4.5 Year Old STILL Colors All Over Himself?

[SilverSabre25]

And i don't mean "Hey look I can give myself a tattoo!" or something. It's mostly just that he cannot help but scribble all over his face when he has a marker. Or pinch the marker tip between his fingers and get tons of ink all over. Despite many, many, many repeated warnings, many losses of markers/all art supplies for a day or longer...he still does it!

He did it again just now, after a reminder NOT to, acted shocked that I was annoyed, as though I have never told him before that he's not supposed to do that. I'm tired of it, and I removed him from the art table and now he gets to play with the baby toys for awhile...which mind you is a lot less fun for him when he's been told to do it. Usually it's all he wants to do. Maybe not the best course, but losing "big boy" privileges is one of the very, very few things that seems to get through to this child.

I love him, I do, but he is a challenge. Am I unreasonable in my expectation that by 4.5 they should know not to color all over themselves?

[Blackcat31]

All my kiddos get their own crayon box. (Markers, glue, glue sticks, crayons, scissors, colored pencils)

Depending on age, they have certain supplies. For example, NONE of them get markers until they are toilet trained. If they can go potty, they can manage markers. (It also serves as an incentive for my potty trainers. )

I give them their own crayon boxes because some kids are rougher with their crayons than others and speaking as someone who can NOT color with dull crayons, I think it works fantastic!

As for the marker being all over him...well if he does it deliberately, he would lose his markers. If he is just a messy kid...well then I hope mom understands and doesn't send him in super expensive clothes.

I have one little one who wears more color than her projects but it isn't deliberate so it is what it is. Plus I only supply washable markers so it's all good.

[MarinaVanessa]

:: My 8yo DD still draws all over herself and not little drawings ... I mean big streaks and scribbles.

For my daycare and my sanity I don't even offer markers ... just chalk, colored pencils, water color paint, tempera paint and crayons. The chalk, crayons and colored pencils they have free access to for the most part (2 1/2 or older depending on whether they can mostly keep it on the paper or not) and the rest only under my direct supervision.

I tried the marker thing and after many many markers and magic erasers I simply decided that I would keep my markers tucked away .

[daycaremom76]

LOL my 10 soon to be 11yr old DD colors all over her legs and arms!!! I get emails from her teachers all the time telling me that she was drawing on herself again in class. Problem is she's and awesome drawer! She tells me since she's too young to get a tattoo she just draws them herself. She also draws all over my dck's arms and hands. Their parents have already said they don't care, it's all washable marker so it comes off in the bath! I draw all over my desk calendar while I am on the phone or just thinking............I just flipped to Jan this morning and I have doodles everywhere! Besides the pinching of the marker tops, I would just ignore it if his parents don't care then don't worry about it. But explain to him how pinching the ends ruin the markers. I swear one of my dck was a billy goat in a past life cause she eats EVERYTHING! She constantly chews on the end of the markers (the colored side) she isn't allowed to use them anymore but she eats crayons too, sometimes you just have to pick your battles.

[seebachers]

I think your expectations are a little on the high side.

[Meyou]

My DCB (5) walked out of school in September with a blue face. :: His teacher told me, "DCB and I had a little talk about appropriate coloring. He knows he can color on paper, not himself, tables, chairs or his friends." All with this big fake smile on her face and using the voice I use to explain stuff to parents that I'm pissed about. :: ::

I have a one chance and you're done rule with him. If he starts to color on himself (on purpose) or anything other than paper he loses his markers for the rest of the week and gets crayons. He's much better now. He was just being messy and not listening. He "forgets" sometimes but remembers it isn't worth it when he has crayons for a few days.

[SilverSabre25]

Well, at least he's normal! ::

I vacillate among a couple things for what to do about the problem. I've tried banning markers and it just makes my own child sad. I've tried limiting the markers to her private art supplies but that doesn't work either...they breed, or something, and end up everywhere. I've tried forbidding him to use markers but it's just about as effective as telling water to stop running downhill. I've also considered ignoring it, but that's hard for me for some reason. (I would still tell him to go wash himself off, and bring attention to the fact that this is not how we're supposed to do it).

What really gets me is that he has never, not once, admitted to me that he colored on himself. "DCB, I see you were using the marker on your face again, can you tell me about that?" (as his face has several VERY obvious blue lines). And his response will be "No, I didn't!" and he will swear up and down that he did not, nosirree, that is not marker, it was there yesterday, he did nothing.

My sister did suggest that if he colors on his face, take away the markers and offer him the really big fat crayons that toddlers use. She also suggested bringing him to the mirror and just saying, "explain," and see what happens. I suppose I'll do that...though I'd really prefer he not do it again!

[MarinaVanessa]

I've tried limiting the markers to her private art supplies but that doesn't work either...they breed, or something, and end up everywhere.

:::::: This made me laugh because I swear it's true. I limit the use of the markers to the school age kids and that includes my own 8yo DD because she's the oldest and even she can't seem to keep it on the paper and like you ... even when I have them tucked away MY OWN (not the other DCK's) 2yo DS always walks out with a marker from who knows where

The markers must have got out somehow when I didn't close the drawer tight and had a littler of mini markers somewhere in the house ... my DS must have come upon this litter. :: I love your interpretation Silver.

[Saulgoodman]

Give the kid some Crayons.