Mumsnet users share how they encourage their children to express themselves creatively with Crayola

[JustineBMumsnet]

This discussion is now closed.

Whether your child is a young artist in the making or you sometimes wonder if their creations are even fridge worthy, children can be happiest when they’re expressing themselves through crafts and colouring. With that in mind, Crayola would like to hear about how and why you encourage your children to express their creative ideas using colour..

Here’s what Crayola has to say: “We believe in the power of self-expression via colour! Whether it’s providing tools to put a purple octopus on the moon, or inspiring arts infused projects to bring to life together as a family, Crayola is passionate about raising creatively alive children and unleashing their originality. Via a wide range of innovative colourful tools and crafting activities, especially designed for kids, like washable pens, markers and paint, coloured pencils and twistable crayons that last longer, Crayola gives colourful wings to the imagination that grows in the hearts and minds of the children”.

What are your favourite crafting activities with your children? Which colouring tools do your children like using most? Perhaps your children most enjoy being creative if they’re developing their masterpieces as gifts for others? Or do you have children that love drawing and painting so much any encouragement from you is unnecessary? Do more creative tasks like colouring help your children to be more mindful? Or perhaps you find encouraging your children to be creative or art a great way to get them to open up and share what they’re feeling?

All who share how or why they encourage their children to express themselves and their ideas via colouring on the thread below will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

My husband has an artistic flare and so the children spend time watching him in his shed, and are encouraged to have a go at creating their own picture.

I love giant chalk so they can make big drawings on the drive and walls! It all gets washed away and the kids adore it!

I'm not a fan of messy creative stuff at home but love using chalk in the garden and ginnel to write messages and draw pictures with my eldest.

My daughter likes to reuse our recycling - she will colour, cut and glue to her hearts content! Her most recent creation was a butterfly house out of a coke can box!!

My son loves to paint in the bath. All along the walls, the shower door and the bath itself it's a great way for him to do as much as he wants without any hard to clean mess 🙈

We love painting or doing crafts with old paper plates we make faces, paintings, draw and colour pictures, stick things to them including tissue paper and glitter. We like to cut out old birthday/Christmas cards and use them to make new pictures. My DS loves to give these to his grandparents and we have lots decorating our fridge.

my daughter loves everythinh arty, she loves decorating squishies and is on form following all the latest trends.lol
i try and recycle cardboard boxes and papers from deliveries and the kids love these as props etc

Crayons and paints are always a favourite for wonderful creations. Lego is great too. I encourage my boy to make his own creations and not necessarily follow the picture on the box when he gets a lego set. Christmas time is good for creative juices too with home made decorations and cards.

When doing anything arty with my grandchildren I always find they are more enthusiastic and creative if their hands/feet/arms etc get into water, paint, paste etc to start of with. We then usually take a break, get cleaned up , have a snack then go back and add finishing touched with pens, crayons, glitter etc. A tip I learned with my own experience as a mum was to do the messy stuff either outside or in the garage!

We have a big box of colours, glue, paper, juck etc in the kitchen - I find it better to let my son choose when he feels creative rather than us sitting down and saying 'lets create' something.

I always make sure my DC have access to paper and pens and encourage them to bring them on journeys, etc. I also remember my childhood days watching Blue Peter so encourage them to make models using things we have about the house. I get pipe-cleaners, paint, PVA glue, coloured tissue, etc. in and it keeps them busy for hours. I like to suggest they make things rather than buy the over-priced equivalent then they learn that being creative saves them money and is fun and rewarding - and they get to save the money for something else.

We have more arts and crafts materials than it should be possible to own- mainly down to my daughter being a total magpie for anything like this. So there is always the availability of materials and a space to work for anyone that wants to create and I try to encourage them to not feel limited by their abilities. My daughter never played with dolls in the role play type play that I did as a child but she was drawing and making things from a very early age. Aged 3 she spent ages cutting and sticking pieces of paper together and said "Look- a person!" And it was. We couldn't quite believe it- it was about two feet tall and had definite limbs, feet and hands, a body and a head. Aged 10, one Sunday afternoon she came downstairs and said "I've made a cushion." And she had- all hand sewn with added embellishments.

We have a blackboard so she can chalk whatever she likes. She really likes using it while sitting on the potty!

paintsticks - really bold and fun, but no mess

By giving them whatever canvas they need - large, blank canvas... so they can be as creative as they wish to be - and let there imaginations run wild. Whether that’s with paint, pen, chalk depends on their mood :) my son has created some real masterpieces totally of his own accord.
X

It's difficult to get my son to do drawing or colouring, it is not something he often chooses to do when offered at home or at school. He does like painting though, and will get the paints out in the morning. I try to encourage him by suggesting pictures he could paint. He does also like using pens when he does get the paper out to draw his favourite things, lifts and houses!

I take the gadgets away!

On a warm dry day I used to let them loose with chunky chalks to draw on the pavement outside the house. Our Easter Island style plant pots have also been known to have been enhanced with chalks too! Simple pleasures....

My boys love drawing and using colours and always pop there creations on the fridge to show them off.The best idea Ive had especially in this lovely weather.I always save old sheets, blinds and xurtains.When its jice weather, get the kiddies in the garden, lots of paints and let them doodle away.
No mess, just fun fun fun 😁

I have always done lots of arts and crafts with my daughter. I also colour with her and give her lots of praise. We love doing things like going to the beach and collecting shells for crafts. She never liked crayon or pencils so I let her use pens from being little otherwise I don't think she would have coloured. Xx

I always encourage my son to make Christmas pressies for his grandparents and aunties. He really enjoys choosing what to make together and giving handmade gifts is so much nicer. We use paints, pens, glitter and gems so there is always plenty of colour, my son often choses the recipients favourite colours too. We often paint together and use junk to create things, I enjoy it just as much as he does!!

Always having lots if drawing paper and colouring pencils available. Also save any cardboard boxes especially large ones that could be made Ito anything. Round packaging with Pizzas also is great for inventive artwork.

get them lots of different mediums to draw and paint with and little craft making sets

My two choose their own clothes and hair styles. We take them to as many galleries as we can and encourage them to paint, draw every weekend.

lots of painting and crafty things