drawing on walls - what has worked for us
I thought with all the negative interactions we post about, and questions about what to do, maybe it would be good to post about something that has worked for us recently.
DS (2.25 yo) has developed a love of crayons and has been drawing on the bathtub walls (with bath crayons) for quite a while. But then he got the Harold and the Purple Crayon series on DVD and has wanted to write everywhere! (It hasn't helped matters that we are painting the condo to move, and he really wants to help.)
Well, I explained that the bathtub was a "special" wall for writing and that we don't do it on these walls... And that Mommy doesn't like to keep cleaning this wall... Daddy brought home this giant pad of paper for drawing... etc... DS clearly explained to me that he wants to write on that wall, and that he thinks it should have pictures. So it dawned on me that he might be hearing my pleas for clean walls (and my wiping his art away) as signs that I didn't like his artwork. So I changed tacks.
I reassured him that his art was beatiful and how much I appreciate his helping us making the house nice. And explained that I wanted to keep his art for a long time, so if we put it on the giant paper we could keep it as long as he wants.
He draws on his paper all day long, hasn't tried to write on the walls since.
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Just thought I'd share what worked for us...
DS (2.25 yo) has developed a love of crayons and has been drawing on the bathtub walls (with bath crayons) for quite a while. But then he got the Harold and the Purple Crayon series on DVD and has wanted to write everywhere! (It hasn't helped matters that we are painting the condo to move, and he really wants to help.)
Well, I explained that the bathtub was a "special" wall for writing and that we don't do it on these walls... And that Mommy doesn't like to keep cleaning this wall... Daddy brought home this giant pad of paper for drawing... etc... DS clearly explained to me that he wants to write on that wall, and that he thinks it should have pictures. So it dawned on me that he might be hearing my pleas for clean walls (and my wiping his art away) as signs that I didn't like his artwork. So I changed tacks.
I reassured him that his art was beatiful and how much I appreciate his helping us making the house nice. And explained that I wanted to keep his art for a long time, so if we put it on the giant paper we could keep it as long as he wants.
He draws on his paper all day long, hasn't tried to write on the walls since.
Just thought I'd share what worked for us...
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Thought I'd update that DS now has his own (dry) paint brushes and is "painting" with us as well. He's been very pleased, and his drawings have still remained on the paper!
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I love gd!! That's a great story
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Makes sense- he wanted HIS art on the wall, to stay.
Can I share one? (its not as good though) Ds loves to play in water, pour it, mix it with food, etc. I usually let him, and have him help clean up, and tell him better places to play in water, etc. But dp mentioned last night that ds COULD pour water in the plants. DS loves that idea!! I have a feeling that we'll have well watered plants, and a somewhat drier floor
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(btw, my ds, who has always loved baths, now has decided that he has better things to do. lol. I can get him in sometimes if I leave the faucet or the hand held shower running, so he can play in it. But mostly, he skips a lot of baths!! He gets maybe 2 a week, and washcloth baths the rest of the time. Must be a normal phase, eh?)
Can I share one? (its not as good though) Ds loves to play in water, pour it, mix it with food, etc. I usually let him, and have him help clean up, and tell him better places to play in water, etc. But dp mentioned last night that ds COULD pour water in the plants. DS loves that idea!! I have a feeling that we'll have well watered plants, and a somewhat drier floor
(btw, my ds, who has always loved baths, now has decided that he has better things to do. lol. I can get him in sometimes if I leave the faucet or the hand held shower running, so he can play in it. But mostly, he skips a lot of baths!! He gets maybe 2 a week, and washcloth baths the rest of the time. Must be a normal phase, eh?)
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That's so exciting to hear!
Well, the paper is wherever DS wants it!
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We hang it on the wall, lay it out on the floor or a table, everything in-between... We sometimes draw train tracks for his trains, etc...
We hang it on the wall, lay it out on the floor or a table, everything in-between... We sometimes draw train tracks for his trains, etc...
This is funny/cute.
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For me that wouldn't work. When we first bought our house and a friend who knew we were TTC said "oh, pretty soon these clean walls will have marks all over them about 2 feet from the ground," I groaned inwardly. Oh our house will be so messy I thought!
Fastforward seven lonely, infertile, clean
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: years and we FINALLY have our twins and they can FINALLY make marks on the walls. I want them to draw everywhere, and every so often when I think about getting out the Citra-Solv to erase their "drawings" I get the shakes. Sometimes I find a clear spot and I give them crayons and direct them to it.
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Someday we'll paint over. Someday.
For the OP who is dealing with moving,
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on a GREAT solution!
For me that wouldn't work. When we first bought our house and a friend who knew we were TTC said "oh, pretty soon these clean walls will have marks all over them about 2 feet from the ground," I groaned inwardly. Oh our house will be so messy I thought!
Fastforward seven lonely, infertile, clean
Someday we'll paint over. Someday.
For the OP who is dealing with moving,
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