Since the 1880s, coloring books have been a popular way to pass time with children and adults alike.
But kids, in particular, can benefit greatly by filling the pages with vibrant colors. Perhaps you’ve been planning to get coloring pages for your little one but you’re not sure whether it’s worth it.
Sounds like you? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are the eight main benefits of coloring pages for children.
- Develops Hand Strength
One of the main benefits of coloring pages is that it develops children’s hand strength. We often take for granted how much we rely on grip for typing emails or writing letters, but this skill is taught during childhood.
Hand strength is crucial for little ones so they develop their handwriting. But aside from giving children pages to copy, it’s better to provide coloring pages so they can improve their strength and dexterity.
- Teaches Children Pencil Grip
Alongside hand strength, teaching your child how to grip the pencil is equally as important.
Give your little one crayons so they learn to control their coloring pencil and how to grip it properly. If not, children will develop poor grip habits that will hinder their writing abilities.
- Encourages Creativity
“Does coloring help child development?” You ask.
Know that getting your children to color pages gets their creative juices flowing. Little ones will get lost in their imagination while learning how to color within the lines and the different color combinations. Plus, it teaches children to think of new ideas naturally, making coloring pages an excellent place to start.
- Improves Fine Motor Coordination
Coloring and child development go hand-in-hand as it improves their fine motor skills. As humans, we need these to help with using tools, driving, and doing smaller actions like turning the page of our favorite novel.
A great way to develop these is by giving your child coloring activities so they can try dot-to-dot activities, tracing, and even copy their favorite picture from their dinosaur coloring pages into their notebook.
Alongside motor skills, coloring pages also improve your child’s spatial awareness. Coloring teaches children visual perception so they understand perspective and various forms of art.
- Develops Focus
Around 71% of parents with a child under 18 years old are concerned with their children’s screentime as it can affect their ability to focus.
Concentration is not the only key in academics, but also for careers so teach them when they’re young. There’s no greater way to improve that than with coloring pages as children must sit down and complete the task from start to finish.
Eventually, your child’s focus will improve and they will go the extra mile to create more intricate drawings and try more complex coloring pages. It also teaches children to be patient and understand that you must put effort into achieving your goals.
- Teaches Children Color and Shape Recognition
One of the main benefits of coloring is that it introduces children to different colors and types of shapes.
As your child colors, you can teach them the color’s hues, about primary colors, and complementary colors. Children will also learn how to associate colors with certain animals, for instance choosing green for a frog.
Further, you’ll child will develop their language as they work through the coloring pages. You can talk to one another about the names and your child can explain what they see when they look at the coloring pages.
Plus, encouraging your children to color also develops their planning skills.
This is because there are different steps to tackling coloring pages, from choosing which color to use for each part to the types of decorations. Once they learn how to create a basic plan, then they can use this for writing stories or even choosing what to wear in the mornings.
- Therapeutic
A great way for your child to unwind is by offering them coloring pages, especially if they’ve had a stressful day. The act of coloring forces your little one to focus on the task so they slip into a more peaceful mindset as they finish the picture.
This helps them in the long-term as they now have a healthy activity so they can process emotions after tackling a challenging situation. Plus, your child will associate coloring with feeling great, thereby creating a fantastic childhood memory for when they’re older.
You should also swap your little one’s screen for coloring pages before bed. Blue light can affect our sleep schedule and reduces melatonin, a sleep hormone that promotes rest, which is terrible on a school night. Instead, turn on a lamp and ask your little one to complete a coloring page so they can ease into sleep.
- Provides a Sense of Achievement
It’s important to give children tasks so they feel pride and a sense of achievement once they’ve completed them. Once your little one completes multiple coloring pages, they develop good self-esteem and confidence, both valuable lifelong skills.
This confidence will help with their critical thinking so they take more risks with color and try new techniques like shading.
Benefits of Coloring Pages
Hopefully, after reading this article, you now know the benefits of coloring pages.
Encourage your child to color as it improves their hand strength, teaches them how to focus, and embraces their creativity. Coloring pages also give children an accomplishment to be proud of and is a great way to unwind after a busy day, a useful tool in every parenting tool kit. What’s not to love?
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