers (not forgetting furniture, and walls) as they grew older.

Honestly speaking, I am less of a crafty mom. Give me a 2000 words assignment I can finish it in 2 hours, give me some cardboard to make them into spacecraft, that’s beyond me. I’ve no idea where to start cutting even with those YouTube videos.

Due to COVID-19, we have been staying at home for nearly 3 months. Initially, I was worried that the boys will have difficulties adapting, but I was so glad that they have good coping mechanisms. One of the many things I’ve learned is that my second boy has a strong interest in drawing. He has since learned to draw many characters from the YouTube videos.

P.S. There is a difference between doodling and drawing. When you doodle, you are drawing aimlessly. You don’t have to create an accurate drawing that communicates well and it can come in any form of shapes, sizes, and lines. Drawing is a work of visual art that involves observation, analyzing, and planning the lines and marks.

Drawing Tools We Use

I love to shop at stationery stores, I have a weakness for anything colorful. From markers to water paints, and these have been keeping the boys very much occupied. I have so much coloring tools that my husband always calls my drawer a Picasso pocket.

One of my all-time favorites is Crayola’s markers. Parents love them because they don’t cause a mess, kids love them because of their wide range of colors, and easy to use.

They have washable paint, washable markers, washable gel pens, washable everything. They make great art tools for kids and adults. When we go on our vacations or having a family meal at a restaurant, there is one thing they cannot go without. And that is Crayola Super Tips Washable Markets and Paper Set.

It is very thoughtful of Crayola to add a compartment for 40 sheets of drawing sheets too! Best of all, I don’t have to worry about them staring at the phones while waiting for the food to arrive. They get to engage in conversations with their grandparents, and they get to explain their thoughts on their drawings. It boosts their confidence to engage naturally with others, and it strengthens the relationship between their grandparents and them.

There is one thing that caught my attention. It’s not often seen in Singapore and it’s made in the USA.

Do.A.Dot Art! is another form of art that brings out the curiosity in kids. There are 2 types to the dot markers. Original and the fruit-scented. I got the original ones, and oh my doodle, my boys are in love with them. It’s a different experience because they are used to drawing lines and shades. With Do.A.Dot Art! markers, you create shapes by dots. It’s a great activity for everyone of all ages, especially do this stay-home period, even I had so much fun with the boys.

The wonderful part about these dot markers is that they do not leave a mess. The paint does not overflow and you don’t have to squeeze the bottles too hard to get the paint out. You no longer have to worry about messy hands and painted sofas.

The feeling of holding bottles to make art is different from that of crayons, markers, and color pens. The bottles are also well designed that it allows young kids to hold them comfortably and firmly.

An Activity You Can Never Be Too Old For

Drawing has been one great way of creating impromptu family activities for us, it can be inexpensive and believe it or not, environmentally friendly. We have been reusing cardboards, reducing the usage of papers, and recycling some items that can be added onto their art pieces.

So, let your imaginations and creations run wild when you draw and doodle. You will be amazed by the creativity of your kids, and be entertained by their funny stories. It is a fun-filled activity for everyone!

Share the joy of drawing with your friends by clicking on the share buttons. Don’t forget to leave your comments about how much drawing has been fun for you and your family too!