Even though I’m an eco-friendly mom, I try not to be the “Paper Police”. Access to paper is an important part of life for kids.
Top Reasons to Make Paper Available to Kids:
1. They get to be creative with crayons, markers, paints, pencils, pens, etc.
2. It gives them fine motor practice. Even if they draw the same thing over and over, it’s good fine motor practice.
3. It keeps them busy in a screen-free way. They may not always be at an age where a stack of paper is such a fun thing for them. Take advantage of this unique time in their lives.
4. It’s fairly inexpensive if you buy a ream of paper instead of the paper pads they sell for kids that may have thicker paper, but not as many sheets. White is my favorite because it’s usually less expensive. But, a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors of paper is also good.
Giving kids somewhat free access to paper is usually not eco-friendly. But, I try to do other eco-friendly things to make up for it. One way to save trees in general is to cut up stained t-shirts into reusable rags to lessen paper towel use. Also, using cloth napkins sometimes instead of paper napkins is helpful.
One last tip: Pick a spot in your home and put a stack of about 25 sheets of paper. When that’s gone, refresh it with another pile of 25 so they don’t get too wasteful. The kids will always know where to go if they need to write a list or if they feel like drawing a picture.
Agree or disagree? I’d love to hear your experiences with paper and kids.
~Carrie
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I keep a pile of scratch paper on my desk. When something has been printed on one side and is no longer needed, it goes to scratch paper instead of trash. My kids use it for math or airplanes, or toddler coloring.
Also, watch Staples sales during the summer! We’ve gotten reams cheap or free there before. Even colored paper, which is fun for changing things up once in a while.
Thanks Shecki!
I love your tips! I’m going to have to check Staples this summer!
Carrie
I don’t think we’d survive without paper! Thanks for sharing your techniques with us on Mom’s Library, I’ll be featuring you this week at Crystal’s Tiny Treasures.
Thanks so much Crystal!
Carrie
I so agree! My kids had access to paper, pencils/crayons (and textas/markers when they were older) scissors (yes, even scissors from a young age) and glue. One child just like to cut paper up – I made them sit in a big box LOL, so clean up was easier. I love how you’ve listed the benefits. It is good to be reminded that there is purpose in our kids having such childish pursuits.
Thanks so much, Belinda!
Carrie
My kids love to doodle, write, and scribble. I definitely agree that paper should be freely available. It inspires creativity!
Thanks for hosting the weekly link up, Betsy! It’s always fun to check out other blogs!
Carrie
I so agree. Paper comes from renewable energy. I know a lot of folks don’t want to cut down trees, but I am only concerned about historical trees like the Redwood Forest in the California. I think a lot of our paper comes from mills that own forests which they use for their tree supplies and have a plan for replenishing the trees through regular plantings. I love the tips in the comment section here too. I love to make pretty notebooks available to my grands so they can doodle or record their thoughts.
Thanks for your thoughts, Mary!
Carrie
PS thanks for linking up with the #LMMLinkup last week.