What you Need :
In the sections below and in succeeding pages, you will find our assortment of free downloadable and free printable party activities. To enjoy our free coloring activities, all you need are the following:
* a Computer Printer (preferably color laser printer or color inkject printer) to print our free content
* Crayons, Color Pencils, Color Markers or Color Highlighters
* Color Pastels or Water Colors (for older children)
Feel free to print as many copies as you want so that you may do the activity together with your kids. Or, you may invite your children's friends to join them in the various activities. |
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Color-By-Numbers:
Preschoolers identify colors and learn their 123s: This is a simple activity intended for preschoolers and beyond who recognize their basic numbers and are ready to learn about colors. Even older children are sure to derive satisfaction from the challenge of putting the proper color to the blank sheet. Certainly, for children who have yet to associate the proper colors of everyday objects, this activity can be the best and most fun way to learn.
Alternate Color Schemes: In some activities, the child is made to choose between 2 or more color schemes. This is a wonderful opportunity for him/her to recognize the scope of variety available in nature -- and also the limits that nature also imposes: for instance, a horse can be brown, black, white, or grey, but certainly never blue or green! |
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Free-Coloring Activities :
Ideal for Children of all Ages: Younger children can freely experiment with different colors and instantly recognize if the colors they chose are true to nature (e.g., a pink cat??). Meanwhile, older children get to experiment with their own color schemes and discover their own preferences when it comes to choosing their favorite colors or color scheme.
To Use a Color Template, or Not: For any given activity, you can provide a color template which would serve as the model for the child. For younger children, this would be a challenging exercise to try to duplicate the model to the best of their ability. For older children, they could use the model as a guide to arrive at a better output, perhaps by using their favorite coloring scheme; by simulating textures such as fur, grass, wood bark or hair; or, by using darker and lighter shades to create lighting effects.. |
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Improving upon the Original: With enough practice, your children can soon improve upon the model template. It's certainly easy once the child unlocks the secret of color-coordination, the simulation of textures, and the application of lighting and shading effects. This might sound fantastic to those of us who are less artistically-inclined, yet it is true just the same: in time and with sufficient practice, children can learn to use colors to great effect and graduate from the simple achievement of coloring in cartoon fashion, to the skilled use of colors to impart texture upon an object and imply the presence of a light source.
Learning through Repetition: Since our content is free to download and freely printable, your children can do the activities over and over and over again -- providing learning and mastery through practice and repetition. |
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Tips and Pointers for preparing an "Arts & Crafts: Sketching Activity!!" Party Attraction:
Why promote a Coloring Activity as Party Attraction? Because most children will already have been exposed to similar coloring and painting activities at home, most children will easily recognize the nature of the party activity and be ready to participate in something familiar to them.
As Primer, or Intermission: For this reason, a coloring or painting activity can serve as a wonderful primer -- those who arrive the earliest can be kept occupied while waiting for other guests. Additionally, idle hands can be kept occupied in this manner during intermissions in the program of activities.
Awards and Recognition: Because children (and their moms, too!) appreciate being recognized, it is a great idea to award the best work for each category. |
Creating Categories: You can create more categories than you have guests! Then, tell the participants that they can only win once, but are encouraged to submit entries in as many categories as they want. In this way, all participants simply become winners!
Sample Categories: You can have 4 categories, for example: *Expert*, *Advanced*, *Intermediate*, and *Beginners* for Color-By-Numbers, and again for Free-Coloring. In this manner, you have a total of 8 categories. Or, you can have 16 different portraits or activities (8 for Color-By-Numbers, and another 8 for Free-Coloring) and choose 16 winners (1 winner for each portrait/activity).
Panel of Judges: You can ask the moms to serve as panel of judges. Bearing in mind that each kid can only win once, the moms can quickly decide how to divide the prizes so that each kid wins. The easiest approach in distributing prizes is to judge the works from most difficult category to least difficult category (i.e., in descending order of difficulty). |
Form and Manner of Prizes: Simple gifts that relate to the coloring or painting activity can be used as prizes. For example, an activity book, a stationery pad, or a set of crayons or color markers.
Recognized Best Works as Party Tokens: For a wonderful twist that everyone is sure to appreciate, each winning entry can be framed and given to the winners as party souvenirs. A simple photo frame can be used for this purpose, with a small sticker attached thanking the guest for attending the party.
Recognized Best Works featured in an Online Photo Gallery: There are websites that allow users to create their own online photo galleries. Examples include Flickr, DeviantArt, and Photobucket. Alternatively, there are social networking sites like Multiply and Facebook that allow users to upload photos. It is a great idea to upload your party photos for posterity's sake; an even greater idea to upload photos of the best works to remind everyone of the fun activities they enjoyed. |
