Children's Coloring Book Options

People come to this children's coloring book page...

...for different reasons.

• Some are looking for actual coloring books
• Some are looking for online coloring pages
• Some seek a children's coloring book online that they can print out

And some are just looking for ideas for some sort of drawing activity. Maybe you need Junior to entertain himself for awhile, and you don't want to slap him (or her) in front of the TV.

Since this is a children's books site, it probably won't surprise you that I have an idea for combining children's coloring books with reading.

Go grab a favorite picture book

It should be one your child is quite familiar with. For this activity, you hold onto the picture book, while your child gets handed a whole bunch of blank paper.

Read the first page of the picture book to your child. Tell your child that his/her job is to go now and draw a picture the words describe.

Instruct your child that you want to see a beautiful picture with lots of detail. No quick scribbles.

Whether your child tries to draw the picture from the book from memory or comes up with a new picture of his/her own invention...it's all good. Because with this exercise children are developing

1. memory,
2. imagination, and
3. eye-hand coordination through drawing

Children's coloring books do nothing to address the first two.

Just as importantly, you're helping your child learn how to visualize. As your child grows older and moves from picture books to chapter books, that's important.

Children who picture in their mind the images from a book are much more likely to become enthusiastic readers, don't you think?

Remember to praise your child's artwork...

...but don't be afraid to ask for more detail. When a page is finished to yours and your child's satisfaction, it's time to move on to the next page.

Once your child finishes with the book (it certainly doesn't have to be completed all in one session), piece it together in some fashion that it can be kept for posterity.

And don't forget to give your child the pay-off of reading the book at least once accompanied by his/her illustrations!

If your child enjoys this project as much as I hope...

...you may want to take it to the next level. There's a special page on this site that walks you through the process of writing a picture book yourself for your child to illustrate.

Have fun!

Also, if you find yourself coming up short on activities to entertain your child, know that the popular children's magazines are filled with activities and games.