My son and I started using the ZieBee Coloring Collection back in 2019. As a single parent I’d been wanting activities to do with him that actually felt engaging for me as well (any other parents struggle with hours of building legos or imagination play?).
After long days at a job that is mentally demanding, it takes time for me to switch gears and I sometimes feel guilty for my inability to be present with him when I am finally done working.
I’ve found that coloring is an ideal transition activity.
Getting absorbed in making art together helps him feel like I am totally present and engaged and allows me the time to clear the mental clutter from the work day before starting our evening.
What I love about ZieBee’s art in particular is the variety of products that suit my time constraints.
If we only have fifteen minutes before I need to make dinner, we can use a coloring postcard.
If it’s a day off and we want a project work on in small sessions and to come back to, I can tape a coloring poster to our coffee table in the morning.
And the coloring book is great for anytime, anywhere, and is light weight enough to bring with us when we’re out and about.
The art itself has a lot more empty space than some of the more intricate, zen style coloring products made for adults. The animals and scenery in ZieBee’s designs are inspiring for young imaginations but beautiful enough to not feel cartoonish or childish.
I’m not a morning person. My son is.
Several mornings during the pandemic, I have woken up to find him humming happily at the coffee table working on a ZieBee poster. My son has completed most of the Journey of Colors coloring book and has even begun using one of my art pens to draw his own characters and details within the pictures before he colors them!
Thank you to the awesome folks at ZieBee Media for creating a resource that has helped me to be more present parent, blossomed my child’s creative confidence and enabled me to have screen-free quality time together. Please keep sharing your designs with the world!!
~Rebecca
About the Author
Rebecca Martinez is an Oregon-native residing in Portland. A Mexican-American, queer femme creative and former Evangelical Christian, Rebecca is on a mission to infuse the world with more self-compassion and radical honesty, even when that honesty pushes the edge. For more from Rebecca, visit RebeccaMartinezWrites.com.
