5 Tips to Prevent Your Children from Drawing on the Walls
The habit of drawing on the walls is caused by your child’s underdeveloped motor coordination. This makes the child uncomfortable when it comes to drawing on a piece of paper while sitting on a table.
There are no standard rules to prevent children from drawing on the walls. It’s all about being creative and using common sense.
As parents we should focus on finding solutions rather than scolding our children for their spontaneity. If we focus on solutions, they will understand us better. We’ll also avoid becoming the “villains” that restrict their interests.
Normal phase of growth
Children begin to embark on an artistic phase around the age of two which is characterized by drawing on the walls.
During this phase, the walls become the ideal canvas because children can easily support their hands and the tip of the crayon or marker, in order to create an image.
Of course, as parents we are touched by these actions, especially when our children seem to be striving like struggling artists.
However, it isn’t pleasant to have to regularly repaint the walls of the house due to our children’s artistic hyperactivity.
5 tips to prevent your children from drawing on the walls
1. Blackboard-like wall sheets
These wall sheets can be found in different sizes in school supply stores. They can also be found online.
They consist of a smooth surface that creates a completely functional blackboard effect. Colored markers work very well on these sheets.
These wall sheets can be applied to any flat surface. They are ideal when it comes to preventing children from drawing on the wall.
As for its location, it’s ideal to paste them up in the child’s room, since that is where they tend to focus their artistic inspiration.
2. Blackboard
Blackboards are used quite commonly in these situations. However, if your child is allergic or suffers from asthma, it’s best to avoid them. The dust created by chalk can be harmful to their health.
If your child doesn’t suffer from the aforementioned conditions, blackboards are ideal. They can be reused constantly without too much maintenance.
If your child is between the age of 3 and 4, the blackboard can be provided for them as an area to express themselves. At this age, they’re able to understand that they can use the blackboard as a tool to create whatever they want.
3. Easy-to-clean paint or crayons
There are anti-adherent paints that are available which can be cleaned easily without creating stains. These markers or paints can be cleaned as easily as specks of dust on the walls.
You can also find special crayons which can easily be cleaned with a dry or semi-wet cloth. This tip doesn’t prevent children from drawing on the walls, however it does solve the problem of having to repaint the walls constantly.
4. Creativity and responsibility
Although your child may already have a designated drawing area or a blackboard, some children have the impulse to make any plain color wall their personal canvas.
A good way to prevent children from drawing outside of their designated spaces is to incorporate them in the cleaning of their creations afterwards. They should be given this responsibility naturally, not as a punishment for their behavior.
The idea of having the child participate in the cleanup of their creations is an educational and didactic activity. It’s not punishment. It’s important to make the child aware of the consequences of their actions. This will also teach the child about the importance of responsibility.
Children should learn the basic rules that allow them to coexist harmoniously in the house. This includes cleaning their messes.
5. Large papers
Sure, there are wall papers that have a blackboard effect that can be left on for long periods of time. However, if you don’t like this option or if you simply cannot buy the material which is described in tip 1, you can use large sheets of paper.
These large sheets of paper can be stuck to the wall using transparent tape. This will give your child a designated space to draw on, preventing them for drawing on other walls in the house.
Therefore, your child will be able to express their artistic inspiration without creating a mess.
The only disadvantage of these large sheets of paper is that they have to be changed regularly and they can’t be reused. However, some mothers have come up with a special technique to reuse these papers.
Once their children have used both sides of the sheets, they mark their art with their hand prints using said paint. This way the child can use the same sheet of paper 3 times. This also gives the child a different way to express their artistic spirit.
Additional advice
- As we previously mentioned, children don’t draw on the wall simply because it is entertaining, they also do it because they find it more comfortable to make strokes while standing up to a smooth vertical surface. With time, your child will develop their motor skills. It’s important for you to create a designated space where they will be able to express their artistic spirit.
- Colored chalk and crayons are the best options for your child’s drawings. Avoid bringing markers or paint. Remember that they don’t only draw on the walls, they also draw on furniture. In this sense, chalk and crayon are a bit easier to remove from different surfaces.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Fernández-Sánchez, E. V., Garcia-Herrera, D. G., Álvarez-Lozano, M. I., & Erazo-Álvarez, J. C. (2020). Desarrollo de técnicas grafo-plásticas con recursos educativos no estructurados. Revista Arbitrada Interdisciplinaria Koinonía, 5(1), 411-429.
- Pin, V., & Marilyn, G. (2017). Las técnicas de pintura y el desarrollo de la psicomotricidad fina de los niños y niñas de inicial 2 de 4 a 5 años en la unidad educativa “El Carmen” del cantón El Carmen, provincia de Manabí, periodo 2016-2017. (Doctoral dissertation).
