I was always concerned as to how to keep my 4 year old busy. Being the only child in 4 adults she too started talking and responding like us.
We got her role play toys, legos and dolls but each time the question was the same "with whom I will play" she would buy the toys with great enthusiasm but then loose interest in playing with them. For each time she would want one of us to play with her but we were occupied with something or the other and by the time one of us would take out time she would no longer want to play that ..
After thinking of things like puzzles or alphabet games I knew it wouldn't help. Then one day I got her a pack of 100 colours and asked her if she liked them her first reaction was "wow they are so beautiful so many colours, Mumma I will use all of them." Right then I told her that here's a colouring book and a pack of 12 colours. To which she was like no way I want the big one and I told her only on one condition that first colour 1 page daily with these colours and once I see how you keep your book and colours nicely I will give you the next set. It was like a goal she had to achieve and she so wanted those colours that she gave in for she knew mom meant what she said.
Just as I had expected she stared colouring daily one or sometimes 2 pages in her book and also kept the book in bookshelf and colours in the drawer. The first few times she didn't pack I told her that goes for minus marks. So to get more marks she made it a point to put things away. After 10 days I gave her another pack of 24 colours and this time I also started colouring with her .. it worked wonders for me too I never realised how great a stress buster it was !! I enjoyed it so much that I too stared doing a page daily and it added colours to my life as well. It made me feel light , satisfied to see how I merged the colours and happy .. Well after 15 days I finally took out the 100 colours pack and we both started colouring various beautiful pictures. Sometimes I would teach her to draw the ever famous age old drawing of the mountains and river with The sun smiling between the triangular mountains. It was so much fun that now we do it daily.
Colouring activities develop the aesthetic sense of children, which is very essential to develop a sense of admiration for the things around them. When they draw and colour they are able to explore their imagination. Show them some pictures on the net ask them to draw how they feel it should be. Encourage them, laugh with them and enjoy the little artists creations.
Just a small tip - give your child a colouring book and a drawing book also always ask them what they have drawn and note it on that page whatever they say that way you will know what your child is thinking and apart from colouring activities it will also develop the communication between you two.