If you are at this post you were probably searching for coloring pages for boys correct?

I am going to try to talk you out of that.

Coloring in standard coloring book types of pages are boring, suppress creativity and are  a waste of some good fine motor exercises.

This post is a group of some ideas that are coloring and drawing ideas for kids to create their own pieces of abstract artwork without being confined to the rigidness of coloring pages.

Scrolling around the web you will find people looking for batman coloring pages, farm coloring pages, flower coloring pages and everything in between. The point is that they are missing the point and leaving creative exercises to wilt.

I actually got this exercise from the book Drawing with Children by Mona Brooks. I talk about drawing for children using the Monart method quite often. I think it’s a wonderful method to teaching children drawing even though it may seem a bit more structured than the art activities I usually like. Mona Brooks method teaches the children that there are 5 elements of shape. Everything in the world translates into one of these elements or a few of them joined together.

To get the children started, she gives a whole series of drawing activities that get the children used to using the different shapes. The drawings as you can see above are abstract. The kids have great fun with them and they are certainly a better time filler than coloring pages.

Even if you are not going to be teaching this method in the step by step sequential fashion she teaches in the book, you may enjoy doing these exercises. Of course, you don’t only have to do them with boys but, girls will enjoy them just as much if not more.

The children can use a combination of thin and thick markers for this activity. As you give instructions you will be telling me which kind of marker to use. The wide tip markers are very good for coloring in larger shapes that they make. These instructions are not cut in stone and you can make up your own. It is also a great activity to get them to learn to follow directions, but don’t get too bent out of shape if they don’t follow exactly, it really doesn’t matter.

I am going to give you 2 sets of directions that you can give the children. These should help you think of your own. It is just a way to get children using their markers and seeing that art is not coloring in other peoples predrawn images.

Exercise 1:

1. Choose a marker and make 4 straight lines somewhere on your paper. You must start at an edge and stop at an edge.
2. Make 4 dots (circles that are filled in)anywhere on the paper, they can overlap the lines if they like.
3. Take another color marker and put a sequence of curved lines of which one leads off th edge of the paper.
4. Make 2 circles (not filled in) anywhere but it must touch one of the other lines of dots on the paper.
5. Color in design anyway you’d like

Exercise 2:

1. Use 2 markers, one thick and one thin. Make 2 lines with each starting at one edge and finishing at another.
2. Make 3 different dots all sizes
3. Add another color and add 2 angles. (sharp shapes)
4. Make one curved line that starts on one dot and finishes on another.
5. Make another curved line that goes off the edge somewhere on the paper
6. Color in design

If you like this kind of drawing then you may want to check out another post I have with some great abstract drawing ideas as well.

If you are more interested in coloring books then you may want to check out the work of Susan Striker who wrote books like The Anti-Coloring Book: Creative Activities and another one amongst others Young at Art: Teaching Toddlers Self-Expression, Problem-Solving Skills, and an Appreciation for Art.

Another type of book that has become popular is Doodles: A Really Giant Coloring and Doodling Book.

The point is to keep your kids thinking and using their fine motor skills at the same time.