Coloring Pages are a great activity for Fathers and Sons

When I was a young boy not a lot older than my son is now, I started using coloring pages as a hobby with my Dad. As much as I loved working on them I also enjoyed spending time with my dad and having something we could do together. I am sure you could well imagine my hopes to continue this tradition and spend some quality time alone with my son and some coloring pages.

A lot of the hobbies children do these days are very expensive or very hard for me to join in with. I mean I certainly can't skateboard, I can't swim and I definitely do not know how to use a computer or playstation to play videogames. I really am hopeless with technology! I am sure like all boys as he grows older he will want to be more independent and do things on his own and it will be uncool to be seen with his father so I am making a special attempt to spend as much quality time as I can with him now and really make these little moments all add up. Like all dads in this modern world, it's tough to find the time often to lavish it on your kid but that certainly makes it all the more enjoyable when you do. It seems increasingly hard to find hobbies that Dads can do with their little ones. It seems like most activities are really for the mums unfortunately.

Coloring Pages are really good fun, my son really enjoys the pictures I download from the website kidslikecoloringpages.com. I like to constantly tell him the names of the colors he is using and I feel he is learning them because of this, especially his favourites Green and Yellow. It's a great feeling knowing that I am helping him in learning new words for his vocabulary. It really makes me feel like I am contributing to his growth. I do a constant commentary on the item he is working on at that moment like an elbow, a leg, a cat, a helicopter etc etc. Someone a lot smarter than me once said that repetition creates learning so who am I to argue! This positive bit of brainwashing can only do good.

In a year or so he will be old enough that we could sit and use some paints on the Coloring Sheets. I know he will love this although I am cautiously excited at the thought of the mess it could make! I am sure his eyes will go wide the first time I mix two colors together to make a brand new one, such as red and green coming together to make brown. Playing is definitely the fun way to learn for all children. I can really see how his ability to concentrate has really improved. When he settles down into an interesting picture he can just lose himself into it and his ability to stay within the lines has really come on in leaps and bounds. He picked up himself how sometimes you do better work by going slower and taking your time, which is a good life lesson on it's own! When he gets a little older I will be able to ask him to autograph his works for me so I ask him to draw me his face as a signature and he always does so with a big grin on it, which must mean he has enjoyed himself!

I have a ton of scrapbooks now, all filled with his completed pages. I suspect I will love looking through these when I am older. The rest will go up on the walls of the house, mostly in the lounge or bedrooms I imagine. I want to let my boy know how proud I am of his efforts and that he should feel proud of them also. By this I am hoping to build his self-confidence which was something I still suffer a lack of, so am keen to give my son the best head start in life that I can. When we get visitors to the household, whether friends or family you can also be sure they will comment on the artworks and tell my son what a great job he did. It seems to be having a good effect to as he has started to become more outgoing and will talk to near strangers now about his works, whats colors he used etc. Whereas before he would have been quiet with some people, now he often offers to make them one straight away so they can take it home with them!

Me and my wee lad are big fans of Disneys movies.. So Disney Coloring Pages are often used. Give him anything with Goofy or Donald Duck on and he will be very happy! Their newest cool star is Handy Manny, a helpful handyman and I am happy that like all of their products, these characters are positive role models. You do not have to worry about anything your child may see when they are watching a Disney show! When he gets older I am secretly hoping that he will get into Superheroes. I used to love them when I was a teen and think it would be great to have this in common with him. The Batman and Spiderman were my favourites and I have already spotted some pages I can't wait to get him started on! I think all boys grow into a thirst for safe adventure and drama so hopefully my wishes will come true and soon I can be telling him about the adventures of his heroes while we choose colors for Batmans cape!

At special occasions like the Holidays we pretty much blanket the walls of our home in Coloring Pages. At Christmas there are pictures of Santa, Rudolph the Reindeer, Sleighs, Christmas Trees, Gifts, Nativity Scenes and much more all over the house. While at Halloween no matter where you go in our home there will probably be a Monster, Ghost, Little Devil or Haunted House staring at you! I make sure to pack them all away carefully afterwards and intend to be re-using them still when I have grandkids to show them to. So if you are a parent and are looking for easy and low cost ways to spend quality time with your children I would say use Coloring Pages, you really can't go wrong with them.

To find free high-quality Coloring Pages online a great website I use that has a wide selection is kidslikecoloringpages.com - they have all the kids favourites like Princess, Spiderman, Handy Manny and Halloween. Girls would love the Hello Kitty Coloring Pages especially.