For my daughter and I, coloring is a calming activity to spend quality time together, but there are more ways to have fun with coloring books than just coloring.
I will share five ways we get creative with coloring pages.
Outline picture with colored glue
Add some tempera paint to a liquid glue bottle and stir it into the glue. Trace the outline of the pictures with the colored glue. Once the colored glue is dry, fill in the rest of the picture with crayons or colored pencils to create a contrast.
Pour a layer of glue over the coloring page. Sprinkle items such as fennel, lentils, rice, or grains over the top of the picture to create a natural looking piece of artwork like our mandalas.
Cut out a rectangular piece of contact paper to be the size of a placemat. Let your child cut out pictures from a coloring book and place the pictures on top of the contact paper. Cover the completed collage with another matching piece of contact paper.
Collect an assortment of flat, craft marbles and allow your child to fill in the picture with the marbles. A picture that has already been colored can be used for this. No glue needed because this will be a temporary piece of art.
Choose animals from a coloring book that share the same habitat. Glue the pages onto cardstock, cut them out, and then glue each animal onto a toilet paper tube. Create their habitat using a cardboard box, construction paper, glue, and natural materials.
This post was brought to you by Rebekah, a stay at home mom, who believes in joyful, playful, and thoughtful parenting. Over at her blog, The Golden Gleam, she shares ways to light up kids’ lives through play, crafts, learning, and positive parenting.