Do you remember magic painting? It’s where you colour a picture using just a brush dipped in water.

Today on my way to the post office, I passed by a shop that offered magic painting books on a table outside. Looking at the simple half-tone pictures brought back vague memories of my childhood — perhaps even from Kent Academy in Nigeria (where I schooled for first and second grade).

The memories, combined with the knowledge that the girls would love the opportunity to paint, made the books irresistible. I brought them home and they’ve been a big hit.

Instead of being printed with regular ink, magic painting pages are printed with concentrated dots of ink that are water-soluble. When water is mixed with the dots, they release their colour.

After rest time, the girls took their books outside to paint in the shade of a tree.

Brioni was initially discouraged by the unimaginative results, but with Aisha at her side, she started painting as quickly as she could.

The girls' hand-eye coordination was developed as they tried to keep within the lines of each picture's colour.

Highly recommended activity for pre-schoolers!