Remember those ‘color by number’ projects you did as a kid? Of course you do! Over decades and generations, the concept has not changed much. That is until now. The basic premise remains the same yet the concept has just gone digital. Color It By Numbers allows your child to fully explore their color-based creativity over and over again, but without the wasted paper.
Color It By Numbers is small program that you download and run independently on your PC. There are three modes of play depending on the level of your child or their preference. The most classic mode is ‘Color it by Numbers’. The picture is fairly easy to make out with large chunks to color. For those that want a bit more challenge, the ‘Color it to Make it Visible’ is a nice feature. The image is broken up into smaller pieces and it is harder to discern the overall picture. For those that want free reign in releasing their bountiful creativity there is yet another mode. This allows your child to color as they please, even changing the shades of color they are using. Since my daughter is already 10, she enjoyed this mode the most. Do you like her portrait of our puppy?
Depending on the interests of your child, three different collections are available to choose from. There are animals, princesses, and transportation. The ‘animals’ pack is, by far, my daughter’s favorite. The illustrations are so friendly and cute. Yes, it is described as such on their website but no other words so aptly describe these delightful pictures.
Each collection is purchased separately. If you are not sure which one to choose, feel free to browse the gallery to see a good portion of the images included in each. The ‘transportation’ pack has graphics that will appeal to both boys and girls but is geared towards boys with the construction trucks and such.
There is different background music for each collection but it can get a bit grating. We preferred to turn it off, although the one for the transportation pictures was kind of fun. This is a very basic program so it is not loaded with a lot of other functionality. For example, I actually had to print out my registration codes and enter it manually as the ‘cut & paste’ shortcut did not work. I would love to see additional images made available for download – adding variety and perhaps even more complexity.
I thought this program would be too simple to entertain my daughter. Surprisingly, though, she said, “It’s fun!” She enjoyed mixing her own colors and playing around with different combinations. I love the fact that this isn’t some mind-numbing time waster but instead a way for her to explore color and art. And there’s no mess! My daughter would play it more often if I didn’t always kick her off so I could get some blogging done!
