Beyond Coloring!

Judy Benz Duncan, Occupational Therapist

TheraPlay4Kids.com

Taking a typical activity, like coloring, and turning it into a whole new experience is a great way to improve attention, focus, and participation by your child. Change up the way an “old hat” activity is presented and make it more fun, while promoting increased activity, gross motor development along with fine motor and cognitive skills!

For children who have difficulties with change and transition, this is a familiar activity that also lets your child experience change and variety to their routine. When working with children with sensory processing issues, autism, ADDHD, or other developmental concerns, I tried to bring change and variety to each session – following are several suggestions for using crayons that you may like to give a try.

Make the activity a positive experience (if it takes 5 minutes to just do one, then stick with only 2 or 3 total crayons; modify the activity distance and rules to fit your child’s ability).

Check out the Awards and Effort Certificates on TheraPlay4Kids.com to print out and use!

Ideas follow picture - keep scrolling>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

TheraPlay4Kids.com

Make a Box where you can put 5-10 crayons in it, and where you can cut a “hole” to reach in and grab a crayon
Have your child:

o Reach in to grab one crayon, then color or mark with whatever color comes out

o You can keep that color out or toss it back in – make a game of wondering what color they think will come out next, or if the same color will come out again

o Play along, and reach in and grab your own color and either mark on your own paper or share coloring on the same sheet of paper

o Time how fast they can pull out a color (5 to 10 times in a row) and make a mark, circle, or color in a “spot”

o Draw out a big flower, for example, with 10 or more petals on it – have your child pull out one color as fast as they can and color in one petal, then reach in for the next color and so on until all petals are colored (each petal will be different so do not toss the crayons back in once used)

o Try pulling out 2 or 3 crayons and “tie” them together with a rubber band or masking tape to make marks or draw with all colors at once – this make for a bigger marker for little hands to hold on to, and it is fun to color this way besides! Have them make loops, circles, and swirly marks with the multiple colors.

o If you have a box of 12 or 16 crayons, have a timed race to see how fast your child can take them out of the box one at a time, AND then put them back into the box one at a time. There is no good or bad time – celebrate the fun and ability to complete the task.

Keep scrolling down for more ideas below the next picture >>>>>>>>>>>>

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2. Hide 5-10 different crayons around the house for a scavenger hunt for the different colors

o You may want to make a colored mark on a sheet of paper so that when your child finds that specific color they can match it up, or make another mark alongside

o See how fast they can locate all the crayons and match to the color sheet

o Have them call out the color as they find it

TheraPlay4Kids.com

3. Shuttle-cock game with crayons – have a box (shoe box, cigar box, Tupperware type box) with 5 -20 different colored crayons in it

o Put the box on one side of the room, or even in another room; have a piece of paper to draw on or mark on a distance away

o Have your child run from the sheet of paper to the box and grab a color without looking, then run back to the paper to make a colored mark or scribble

o Have them call out the color as they make their marks

o Run back and forth until all colors are used

o Time how long it takes to do 1 or to do all – make it a positive experience (if it takes 5 minutes to just do one, then stick with only 2 crayons)

o You can change up the activity by having your child skip, jump, walk backwards, walk sideways, and the like if they are able

Keep going - more below! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

TheraPlay4Kids.com

4. Color in different areas of the house

If your child only wants to color in one spot, at one table, at only certain times, then change it up. Change the sameness in some way, even if you have to start with moving the area or place an inch or two at a time – make each time different in some way as you are working on increasing their comfort zone with change and transition. Start slow and make slow changes.

o Sit on the floor to color

o Lay on the floor

o Sit outside

o Color in a make-shift tent

o Only use certain colors

o Break the crayons and color with broken pieces

o Dump all the crayons out into a pile to pick from

o Color kneeling at a low table

o Color laying over a ball, bolster, or big cushion

o Tape paper under a table and have them color on their back reaching up above their head

o Change the situation, break up the sameness, introduce variety and change regularly

o Use markers, pens, colored pencils instead of crayons or mix them up for a variety to choose from

More below! Can you believe all the different ways to use a crayon!!!

5. Create a messy page activity where your child makes big giant scribbles of color all over the page until you end up with a color collage of sorts;

o If there are issues with crossing midline or even letting another color touch another color, then make a few outlines and grids that they can scribble right over

o Get excited over the mess of it all!

o Frame a few of the creative mess!

o Use brown wrapping paper from a roll that you can run a length along the floor or taped low on the wall to make a larger area to work on and to crawl over

o Roll them up in their wrapping paper creation and let them unroll themselves

o With larger pieces of paper to work on, they can work in kneeling, knees & one hand while coloring, or laying right on the paper

Feel free to share with credit to TheraPlay4Kids.com

Keep Scrolling for more! >>>>>>>>>>

o If you have a pretty solid sheet of color (like the picture above) cut out big pieces (squares, triangles, rectangles) and then turn into a puzzle for your child to put back together - make the pieces big enough for good success, even if there is only 4 pieces to the puzzle!

Keep “Changing it Up!” and adding variety to the way an activity is presented and this will help your child learn to live with and adjust to change on a daily basis!

Good luck! Share your ideas and experience!

Feel free to share with credit to TheraPlay4Kids.com

Beyond Coloring!

Make the activity a positive experience (if it takes 5 minutes to just do one, then stick with only 2 or 3 total crayons; modify the activity distance and rules to fit your child’s ability).

Check out the Awards and Effort Certificates on TheraPlay4Kids.com to print out and use!

Ideas follow picture - keep scrolling>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Make a Box where you can put 5-10 crayons in it, and where you can cut a “hole” to reach in and grab a crayon

Have your child:

o Reach in to grab one crayon, then color or mark with whatever color comes out

o You can keep that color out or toss it back in – make a game of wondering what color they think will come out next, or if the same color will come out again

o Play along, and reach in and grab your own color and either mark on your own paper or share coloring on the same sheet of paper

o Time how fast they can pull out a color (5 to 10 times in a row) and make a mark, circle, or color in a “spot”

o Draw out a big flower, for example, with 10 or more petals on it – have your child pull out one color as fast as they can and color in one petal, then reach in for the next color and so on until all petals are colored (each petal will be different so do not toss the crayons back in once used)

o If you have a box of 12 or 16 crayons, have a timed race to see how fast your child can take them out of the box one at a time, AND then put them back into the box one at a time. There is no good or bad time – celebrate the fun and ability to complete the task.

Keep scrolling down for more ideas below the next picture >>>>>>>>>>>>

2. Hide 5-10 different crayons around the house for a scavenger hunt for the different colors

o You may want to make a colored mark on a sheet of paper so that when your child finds that specific color they can match it up, or make another mark alongside

o See how fast they can locate all the crayons and match to the color sheet

o Have them call out the color as they find it

3. Shuttle-cock game with crayons – have a box (shoe box, cigar box, Tupperware type box) with 5 -20 different colored crayons in it

o Put the box on one side of the room, or even in another room; have a piece of paper to draw on or mark on a distance away

o Have your child run from the sheet of paper to the box and grab a color without looking, then run back to the paper to make a colored mark or scribble

o Have them call out the color as they make their marks

o Run back and forth until all colors are used

o Time how long it takes to do 1 or to do all – make it a positive experience (if it takes 5 minutes to just do one, then stick with only 2 crayons)

o You can change up the activity by having your child skip, jump, walk backwards, walk sideways, and the like if they are able

Keep going - more below! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

4. Color in different areas of the house

o Sit on the floor to color

o Lay on the floor

o Sit outside

o Color in a make-shift tent

o Only use certain colors

o Break the crayons and color with broken pieces

o Dump all the crayons out into a pile to pick from

o Color kneeling at a low table

o Color laying over a ball, bolster, or big cushion

o Tape paper under a table and have them color on their back reaching up above their head

o Change the situation, break up the sameness, introduce variety and change regularly

o Use markers, pens, colored pencils instead of crayons or mix them up for a variety to choose from

More below! Can you believe all the different ways to use a crayon!!!

5. Create a messy page activity where your child makes big giant scribbles of color all over the page until you end up with a color collage of sorts;

o If there are issues with crossing midline or even letting another color touch another color, then make a few outlines and grids that they can scribble right over

o Get excited over the mess of it all!

o Frame a few of the creative mess!

o Use brown wrapping paper from a roll that you can run a length along the floor or taped low on the wall to make a larger area to work on and to crawl over

o Roll them up in their wrapping paper creation and let them unroll themselves

o With larger pieces of paper to work on, they can work in kneeling, knees & one hand while coloring, or laying right on the paper

Feel free to share with credit to TheraPlay4Kids.com

Keep Scrolling for more! >>>>>>>>>>

o If you have a pretty solid sheet of color (like the picture above) cut out big pieces (squares, triangles, rectangles) and then turn into a puzzle for your child to put back together - make the pieces big enough for good success, even if there is only 4 pieces to the puzzle!

Keep “Changing it Up!” and adding variety to the way an activity is presented and this will help your child learn to live with and adjust to change on a daily basis!

Good luck! Share your ideas and experience!

Feel free to share with credit to TheraPlay4Kids.com