A little paper for big imaginationsMade for grown-ups & little ones
Ready Play Days

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Preview draft. Activities have not been tested with caregivers.

Art · The activity desk

Color a bird, turtle, or fox

Choose an animal picture to color and imagine its surroundings.

Let's play →

A little plan for play

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What you need

The animal coloring pages or a full sheet of paper, plus large child-appropriate crayons

Age: 3–5 years; choose for the individual child.

Stay with the child throughout. Check the space and supplies, including anything within reach of younger siblings. Skip any activity that is unsuitable. Stop if a child puts non-food material in their mouth or becomes distressed. Use intact books, full sheets of paper, a large child-appropriate crayon and a clean, dry towel. Follow product labels; remove torn paper and keep broken crayons and caps away from children. Adult handles and stores supplies.

Set up: Open and print a chosen page, or draw a simple bird, sea turtle, or fox on paper.

Adult's role: Help select and print a page and follow the child's choice of colors and story.

Let's make it happen

  1. Choose a bird, sea turtle, or fox and look at its shapes.
  2. Color the animal in any colors you choose.
  3. Draw a place for the animal and tell a story about it, if you wish.

Make it simpler: Point to the animal and color one shape together.

Clean up: Put crayons away and save or recycle the page.

Stay nearby while young children use crayons and remove broken pieces.

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