Colouring in patterns

Colouring in for kids is always fun but with this cool activity, kids will draw their own patterns and start colouring in. Free drawing for kids is great. It encourages them to use their imagination and makes for a great afternoon activity.

What you need:

• paper
• lead pencil
• coloured pencils

Number of players:
1+

Activity:

Put your pencil on the page and let your hand move freely across the page.

Feel free to cross lines and cut up circles – you are going to take your beginning point, a dot, for a walk.

Colour in each shape, space and division you have created and watch a pattern materialise.

Try these:

• Lines and loops: Draw straight lines across the paper, then draw a loopy line/ shape over the top. Colour in alternate shapes.
• Eye-boggling spiral: Draw lots of circles on your page, around each other (like a target board for darts). Draw from the centre, beginning with a small circle, encased by a slightly larger circle, encased by an even larger circle. Continue until you reach the edge of the page. Draw lines out from the centre of the page and the centre circle. The image will appear like a web when you have drawn lots of line extensions from the centre. Colour them in.
• Weaving waves: Draw wavy lines across the page. Cross these lines with wavy lines down the page. Colour in alternate squares and a bulging warped pattern will appear. 

Notes:

• Another fun effect is created if you use oil pastels to draw the original patterns. Paint black on top of the final result, then while it is still wet use the end of the paintbrush or a pencil to draw a new pattern or write into the wet paint. As you write colours will be revealed from your previous colourful pattern drawing.