How Coloring with My Grandkids and AI Brought Back the Magic of Childhood

There’s something magical about a rainy day when you’re a kid. No school, no errands, just you, a cozy spot on the floor, and a big ol’ coloring book. I can still picture it: the soft tap of raindrops against the window, the smell of fresh crayons, and the pure joy of filling in those black-and-white outlines with as much—or as little—precision as I pleased. It didn’t matter if I stayed inside the lines or turned the dog blue and the sky purple. It was all about the fun and the feeling of contentment that came with it. Hours would pass, and I wouldn’t even notice.

Fast forward a few decades, and now, life’s a bit busier. But there’s still a space in my heart for that kind of joy, especially now that I have 5 grandkids who are just as excited about coloring as I was. On those weekends when they come to stay, we spread out at the coffee table, markers, crayons, and coloring books in hand, and it’s like time slows down.

The best part? It’s not just them getting the joy out of it—I’m right there with them. It takes me back to those childhood days when I could lose myself in coloring for hours. Now, instead of lying on the floor, I sit across from them, laughing and chatting, filling in new pictures while talking about anything and everything. There’s something comforting about it all—seeing their little faces light up, knowing that I’m not only spending quality time with them but also giving them the same sense of joy and calm that coloring brought me.

These moments are priceless, and I always thought coloring couldn’t get any better—until I discovered AI. Now, coloring has gone to a whole new level, and it’s not just about flipping through a store-bought book anymore. Thanks to text-to-image AI, we can create our own coloring pages. Anything my grandkids (or I!) can imagine can be turned into a unique coloring sheet. They can say, “Grandpapa, let’s color a dragon with polka dots and glasses!” and within moments, there it is—ready for us to bring to life with our crayons and markers. And the best part? It’s like we’re designing these pictures together, combining their wild imaginations with the cool power of technology.

What’s even more fun is watching their reaction when they realize the pictures we’re coloring didn’t come from a shelf, but from our heads. We’re not just coloring anymore—we’re making something new, and that makes the experience even more special. Whether it’s a space unicorn or a robot dinosaur, it’s now part of our creative time together.

AI doesn’t take away the fun of coloring—it adds to it. Now, we’ve got endless possibilities for what we can color next. It keeps us connected, sparks our creativity, and gives us even more reasons to laugh and enjoy those precious moments together.

So, the next time the grandkids are over, and the crayons come out, we’re not just flipping through old coloring books. We’re making our own—and creating new memories, one colorful page at a time.