The table, not the floor
At table height a child presses better and sits straight; on the floor, the wrist works badly and the sheet tears. A chair where the feet touch something is worth more than a booster seat that wobbles.
A wipe-clean mat, not newspaper
Newspaper drinks the ink and sticks to the sheet. An oilcloth, a silicone mat or a plain plastic folder wipe clean with one pass of a sponge and last for years.
Fewer markers, more often
Six colors out beat forty spread across the table: your child chooses instead of trying everything, and tidying takes ten seconds. Keep the rest in a closed box, to swap from one session to the next.
Filing the finished pages
One folder per series, a magnet on the fridge for the favorite, and the rest in a drawing portfolio. A child who comes across their old sheets goes back to them, compares them, and sees their own progress without being told.
