Ideas: Prompts

Hello! I let my kids have more screen time than I'd like to admit.

It's a struggle in our household, and I would like to assign blame to the kids. Realistically though, it is also because I don't have the time and energy to prep activities for them. While we have bins of legos, cars, and other toys, they still need me to come up with ideas on what to do. Drawing and painting are easy activities to set up (see my other posts on materials needed, which is really minimal), then they ask, what should I draw?

Along with simplifying your materials, these are some ideas to get the kids going:

1. Ask: What is your favorite ... (insert animals, food, destination, toys...)?

2. Draw this! - Pick their favorite toys or picture. This is a great exercise in observation.

3. Finish my drawing. - Start with any shapes (I like square and a circle, but any shapes will do) and have them continue.

These prompts work because they are open-ended enough to start their imagination and can be repeated.

Pro tip: Give them space to think. They may have questions before they start or if they need to get used to the activity. Space for them to figure it out will help them be more independent.

Happy creating!