What are the benefits of coloring for kids, teens, and adults? Coloring books have been around for ages but when my own children were young we started hearing that coloring someone else’s designs was not creative enough. Parents and teachers were advised to let the children draw their own pictures and then hopefully color them. These past few years the coloring book craze is sweeping the land attracting kids, teens, and adults. What have they found now to be the benefits of coloring?
In an article titled “7 Reasons Adult Coloring Books Are Great for Your Mental, Emotional and Intellectual Health by Dr. Nikki Martinez, Psy.D., LCPC, I learned the following:
“Many psychologists and therapists “prescribe” these to patients for various reasons, and many occupational therapists prescribe them as well!2. Adult coloring books can help with a number of emotional and mental health issues. For many, boredom, lack of structure, and stress are the greatest triggers they have. This applies to individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorders, anxiety disorders, stress disorders, depressive disorders, eating and binge eating disorders, anger management issues, and substance abuse issues. The time and focus that adult coloring takes helps the individual remove the focus from the negative issues and habits, and focus them in a safe and productive way.”
Do you have angry, anxious, agitated children in your home or classroom? Are your teens unable to fall asleep at a decent hour each night? Do you feel overwhelmed, over-stressed, and over tired? Invest in a few coloring books and good quality crayons. Coloring is a rhythmic activity that calms the brain of all ages and folks of all abilities.
A great thing about coloring is that, unlike some hobbies, there is a low barrier to entry. You can bring out your coloring book and colored pencils anywhere and you’re good to go. You can start and stop coloring without any fussing on preparation or clean-ups. It’s all good! No directions to read and follow. No required steps to complete in a certain sequence. Coloring is just hassle free, relaxing fun to be enjoyed alone or with friends.
Stress relieving adult coloring books are helping lots of individuals. Some color in the comfort of their own home and prefer to be alone. Others find coloring with a group of friends at a community centre, library, restaurant or in each other’s homes is their cup of tea.
In a post titled The Benefits of Coloring for All Ages on http://kidlutions.blogspot.ca , I found the following point very interesting as it happened in our last family gathering. My sisters and I brought out coloring books and had the best family chit chat in years!
Relaxed states can lead to more discussion of important topics. If you’re a parent, why not try coloring together as a family and experiencing the relaxation benefits that are to be had? In addition, you may just find that these sorts of moments lend themselves to conversation and connection you hadn’t planned on.
Benefits of Coloring for Kids:
A very informative post titled “10 Benefits of Coloring Pages for Kids’ Psychology and Development posted on Color Psychology.org lists the following:
1. Improves Motor Skills
2. Prepares Them for School
3. Stimulates Creativity
4. Contributes to Better Handwriting
5.Teaches Color Awareness, Recognition and Discernment
6. Improves Focus and Hand to Eye Coordination
7. Helps Learn about Boundaries, Structure and Spacial Awareness
8. Improves Confidence and Self Esteem
9. Helps Self-Expression
10. Is Therapy and Stress Relief
Benefits found in stress relieving adult coloring books:
- Reduce stress and boost mental clarity.
- A pleasant way to relax right at home that requires no special clothing, gear, or membership fees!
- Coloring has the power to focus the brain similarly to meditation.
- People who find it difficult to meditate, coloring pages and books for adults easily help induce the same meditative state.
- Research suggests, coloring may lower stress, aid relaxation, boost creativity, even help improve sleep and attention spans.
- An electronic-free way to spend a little time before turning out the lights that won’t disturb your melatonin levels so you may sleep better.
- Promotes creativity and flexible thinking.
- Stress relieving adult coloring books will surely help you get out and away from it all and help you relax and unwind. It is like taking a vacation without going anywhere!
Colouring is meditative—it allows us to mindfully focus on one thing at a time, to steer clear of stress-causing distractions. The benefits of the practice have been endorsed by the American Art Therapy Association (AATA). They’re even being used by the American Wounded Warrior program, as part of group therapy for veterans struggling with PTSD.
Coloring Books Give Wounded Veterans Therapeutic Benefits
Injured Service Members Relax and Unwind During Adult Coloring Session
Feb 12, 2016, 14:55 ET from Wounded Warrior Project
WILLIAMSBURG, Va., Feb. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Adult coloring books are appearing on bestseller lists as the coloring trend spreads nationwide. The one-time solo past time is becoming a social activity, and recently a group of injured service members discovered the therapeutic advantages of color pencil to paper.
Organized by Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) as part of the Alumni program, events like this create support through shared experiences. Many service members face similar challenges adjusting to their injuries and civilian life; by bonding at events, these wounded veterans learn they are not alone.
The health benefits of coloring go beyond relaxation by alleviating stress and anxiety. Studies indicate coloring exercises fine motor skills and trains the brain to focus. It has also been therapeutic for those who live with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Army veteran and WWP Alumnus Lorrie Briscoe said, “This was my first experience with adult coloring and it took me back to childhood with no worries in the world. It was calm and peaceful, aside from deciding what color to use on what part of the picture.”
Why does it help some people but not others?
One very informative article on adult coloring books was written in November 13, 2015 b a clinical psychologist named Scott M. Bea, Psy.D. The article is titled 3 Reasons Adult Coloring Can Actually Relax Your Brain – Find out what’s behind the latest craze
Adult coloring does not relax everyone. It depends on the individual and their prior experiences. Dr. Bea suspects that the more a person enjoyed coloring as a child, the more likely he or she is to respond to it positively as an adult. “It has been my impression that adults choose variants of activities they loved as children for their adult recreations,” he says.
Benefits of Coloring Are Numerous – Give It a Try!
Do you find your fast paced lifestyle is taking a toll on your mental and physical health? Do your children as well as yourself have trouble winding down in the evening and cannot get a good night’s sleep? Try kicking stress with a packs of crayons and brand new coloring books. What could be simpler and easier on your pocket book to help your whole family relax and recharge their batteries?
In a post by Doctors Nova Scotia titled Five Colouring Books to Help You De-Stress Right Now, we learned that colouring books are now available inspired by almost every fantasy subculture you can think of, from Doctor Who to Game of Thrones. But if you find Benedict Cumberbatch and the BBC’s Sherlock your cup of tea, it’s entirely possible Sherlock: The Mind Palace colouring book will suit you. Read our reviews of a few adult coloring books and the links where to buy them at the end of this post.
Read Also:
Buy Adult Coloring Books by Blue Star Coloring:
- Exotic Animal Designs: A Stress Relieving Adult Coloring Book by Katie Packer and Blue Star Coloring Amazon.com Amazon.ca
Birds of the World: Adult Coloring Book by Rémy Simard Amazon.com Amazon.ca
- Color Your Christmas: A Crafty Christmas Adult Coloring Book Oct 20 2016 Amazon.com Amazon.ca
- Decorate Your Halloween: An Adult Coloring Book of Halloween Crafts Sep 27 2016 Amazon.com Amazon.ca
- Spirit of Halloween: A Stress Relieving Adult Coloring Book Sep 30 2015 Amazon.com Amazon.ca
- Soul of the Woodland: A Stress Relieving Adult Coloring Book Aug 14 2015 Amazon.com Amazon.ca
9 Comments
It’s so unfair that people are so quick to discourage others when they have barely any of the facts. “Coloring someone else’s designs isn’t creative enough” – so what? As this article shows, there are a ton of benefits to coloring, INCLUDING improved creativity.
The line art is completely separate from the coloring, and while each requires different skills, they BOTH require creativity. I feel bad for all the people who missed out on coloring because someone else went out of their way to bring them down.
Thanks for trying to turn that stigma around!
Hello ColorGaia, Thanks for taking the time to write a comment. Happy coloring! Lorna
Oh WOW this is next level colouring!!!! My kids looooooooooove to colour and would go bananas for this! So clever…. technology really freaks me out – in a good way, lol! 🙂 What a clever gift these would be too!!
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