Designed for a child to finish
Each tag has four to six shapes and nothing narrower than 5mm, so a crayon or a felt tip stays roughly inside the lines. The outlines are 1.5mm, which hides a wandering hand. A tag that a child has coloured badly still looks charming, which is not true of a tag with fine detail.
The To and From lines are 10mm apart rather than the usual 6mm, because a child writing a name needs the room and will use it regardless of what is printed.
Twelve designs, not one repeated
Every tag on the sheet is different: a tree, a bauble, a star, a stocking, a gingerbread man, a candle, a bell, a mitten, a snowman, a parcel, a candy cane and a robin. Children get bored colouring the same shape twelve times, and a sheet of twelve different shapes keeps them going to the end.
Paper or card
Card is better but paper works. If children are using felt tips, 120gsm paper at minimum, or the ink goes through and marks the table. On card, water-based felt tips sit on the surface longer and can smudge, so coloured pencils are the safer choice for card.
Questions
- What age are the colour in tags for?
- Four upwards. Outlines are 1.5mm, no shape is narrower than 5mm and the To and From lines are 10mm apart, which is what a child writing a name actually needs.
- Are all twelve tags the same design?
- No, all twelve are different: a tree, bauble, star, stocking, gingerbread man, candle, bell, mitten, snowman, parcel, candy cane and robin. Children lose interest colouring the same shape twelve times.
- Paper or card for colouring tags?
- Card is sturdier, but with felt tips use at least 120gsm paper so the ink does not go through. On card, coloured pencils are safer because water-based felt tips can smudge.
- How long does a sheet take a child?
- About twenty minutes for twelve tags, which is usually enough for a whole family of presents.