It is becoming common knowledge that colouring-in is therapeutic.
Colouring-in requires a quiet, calm, and creative atmosphere, which invites the child and adult to chat. Who knows where that conversation can digress. It can be a beautiful bonding time, and a nice winding down for the day.
Its so easy to find colouring-in pages online. Each child can pick their own image. My kids like to pick pages with characters which they can later cut out and use as paper dolls.
When our close friend unexpectedly died, leaving behind his very special little 5 year old daughter, I wanted to help her deal with her loss.
I created a colouring-in book, which I gave to her.
I wanted the book to offer a situation where she could discuss her feelings, be counselled, and hopefully help her understand what had just happened. By colouring in the book I hoped it would become personal. Something for her to read and look back on, as she continued on her life, without her Dad.