Colour your ground.

by L. D.
(Ontario)

When preparing your canvas, add some paint to the final coat of gesso or use a coloured gesso. Your coloured ground is now into a tonal range rather than at one extreme (white).

This encourages better usage of darks and forces a situation where you paint your whites. For adults a coloured ground is not as intimidating as a stark white blank canvas. For children a benefit is that they can work immediately one their subject and produce an attractive result due to the background colour.