Colouring sets have grown in popularity in recent years – even adults have jumped on the benefits of colouring pictures.  Colouring is great for relieving stress and anxiety and also helps to promote mindfulness and emotional regulation in children.

That’s why colouring sets are a great gift idea for kids this Christmas. They’re perfect for keeping kids entertained and engaged while they develop their creativity and fine motor skills.

There are many different types of colouring sets available on the market.  But, in this article, we’re looking at the reusable and sustainable options to consider when shopping for a Christmas gift this year.

Why choose a colouring set?

There are few kids' Christmas gifts that spark greater creativity, imagination and fun than a colouring set.  Before dinner is even served, kids will be lost in concentration and mesmerised by the piece of art they’re creating.  It's a simple yet wonderful kids' Christmas gift – and it doesn't cost the earth.

Best Christmas gifts for kids | Reusable colouring sets

Traditional paper colouring books are so last century!  With a reusable colouring set, you can take it absolutely anywhere: they’re compact, lightweight, spill-proof and dishwasher-safe.  Plus, they can be used for activities far beyond colouring (think games, crafts, playdough and baking!). 

Let's look at some of the leading brands of reusable colouring sets to see which ones are must-buy, affordable Christmas gifts for kids…  

Little Change Creators | Fun colouring for kids

These colouring sets are designed to spark creativity and kindness.  Suitable for school-aged kids, Little Change Creators does a fantastic job of ensuring its Re-FUN-able™ Colouring Sets are eco-friendly and child-safe. 

The colouring mats are made from a silky-smooth premium, bright white silicone to ensure pen colours pop.  Each set includes a generous 12-pack of low-odour marker pens, a fabric storage bag and cleaning cloth plus a pay-it-forward token that doubles as a name tag.  This token also unlocks a secret web page showing how your purchase has contributed towards Little Change Creators’ social impact initiative - helping kids who care for family members with a disability, chronic illness or addiction.  It’s a great way to instil kindness and gratitude in your child! 

All Little Change Creators colouring sets are independently tested and meet stringent international safety standards, giving you great peace of mind as a parent.  Re-FUN-able Colouring Sets come packaged in a FSC-certified cardboard sleeve that’s printed with bonus activities on the reverse side.  This minimises waste and delivers additional play value. 

It’s these ‘little extras’ that make Little Change Creators a stand-out brand for quality and repeat-play value.  Here’s a summary of their best-selling colouring sets:

CRAWLIES Re-FUN-able™ Colouring Set

Enjoyed a fun day out catching creepy crawlies in the nearby pond?  With this fun and engaging colouring set, your child will be able to endlessly colour in the bees, beetles and butterflies.  Inside the pouch, you'll find a double-sided erasable silicone mat printed with a stunning Crawlies design. 

It's a mindful activity you can take on a trip or out to the park.  It's a fantastic educational tool, helping kids to learn through colouring. Oh, and there's no waste – wipe the mat clean and you can colour it again and again and again. 

OUTER SPACE Re-FUN-able™ Colouring Set

This colouring set is out of this world – literally!  Like all Little Change Creators' colouring sets, it's easy to erase using the magic cloth for endless colouring fun.

In this set, you'll discover dozens of amazing illustrations on one side, from astronauts to spaceships to aliens.  Flip it over to reveal a bold "OUTER SPACE" splash page, where your child can create an explosion of colour.  It's time to blast off!

AUSTRALIA Re-FUN-able™ Colouring Set

Explore Australia with this creative colouring set.  Many of the iconic pictures on the double-sided, erasable mat are familiar yet there are plenty more to spark your child's curiosity and wonder. "What's that?" they'll ask, pointing at a crocodile, turtle or emu before diving in to colour so many other Australian animals. 

There’s also oodles of space to doodle and draw around the edges and let kids’ imaginations wander. 

Like all Little Change Creators’ colouring sets, it comes with 12 non-toxic, low-odour marker pens - so no horrible chemical smells! 

It's perfect for family adventures and learning about our land down under! 

SPELLBOUND Re-FUN-able™ Colouring Set

This is a magical affordable Christmas gift for kids!  Think castles and dragons and little glass slippers. If your child's favourite part of the day is a bedtime story about fantasy and fairytales, they'll be spellbound by this affordable yet fun colouring set.

However, there's no mystery in the value this set offers.  Inside the travel-friendly pouch, there's a silicone colouring mat, a magic clean cloth, 12 erasable markers and a token to create positive change (which you can also clip to the pouch as a name tag).  No waste.  No plastic wrapping.  Just a well-made colouring set designed to bring hours of fun! 

Hey Doodle | Silicone activity mat for kids

Hey Doodle aims to create endless reusable colour-in fun for a whole new generation of curious and creative minds.  With a range of activities, they aim to foster a creative outlet without an environmental footprint.  Unfortunately, they’ve missed the mark on a couple of those objectives.

Firstly, the flimsy plastic packaging doesn’t signify sustainability or quality.  Nor does it look gift-worthy as a Christmas gift for kids.  In all fairness, Hey Doodle is now offering a gift-tin option, but this comes at greater expense to shoppers.

Hey Doodle offers educational designs suitable for toddlers and pre-school aged children.  However, one may question whether you’d want to give a child so young marker pens that aren’t washable?

Hey Doodle mats are printed on a semi-translucent silicone and include 9 marker pens.  Additional pens can be purchased. 

Scribble Mat | Reusable colour-in mats

Scribble Mat offers reusable colour-in mats with simplistic designs to suit the toddler market.  Each comes in a roll-up pouch with four marker pens.

Whilst these colouring sets are bright and attractive, it’s a pity they’re packaged in synthetic felt as this goes against the brand’s eco ethos.  Synthetic felt is not biodegradable nor is it sustainably-made.

Scribble Mat colouring sets are compact and self-contained but perhaps not so practical for parents who value quick and easy clean-up.  Who has time for threading pens into tiny slits, right?

With such basic designs and a limited selection of pen colours, older children may find their creativity is stifled and tire of these sets quite quickly.

Scribble Mat colouring mats use a semi-opaque silicone and are available in a range of sizes.  Cleaning cloths can be purchased separately. 

Colouring Sets are an affordable Christmas gift for kids

Deciding what to buy for Christmas can leave parents and family scratching their heads.  But, with these eco-friendly, portable colouring sets, hours of fun await.  Will your child be colouring in bouncing kangaroos, wriggling worms or a cackling witch?

Whatever you choose, you're guaranteed a Christmas present that'll spark their creativity and give you some guilt-free grown-up time!