Four old Sam is discouraged about his inability to stay "inside the line" when he color?

Question

Briefly explain and suggest what the parent/teacher might do.

Answer 1

Encourage Sam to color his best. Compliment Sam about color choices and even about designs outside the lines. Do not worry about or comment on the lines. Who cares about them anyway? Instead focus on the creativity Sam shows in his drawing and encourage that.

Answer 2

When I read this I think there are two separate issues you would want to address.

1) You want to encourage Sam's creativity and confidence. Encourage his art, point out all the positives about his art, which may be things such as "I love all the colors you used in your picture, or "I like the way you colored the entire page" for example. You can then address the "inside the line" comment by saying that is a skill that comes with practice and will improve the more he practices and the more he colors.

2) Sam's fine motor skills could be improved by coloring of course. Additionally his fine motor skills could be strengthened by using Legos, fingerpaint, puzzles, clay, Playdough, Jenga, sandbox play, and water play and whatever fine motor play he enjoys.

Answer 3

First, make sure Sam has the opportunity to engage in art activities outside of coloring pages. Let him paint, sculpt, collage, or simply draw his own pictures.

Remind him that coloring inside the lines is difficult. Relate it to something else he has struggled with that he can now do. "Remember how hard it used to be to tie your shoes? But you practiced and worked hard, and now you can do it!"

If he must work with coloring pages (some kids really do enjoy them, but I wouldn't push them - they can stifle creativity), try to find ones with thick outlines that he may have an easier time with.

I would also talk to him about why he's so frustrated. What's so bad about going outside the lines? Does he feel like he's ruining the picture? Like he's ruining someone else's drawing? Talk with him about what's so frustrating and try to assure him that it's okay to make mistakes - that the picture still looks wonderful because HE worked hard on it.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Four year olds should not be coloring anything that they have to stay inside the lines. Coloring pages kill creativity.Any teacher that uses coloring pages is not very well educated in her field. Four year olds should still be given blank pages to create their own pictures. Once a child is given coloring book pages most stop drawing, or using their creativity to draw.

Answer 5

Encourage him with things like "Wow...You are working so hard" and "Oh...You are choosing blue!". Words of encouragement that praise his work skills and not the 'quality' of his work.

Parent or teacher could color next to him and 'accidentally' color outside the lines and model appropriate responses (e.g. taking a big breath and saying 'that's okay, I'm doing my best' or things like that).

Most four year olds will not stay in the lines, but if it is really really important to him or the parent, one strategy that works nicely, is to take white glue and make a glue line on the lines he wants to stay in. When the glue hardens, it makes a raised, tactile boarder that kind of stops the crayon/marker from going outside the lines and gives the child more information (e.g. tactile and visual as opposed to just visual) to assist them in staying in the lines.

Answer 6

tell Sam that it's ok if he goes outside the line then tell him you'll color together. get a coloring book, color outside the line and tell him even teacher doesn't stay inside the line and it's ok. everytime he has coloring activities always complement him. :)

Answer 7

Encourage his creativity. He'll develop the motor skills to stay inside of the lines in due time, Meanwhile, let him "think outside of the box".

Answer 8

encourage sam to keep going.

Get a coloring book or download coloring pages off the internet that have darking lines outlining the picture. like
http://www.coloring-page.com/
and
http://www.coloring.com/

they have pretty good coloring pages.

also, to have him fine tune his motor skills have him do other activities like glueing and cutting. these will help him develop the fine motor skills needed, and he gets better at glueing and cutting.

Answer 9

give him finer-tipped markers and bigger drawings with thicker lines and tell him to be patient.

the more he practices the motor skills, the better he'll become.
does he have an older sibling he is comparing himself to? get out some of their old drawings so he doesn't feel so inadequate.

good luck!

Answer 10

tell Sam to draw (black crayon) along the edges of the picture and don't go outside of the black crayon and tell him once he goes outside of the black crayon his picture is in danger of not looking pretty. if that doesn't help-just let Sam be.
Mom of B & D