I went on a training course and was told not to use any colouring pages for children to colour in as Ofsted would look upon this as bad practice. I must say we were all shocked. It is OK for a child to use a page and be creative with it, eg sticking things on it. The trainer said that it takes away the creativity from a child and if they are to draw something it should be from their heads. Has anyone else heard of this?

Yes I have. We were given the exercise half of us did the sheets the other half did their own creation. It really did prove how much more fun doing your own creations were.

However we were told that colouring pages had their own place but not to be reliant on them:)

hmmm interesting,,

I would like a balance is best tbh. I mean I certainly don't like been faced with a blank piece of paper so why do we think children do??

Just a thought

Ok so what are we supposed to do when a child askes for a printed page to colour in. Surely this is child let and it would be considered bad practice to say no no you must use a blank piece of paper.

I use colouring pages - to follow a childs interests eg cars, space, animals.
I also have fireman Sam , fire engines etc for colouring after fire drills etc.
I think they are great as long as other 'media' is also offered.
My older children love colouring pages and will go onto the cebeebies site or similar to look for the ones they want.

Marian x

I do a balance of free drawing and colouring sheets that refer to the child's interests. I also sometimes draw something for the mindees to colour in. They like this.

My 20 month old mindee always scribbles over the things that I draw lol.

Yes iv heard this. I think a mix of the 2 are good practice -

We have recently printed some dinosaur colouring pictures off and the children have coloured them and cut the edges of the paper - something they were not keen on doing before but they are developing their fine motor skills

Oh what a load of blooming rubbish - I am a firm beliver in using wide variety of approaches and experinces - i agree if that is all you offer children then there may be a problem but as part of a wide variety of experiencs then its OK!!! some people only see black and white and read things far too literally.

I myself adored colouring in pictures when I was little - I even loved doing those were you copied the colours on another picture - it had a pleasure of its own seeing the differences and similarities between the prited picture and the one I coloured in.

Celine

I agree that its absolute rubbish to not let kids have colouring books to colour in - variety is the spice of life - and it can help with their pen/ pencil control to try not to go outside the lines. i too then let them cut out the pictures to stick onto larger peices of paper to create collage. As long as the children enjoy thre activity i don't see why it matters.

I always thought that it was sensible to start off with pictures to colour in and then move forward and encourage children to make their own drawings as they get older.

Having said that i still lve to colour sometimes - i find it relaxing (perhaps my real age is about 43 months instead of years???????):laughing:

What i find strange is Ofsted/the goverment keep coming up with all these practices that are supposed to benefit children and have been doing so for some time now.

So how is it that todays children have much less respect for anything are much less healthy and have many more health and behaviour problems than ever before. :rolleyes:

Oh what a load of blooming rubbish - I am a firm beliver in using wide variety of approaches and experinces - i agree if that is all you offer children then there may be a problem but as part of a wide variety of experiencs then its OK!!! some people only see black and white and read things far too literally.

I myself adored colouring in pictures when I was little - I even loved doing those were you copied the colours on another picture - it had a pleasure of its own seeing the differences and similarities between the prited picture and the one I coloured in.

Celine


Oh I loved those copy colour ones and any colouring in. Never did me any harm, quite arty and creative now :thumbsup: My USP I think:)

I heard this on icp course a few years ago - but not that Ofsted don't like them, just NCMA. I think it is daft to be honest, why does it matter? Ok, if we all used colouring pages all the time and didn't creat with anythin else I could understand it but otherwise I will still keep using them

My son is 2 (almost 3) and is only just beginning to take blank paper and make his own creations. Up until then he only wanted printed pictures to scribble over (I mean skillfully colour in :blush: ) or me to draw him something ( which inevitably looked nothing like it should). I think its total rubbish!

Oh what a load of blooming rubbish - I am a firm beliver in using wide variety of approaches and experinces -
Celine


Hear hear:clapping:

Interesting responses from all of you - you ought to have heard what everyone said at the course! Same sort of thing. I was just speaking to a lady who owns a nursery - she said that they were told that too as it stops a child creativity - well we all must have been restricted in our creativity when we were growing up is all I can say!

This is what i posted on an earlier thread! _

Re: drawing--books or paper

-----------------------------------------------------------

Our ofsted inspector said that we should not provide colouring pictures for the younger children, because they are not capable of colouring in the lines and then feel failure that they can't.

We said that to be inclusive they are given the same access to topical pictures as the older ones and at their age when will they learn that they can colour in the lines if they are not given any lines!! We make no comment about them not having coloured in the lines, we do make comments about the reason for the picture ie poppies for remembrance, daffodils for St Davids etc. Each child is able to be included at their level.

The ofsted inspector was having none of it tho, do you think she was right?

This was on dh's inspection done last November, seems that is where they have a bugbear at the moment!:rolleyes:

This is what i posted on an earlier thread! _

Re: drawing--books or paper

-----------------------------------------------------------

Our ofsted inspector said that we should not provide colouring pictures for the younger children, because they are not capable of colouring in the lines and then feel failure that they can't.

We said that to be inclusive they are given the same access to topical pictures as the older ones and at their age when will they learn that they can colour in the lines if they are not given any lines!! We make no comment about them not having coloured in the lines, we do make comments about the reason for the picture ie poppies for remembrance, daffodils for St Davids etc. Each child is able to be included at their level.

The ofsted inspector was having none of it tho, do you think she was right?

This was on dh's inspection done last November, seems that is where they have a bugbear at the moment!:rolleyes:


As with most thing I think kids learn this.

I can 100% say that Hannah feels no sense of failure that she can scribble and colour in /over a colouring sheet.

She is just pleased there are marks on the paper. The pic is of something she likes ie disney princess or tweenies and she chose the colours :thumbsup:

I call that a positive experience. Silly childcare fashions :panic: What rot:D

Yep, my inspector picked me up on having pictures on the wall the children had coloured in. I also had pictures they had created with collage materials and freely drawn but she pointed out the printed sheets were stifling their creativity!!

Sooo, if a child asks for a printed sheet to colour in they can have one but must take it home and it must not darken my walls or it will reflect I am a bad childminder. ;)

I put out a choice of plain paper or colouring paper and the children do whatever takes their fancy at the time.

The paper is in different shapes, sizes, coloured designs etc, some of it lined, some not.

I follow the Eyfs which is all about free choice :D

That's absolutely pathetic!

I think that they teach children to use their imagination as they can colour whatever colours they like, they can colour solidly or do lines or patterns or whatever they like, they learn to control pencils/crayons by trying to stay in the lines, they follow their interest if they colour pictures that they like ....

What a load of blinking nonsense!

I think it says something that all people who have replied on here think it is nonsence that a child should not be allowed a predrawn picture to colour, when they won't know whether or not they can do it until they try! I know of a child who has only just turned 3 and for some time now likes colouring in the lines better than a lot of 5 and 6 year olds and really enjoys doing it!

I think as long as we offer a variety then it is fine, dont care what the ofsted woman says, i think it is exclusion if you let a 6 year old have a picture but not the two year old who is sitting with them!

I am completely lost for words to be honest...:eek: :eek: :eek:
I mean I am not an expert by any means, but come on!!! Has the world gone completely crazy????
I used to love coloring in pics when I was little...in fact I still do.
My dd 16 months likes them too...she will scribble on them...or a blank piece of paper or my blackboard wall...whatever takes her fancy.
And about the not being able to achieve something thingy...well on a blank piece if paper she is also not able to draw a picasso...so should she be devastated about this too? no because I encourage her and praise her for whatever scribbles she makes. So for her this is an achievements and she has a big smile on her face!!!

I would like to meet some of these people that come up with these strange ideas...

I think it is like anything in the world..if it is balanced right, then there is no issue!!

When i did my training, many moons ago, our tutor was dead against colouring in & her opinon rubbed off on me. Some children can not colour-in neatly- and they therefore 'fail' before they even start, some children are even told off for going over the lines! Creativity should be about joy and expression. Colouring in needs no creative skill or imagination, the only skill required is good hand-eye coordination. You might as well give a child a colouring pencil and say what would you like to draw- that uses creative skills, develops imagination, fine motor and hand-eye coordination and more. I see printed butterflies that a 1 yr old has 'coloured in' and what does it mean to the child? the child doesnt 'own' the end product because it has no meaning to them. Give them a tray of paint and let them feel the paint, mix colour & make marks on paper. It may not look like anything- thomas the tank or fireman sam- but it belongs to that child because they created it. The process is as important as the end product.
Of course my network co ord loves colouring in for children, but then she buys herself books with patterns in to colour- each to their own :D

I think children like to do both. But to say doing colouring in is not good for them is a load of tosh. Prove it i say. The proof of the pudding is in the eating and todays youth can leave a very bitter after taste.

To be honest i just think peolpe at Ofsted think up new fads to justify their jobs.

The course that I did last year was very big on NOT giving children colouring sheets or templates of any description as it would stifle the creativity of the child.

The tutor kept going on about how wonderful the on-site nursery at the University was (that it was based on the Reggio Emilia Approach) fantastic place children couldn't wish for a better place to allow them access to choice and free creativity. She arranged an evening to take us down to see this wonderful place - pity she didn't visit before she took us in. Hanging from strings from the ceiling were loads of colouring pages all the walls were covered with colouring pages/ template work and displays that had obviously seen no pre-scool imput at all.:laughing: :laughing:

I love colouring. My children love colouring. I offer plain sheets and colouring sheets and the children can decide what they want to do (colour,stick,cut, etc) who am I to tell them they cannot colour if they want to. They want children to have a choice so let them

I also think this is nonsense.

I have white, coloured and printed sheets of paper and the children choose what they want to do when they want. I have wax crayons, glitter pens, gel pens, pencil crayons and felt tip pens. I also have sticking and gluing resources. If 2 or 3 children took the same picture to colour in then not one of them would look the same. 2 girls I care for coloured in identical Barbie pictures today. One girl used different shades of pink and the other
used lots of different colours and then added glitter.

A boy, who is 3, I care for coloured in a picture of a truck and used a blue felt tip pen to 'scribble' completely over it. He was absolutely proud of himself and couldnt wait to show mummy his master piece.

I always thought that it was sensible to start off with pictures to colour in and then move forward and encourage children to make their own drawings as they get older.

Having said that i still lve to colour sometimes - i find it relaxing (perhaps my real age is about 43 months instead of years???????):laughing:

Me too lol

I also think this is nonsense :)


When i did my training, many moons ago, our tutor was dead against colouring in & her opinon rubbed off on me. Some children can not colour-in neatly- and they therefore 'fail' before they even start...


Our ofsted inspector said that we should not provide colouring pictures for the younger children, because they are not capable of colouring in the lines and then feel failure that they can't.

My daughters love to draw their own pictures but the amount of times they feel they have 'failed' because their pictures aren't quite right (in their minds, and even when I tell them it looks great) costs me loads in blank paper! ;) Surely this is the same as failing to colour in the lines?

My mindees love it when I print off their current favourite TV character for them to colour in (or scribble all over :D) and are always proud of their work.

Surely the point of colouring sheets is different than free creative drawing?

I am old enought to remember the 'let them spell how they like' phase and the 'let them add up as they like' phase and how they both ended. With red faces and synthetic phonics and timed arithmetic tests!

I reckon I could make a case for it being unfair on the not artistic child - some people are gifted artistically and others aren't. Some will go on to be great needlework artists, for example, but many more will get pleasure from just doing a pre printed cross stitch.

How do we know a small child is not intimidated and put off by a blank sheet, and might have the confidence to get going if they see their favourite disney character for example, to get them started?

Freedom of choice and common sense, surely?

What a load of tosh!

My Ofsted inspector "told me off" because my 3 year old had done some worksheets! She said that EYFS was about learning through play - I told her that EYFS was about being an individual and having choice and if my 3 year old chose to do worksheets then it wasn't my place to stop her :laughing: :laughing:

Stupid People :angry:

Let the kids decide....drawing ,, colouring.
If a child wants to colour in a picture i aint gonna stop them!!!!
If they want to draw their own picture then , so be it.
Let the children decide:clapping:

I find that the mindees prefer plain paper however the younger ones sometimes need help. They ask me to draw something on it for them to colour. They seem to enjoy this more than a printed sheet as its personal and even if they ask for the same thing they are all different and can ask for specific things on their picture.

Me too lol

I'm a huge colouring fan too although I can see where Ofsted are coming from :)

I use colouring pages - to follow a childs interests eg cars, space, animals.
I also have fireman Sam , fire engines etc for colouring after fire drills etc.
I think they are great as long as other 'media' is also offered.
My older children love colouring pages and will go onto the cebeebies site or similar to look for the ones they want.

Marian x

I agree.

Also, all children have different imaginations and creative abilities.

My 11 yr old son is extremely creative - can draw anything and make anything out of whatever you give him (he has a great knack of making a weapon of mass destruction out of most materials and is just phenomenol (sp?) with Lego)

My 9 yr old daughter, on the other hand, is not particularly creative and would probably be scared by a plain sheet of paper - she would end up writing High School Musical songs on it probably!! Yet give her a colouring page, she is very detailed and it looks lovely.

We got some great books a couple of years ago, where the picture on the page is half drawn and they have to finish them off. Both my children like these.

At my Ofsted inspection in May, the inspector seemed quite happy that I had printed various things from the internet for the children to colour, such as Diva lights and Chinese New Year pictures, and some of the things used on our "big" picture - birds, butterflies and fairies.

The three year old I mind loves to colour in, and to draw her own pictures, so I provide a mixture. It doesn't matter whether she can colour in the lines, or if the fairies have blue faces, it's her creativity that matters - be it her own drawing or her interpretation of the colouring page.

I also love colouring in - especially "doodle" pictures - very relaxing, and something you can sit and do with the children!!

[QUOTE=Hooligan59;442202]At my Ofsted inspection in May, the inspector seemed quite happy that I had printed various things from the internet for the children to colour, such as Diva lights and Chinese New Year pictures [QUOTE]

So does this mean that Ofsted inspectors are happy if we use colouring pics that link to diversity, but not if they are charactors printed from the cbeebies site? :rolleyes:

Bonkers! Its just freedom of choice! All my mindees enjoy both colouring sheets and doing pics on plain paper! Its all good fun to them! :laughing: