A coloring play date for your children and their friends

Children love play dates with their peers or extended family members. This can provide them with a huge sense of fun away from structured educational settings. A play date with a friend can be a great event for children because it welcomes a person they are familiar with from a different setting, into their home. Even if participants of a play date are not very little, you should still keep an eye on them. Do as an adult it is important to create a fun and as simple environment as possible for their own comfort.

1 Play date with coloring pages

Inviting a friend round the house for a play date is usually a good idea for all involved. It gives the Children a chance to develop their friendships and social skills further. And it also gives the adults a chance to take a backseat in watching those friendships flourish. All in the comfort of the house.

As an adult, keeping children occupied for the entire duration of play date is probably your priority. But on the other hand, it is not always the easiest task and requires some imagination. So what are good ideas for activities prepared for such occasion? For example, getting them to color pages is a fantastic activity for peers to engage in. It will provide a light-hearted focus for them to have a positive experience over such a simple activity.

Creating a coloring themed play date doesn’t need to be expensive or lavish. Your child and his friends will most likely just want to do something fun and simple which will develop their friendship further. You can easily gather some coloring materials from Topcoloringpages.net or search for some bargains on your local store.

2 Coloring stations

It is a good idea to prepare coloring stations. To do that choose different themes based on the children’s interests. Scatter a few pages of each theme around the house in different areas according to their themes. Maybe stick the Disney characters on the dining room table. How about placing the animal pictures on the kitchen floor? The birds, on the other hand, can be put outside on the patio – I think you get the picture.

To instill some fun and variety, you can also adopt different coloring utensils at each coloring station: crayons, felt-tips, pencils, paint etc.

The weather may be getting warmer, so why not take this play date outside? Create a messy coloring play area – maybe use larger coloring pages for added fun. Encourage kids to make as much mess with the colors as possible (change of clothes afterward may be required).

The aim of the play date is to learn how to play on your own and with a friend. So, start each child at a different coloring station and simply ask them to color in their pages. Use a stopwatch to set time for, say 15 minutes. But not too little to not put pressure on the participants. Play some background music on if you want. It usually helps to create a chilled, relaxed atmosphere.

Get the children to rotate to different stations to try different coloring methods and utensils. Repeat this until every child has colored at each station. Check if there is no shortage of coloring sheets for all children. And if this happens, quickly print a few additional pictures.

3 Time to rest

So the first lap has been completed? It is now a good time to have a little rest. Perhaps make a snack and drink and give kids an opportunity to talk about the coloring. Was it fun? Did they enjoy being on their own?

Once they are refreshed simply repeat what you did previously with some minor changes. For example, this time get them all coloring pages together at each station. Use a stopwatch to time them for however long you wish. And then simply sit back and observe how they operate with each other. Look out for how they interact with each other. Do they help each other out? What is their topic of conversation? Does one talk more than the other? Does it feel natural? This helps to see if all children are liked and get on well with each other. Sometimes you can see problems that you would not notice in other circumstances.

Obviously, observe them all in a subtle way. The last thing you want to do it is to make children feel somebody is watching them. Play date fails in this situation.

Once kids have had enough of coloring sheets, grab a drink and some fruits perhaps and have a casual chat about activities they just finished. It is also a good idea to invite children to help you make the lunch. For example, they can help you pick vegetables.

4 Ingenuity rules!

The coloring is a hugely popular activity for children and adults and has grown significantly in popularity over the years. Do not feel embarrassed about not offering an extravagant play date. The most important is your ingenuity and selection of activities appropriate to the age of its participants. It is sometimes the simplest activities which can provide the most invigorating outcomes for children. Coloring together can plant a lot of good memories and strengthen friendship.

And one more hint for the very end. Remember to ask children to clear up their mess!:)