What tools can I provide to a 5 year old very interested in drawing?

tik tok on 27/09/2022 - 10:01
Last edited 27/09/2022 - 12:43

A 5 year old I look after has really taken to drawing and seems very good at it. Currently I have got a double sided flip colour board and an A4 sized white board - needless to say she is using sketchies and paper like there's no tomorrow and powering through Crayons and paper. Have also run out of the what seemed like an endless supply of chalks when I bought them. While I am happy to pressure clean the concrete every so often, I wanted to find out if there's something more (better ?) that I could provide to this child?

An electronic board of some sort perhaps? But dont know if that will mess around with the dexterity aspect. A tablet/ipad is generally counter productive as she will alt tab into youtube kids in no time. What options do I have? I am experiencing a brain freeze where I don't know what to google for. Money is no matter, but obviously looking to get the best bang for my buck.

Education & Work

Comments

  • TheNewBargainer on 27/09/2022 - 10:35
    +1

    Look into boogie boards- digital, erasable boards. The booge board magic allows them to trace and use textures etc

    And look at a Buddha board for painting - on ebay "Chinese magic paper" will get you an affordable alterative.

    • 87percent on 27/09/2022 - 10:52

      the problem with the erasable boards it that you either erase all of it, or none of it.. and there's no way to save the picture (unless you take a photo of it, should be a way to screenprint it and send to yourself). The magic paper though is good, i've seen my kids use it at their school for caligraphy practice

      • TheNewBargainer on 27/09/2022 - 11:11
        +1

        Yeah thats true. Looking at the initial post though- the child is 'pummeling' through paper. So the boogie board would end that problem as it doesnt sound like the child is cherishing each drawing

        • tik tok on 27/09/2022 - 12:45

          Sorry, didn't mean pummelling in that sense. I meant just going through them with rapid pace. Absolutely cherishes drawing and takes great pride in describing what has been made. But isn't upset to have to throw away a drawing afterwards. I have updated the post. And thanks for the suggestions. Just looked at whats available on amazon, the boogie boards or the buddha boards dont really let "colouring in". Any options which allow colouring in?

          • [Deactivated] on 27/09/2022 - 14:16
            +1

            @tik tok: I focussed on the drawing and missed the "colouring-in" bit. Ignore my suggestion, below, about an e-ink tablet unless:

            1. She would be happy doing grey-scale shading (which look great BTW)

            2. You set up the e-ink tablet for a local or cloud sync to a computer to take her artwork and make it available for desktop or full colour tablet inking. But that would kill the distraction-free requirement of course.

          • dri on 04/10/2023 - 07:28
            +1

            @tik tok: I know it's an old post and your kid is going to accumulate a lot of art. Just make sure you document them before throwing away. It would make for interesting viewing 13 years down the track or more in their progression if they stay the artistic path.

  • [Deactivated] on 27/09/2022 - 11:35

    What options do I have?

    Maybe a secondhand e-ink device like a Remarkable, SuperNote or Boox.

    • Quantumcat on 27/09/2022 - 13:21

      No way, they cost more than an iPad

      • HairyChickens on 27/09/2022 - 13:59
        +1

        Does NT have anything similar to the NSW Creative Kids Voucher. Otherwise, OP can get a free Wacom Tablet.

        Edit: NSW has changed the Creative Kids Program this year to be more focused on lessons rather than free stuff so the tablet is no longer avaliable. Although some providers still offer stuff with the lessons.
        Lessons are still great for the little ones who are interested

      • [Deactivated] on 27/09/2022 - 14:06

        1. I didn't see OP mentioning a price target.

        2. I thought OP wasn't interested in an iPad given the potential (likely?) distraction factor for kiddo.

        3. More than an iPad? Really? My brand new SuperNote A6X with pressure-sensitive stylus was under USD300 delivered. What does an iPad Mini and an appropriate stylus cost these days? Genuine question as Apple is not my thing.

  • jjjaar on 27/09/2022 - 12:53

    I would head to local Facebook groups to see if anyone has anything that they have lying around that could help out. You’ll probably get a lot of crayons and coloured pencils there but you might find different mediums you’d not considered that work well for what you need.

  • vinnychase on 27/09/2022 - 14:06
    -1

    Galaxy Tab s8 Ultra

  • ShannonN on 27/09/2022 - 14:07

    get sheet of 3mm mdf from bunnings paint with white water-based paint, saw into a4 or required sizes. After child draws and is finished photograph, then ask her to paint over with white paint again, dry, paint, rinse and repeat

    • tik tok on 28/09/2022 - 07:48
      +1

      Yep, good option. Up side is will prep her to be ready to be a painter as well.

  • mr-incredulous on 27/09/2022 - 15:28
    +6

    I don't really understand the leap from "my child loves drawing in various physical media" to "and therefore needs a digital drawing device". Have I missed something? It seems the 'problem' is just the sheer number of pictures drawn. Seems like an opportunity to teach her about making the most of materials and collecting the best works. E.g. a 'special' sketchbook for the best drawings and/or collecting the best works into a scrapbook or album. By your own words you're concerned about the distraction factor that comes with a device. If you're really concerned about the quantity of paper consumed you can probably get a huge quantity of free scrap paper from a workplace if you ask friends and family (paper that has been printed on one side and not sensitive info). With the money you save from not getting a device there are so many possibilities for different art supplies, paints, textas, graphite pencils, colour pencils, stencils, different papers, glues, lessons……….

    By the way not having a go just trying to offer a different perspective.

    • tik tok on 28/09/2022 - 07:47
      -1

      Sorry you didn't understand the question. If you are unable to even quote what I have written accurately, then no amount of words will make sense to you. Have a nice day.

  • freefall101 on 28/09/2022 - 11:05
    +1

    iPads have a kiosk mode, you can lock it to a single app and need a passcode to unlock it. Likewise Windows can do the same thing (Surface is a great option for drawing as well), you can use Assigned Access.

    Sadly no one makes standalone drawing tablets besides Wacom and their MobileStudio starts at about $4k (plus it's really just a windows laptop, better off locking down a Surface)

  • MayhemVC on 24/12/2022 - 16:12
    +1

    I am currently in Malaysia.
    These are available here for RM99 (about $33 AUD).

    https://www.mi.com/my/product/mi-lcd-writing-tablet/

    There are heaps of LCD drawing/writing tablets in Asia for kids. Many are around the $20 AUD mark.

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