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

[JustineBMumsnet]

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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

We have an easel/whiteboard out all the time with chalk/pens and also a long roll of paper so she can draw whenever she feels, we also have colouring books and pencils/ magnetic drawing board/glowing drawing board and an aqua doodle in her cupboard that she can access any time she likes.
If she doesn't want to draw she also has access to Duplo and magnetic blocks.

we have an arts and crafts cupboard.

I keep any scrap paper for drawing on , have a craft cupboard the kids can access all the time and we tend to keep random bits of rubbish for making into things!

I find the challenge is to get my daughter to be creative herself, rather than just following pre-set guidelines. Whether it's Lego, Aquabeads or drawing she'd far rather follow the instructions to make something where she can see what the result will be rather than having a go at creating something new. I always tell her how well she does, but especially when she tries something from her own imagination.

We have themed art session's, for example on a book we've read on dinosaur's to help with inspiration. Of course we do free for all art too.

My daughter likes to give me her crayons one by one and request what I should draw. I then try to do the same in reverse but she has none of it! She is a little bossy boots. If I make an excuse and move away and sons gets down on her front on the floor with a big Crayola washable drawing mat and does big drawings with the pens, then loves washing it all off and starting again! Great for a wet day spending quality time away from tv and being creative.

We started of with the roll of lining paper and crayons, making hand prints and potato prints and collage.

I’ve always been happy to have lots of art materials around, to pay for art workshops in the school holidays and not to get too stressed out about mess!

I also encourage them to take photographs and make little animations and movies on digital devices.

I’m from quite an arty family and we have a lot of work by family and friends around the place so it’s always been quite a ‘normal’ thing to do.

DS loves making pictures for other family members on themes that they colouring pens are his favourite thing to use, He put such detail in his pictures to, he loves doing pictures like a day at the beach or a space theme with planets and spaceships

I have a large roll of white paper and we regularly lay it out in my living room and do painting, getting as messy as possible. Doing prints of our feet and hands. We also do lots of salt dough making and baking as well as crafts with old cut up boxes, and glitter. He does love play dough but even at nearly 3 he still eats it so he’s on a play dough ban at the minute! Also can’t go wrong with a box of crayons or pencils and a colouring book

We just randomly decide on art/crafting sessions, buy lots of cheap materials or recycle things, cover all the table in newspaper, aprons on and let them get creative.

We put food colouring in little dishes and then dip the corners of kitchen roll sheets in so that the colour bleeds in and spreads. After tie-dying the whole sheet we lay them to dry on newspaper and then tape them to the window.

We have an 'art cart' at home, which is replenished with new pens, crayons, stickers and craft supplies regularly - we do try to be mindful about disposal and also where/how we buy our supplies, making good use of a local scrapstore.

We have also invested in a good drawing tablet. My DD has requested just art supplies for her next birthday, and we try to support her in developing her style wherever we can. Although the timing didn't work for us this year, we will be enrolling her in our local art school's summer school next year to further support her creative practice.

I buy my daughter a A4 drawing pad every week and she fills it with her drawings and writing p, she loves to draw and I keep every pad in a big box to look back on when she’s older

We keep most art supplies within reach of the DC so they can do drawings etc when they want to. I bought a craft book for DC1 and let her choose whichever activity she wants to do and put her own spin on it. We usually make birthday/Christmas cards for family.

I have a go to list of things for the kids to do if they tell me they've nothing to do:

• play some music
• get out your colours and draw
• read a book
• tell me a story
• show me some of your new moves

Funnily enough, I never, ever say go and get the tablet!

Hot glue guns with crayola crayons, onto cheap canvas boards .... Fabulous Jackson Pollock style art for the older (pre teen - young teen) child. Remember to wear heat proof gloves though (I recommend heat proof gloves that are sold to use with hair stylers such as straighteners/ curlers).

Crayons and a white wall usually works...

We love making art/craft projects for grandparents and our art attack wall. And then let my DD express her feelings and ideas with everything in our craft box!

My eldest loves to draw and hes getting really good now.

The little one still loves play dough. We often have to make some very strange things. Poo features quite regularly too. Is that creative? Haha
Hes also discovered the little bath bombs that turn the water different colours. He particularly likes green and pretending he is in a forest or jungle with all his dinosaurs.

I prefer to let DD take the lead with art stuff. She's much more creative and imaginative if she leads.

a lot of art and creative writing

My son is still quite young but his favourite crafty activities include making playdoh animals, using stickers to make cards and he's just discovered paint sticks!

When it comes to my childrens creativity and happiness, I'm a complete freespirit in the sense of- I love to see their imagination run wild and reflect their moods/feelings.

We have a tray in our garden in which we call the 'funky tray', alongside a drawer with various contents/textures. My daughters are solely responsible/given the independence to choose what items they'd like to place inside the tray each time. Whether it's cornflour and food colouring mixed with shells, spaghetti pasta with hidden animal figurines jotted around or shaving foam and their own fingers to mark-make.

To me, there's nothing greater than seeing them enjoy themselves, making their own decisions, problem-solving (perhaps that didnt turn out the way I'd hoped, how can I change it?), turn-taking and discovering a whole range of senses.

We love getting creative!

my son is still completly experimental with his art. I just go with it and let him have multiple mediums available at all times

We love a bit of art in the garden. Dd (2) can get as messy as she likes and I don’t have to worry about the carpet.
So far this summer we have had the usual play doh, paints, crayons etc but we also made a giant rainbow using printed footsteps and a nature collage using sticky back plastic.