INTERACT WITH COLORING

Coloring is a fun activity for children, and for some adults. It's perfect for that rainy day when outside play is not possible. And even when it's too hot, and the children are complaining about being bored, but you know hot temperatues may cause other problems as they run and play. Coloring is one of the great options!

Coloring teaches both the children and the adults. Whether it's the involvement of the parents or the teachers of the children; whether by pencil, crayons, paint or doodle-boards, coloring teaches everyone involved.

When children learn their colors, a whole new dimension of the world opens up for them. Here are a few good reasons:

*To Identify What We See: The child knows what they are looking at.

*To Learn How to Color Coordinate: Child learns how to match their clothing.

*To Differentiate in ALL THINGS material and natural: Whether it is real/unreal, a couch or a tree, and the basics of what is made by man and what is made by nature.

*To Learn Which Colors and Prime: (red, blue, yellow)

Children also learn the secondary colors. And learn how to multi-blend colors to produce new colors.

The process of coloring has other benefits. It develops dexterity (performing tasks with the hands), develops motor skills (fine motor skills for gaining the ability to write and for the ability to handle objects), and control (Small muscle control is necessary to color with crayons, and painting) and it also helps the child to learn how to write his/her name.

As a parent you can learn the same things that the teacher learns about the child from coloring. Some of those things are:

• How to Make Learning Fun and Enjoyable.
• Best way for your child to retain knowledge.
• If your child is learning how to follow directions, and if your child is gaining confidence in him/herself through their ability to accomplish work assignments.
• Teacher and parent will also learn if the child is having any learning difficulties.

When working in a group or on class projects your child is also learning other important skills that will carry over into his/her adult years:

• Social skills
• Learn how to be a team player
• Group dynamics (sharing experiences and participating in classroom activities).

 As a teacher or a parent, you learn your own joy of learning, and teaching, and being glad that the children are learning.  For both providers, your positive interaction has a great impact on your child's learning potential.

FOR THE pdf 'A Parent's Guide: Helping Your Child Learn: Kindergarten to Grade 3, Families and Educators Working Together' visit:

http://www.asdk12.org/forms/uploads/ParentGuide_Kto3.pdf