Colouring fun with Bic Kids (review)

Like all children their age, the Madhouse kids would be happy to spend half of their holidays with their eyes glued to various screens, whether that be TV, iPads or laptops. I, on the other hand, have other ideas and want to get them enjoying some good old-fashioned technology-free fun, like the kind I had in my own childhood - water fights, long walks with the dogs, blackberrying, going for bike rides, messy play, ... It was heartwarming to see how enthusiastic they were when I pulled out some new packs of colouring supplies from Bic and encouraged them to get their creative juices flowing !

The kids have each got a box full of colouring materials in their bedrooms, but there's something totally irresistible about a brand new pack of felt tips, pencils or crayons. I can totally understand the appeal : testing out the new colours, seeing how bright they are, appreciating the length and totally unchewed condition of the pencils, not worrying about the felt tips running out halfway through a big section and ending up with patchy colour, ... 

The Bic Kids products are particularly well-designed with little artists in mind. The Kid Couleur Felt Pens 12 pack (RRP £2.99) is ideal for school with all the main colours you need. They are durable and ultra washable (hallelujah !) with blocked tips, so you shouldn't need to replace them before the end of the first term back at school (as usually happens !). They are perfect for kids to explore their creativity without the mess.

Bic Kids Evolution Ecolutions colouring pencils (RRP £2.99) are described as ultra-resistant, wood-free colouring pencils with a resistant chew-proof lead and barrel, making them highly durable. What’s more, they are easy to sharpen and extra safe, as they don't splinter. They tick all the boxes for my pet niggles when it comes to colouring pencils !

The one that most impressed us, though, was the BIC KIDS Plastidecor crayons (RRP £2.99). My own childhood experiences with wax crayons weren't all that great - they seemed to snap a lot, ended up all over my hands and sleeves (from leaning on the bits I'd coloured) and I spent half of the time peeling off bits of paper to reveal the rapidly dwindling crayon part. These ones are extra long and hollow so they are easier to hold and feel more like you're using felt tips. Ideal for children over the age of 30 months and recommended by teachers, these crayons are easy to sharpen and are super resistant to breakage, as well as being extra clean on hands and fabrics. Once again, they've taken all my pet niggles and solved the problems.

Pierre tested the felt tips and loved the bright colours and the fact that they didn't smudge, bleed into the paper or make the top surface of the paper fluff up. He also managed to not get felt tip all over his hands, which was a miracle, although the fact that they are ultra washable means that it wouldn't really have mattered anyway.

Juliette tried out the colouring pencils and came up with a seaside scene, complete with palm trees, whales in the ocean and a colourful hot air balloon drifting through the sky. She said that they gave great coverage and you didn't have to press really hard so they were more comfortable to use than her current pencils.

Our surprise favourite, though, was the Plastidecor crayons because they provide such vivid colours. We also discovered that if you draw with one colour then colour over the top, the original lines can still be seen through it, which opens up more creative possibilities. Pierre asked if we can redo something he did at school - colour in a whole piece of paper with the crayons, then paint black paint all over the top. When it is dried, use a pair of rounded-end scissors to scratch off parts of the paint to make a pattern and reveal the bright colours beneath. I remember doing this myself at school to create a firework scene, so we'll definitely have to give that a go during the holidays.

If you're looing for a way to keep the kids entertained and you have a budding artist aged 5-11, Bic currently have a fabulous competition running on Mumsnet where children can submit their drawings and be in with a chance of winning a £50 BIC bundle, as well as get their artwork featured on a billboard in their hometown!

Rebecca Huda from BIC explains : “It doesn’t matter if your child thinks the sky should be yellow, the sun pink, or the grass purple – we want to see the nation’s most imaginative drawings. All you need to do, is send a photo of your kid’s best drawing by the 6th August. Entries will then be judged by our panel of expert creatives and winners will be notified before the billboards are launched in September.” 

This competition is open to all UK children who will be aged between 5 and 11 years old on 6th August 2017. The competition is open from 17th July - 6th August so you've got plenty of time to get creative!

Disclosure : I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity. I have received a voucher as a token of thanks for this post.