Coloring, a Time Honored Kid Meditation
Entertaining the older grandchild, between the ages of 8 and 12, is often a challenge. I would like to suggest that you don't overlook the allure of coloring. Coloring is an activity that all adults who supervise children fall back on occasionally to "keep them busy". Although it is not terribly creative, it does hone small motor skills, and serves the purpose of being an easy activity to begin and stop doing on a moment's notice. An added benefit to this activity is that the repetitiveness of coloring seems to soothe kids. Like in meditation, coloring puts one "in the moment" and, as a result, is very relaxing. Family restaurants caught on to this effect long ago, and often have a jar of crayons and a place mat to color on the table. I have even, on occasion, set my high school ESL kids to coloring materials for language activities (gasp!) and I find that coloring calms even the wildest, for at least a while. The problem is to find something that an older child can color which is sophisticated enough so that the child doesn't feel foolish in the process. The answer is close at hand. Carlton Hibbert, a U.K. illustrator, has shared a portion of his gift by creating a blog with free designs to color. This is just the kind of coloring material that would engage an older grandchild, and Carlton makes it even more interesting by challenging the reader to send him finished products for possible display on this blog. I suspect that many adults use his designs for a coloring meditation on occasion. You can access Mr. Hibbert's blog by clicking here. Enjoy!
For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living .
For more on Enlightened Grandparenting visit Nona Nita's Nook
and click My Path Productions for ideas that support conscious living .
I really like your blog and posts, there are lot of topics to discuss when we are talking about family matters....We most never forget that the family is important, keep up the good writing...
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Dear Nona,
The lost art of coloring is back. Crayola has some great new products even for small hands. I always loved coloring with my children. And doesn't anyone wonder why adults doodle? It's their yearning to color and draw.
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