Top 10 Reasons why Coloring is important

Coloring is important for kids

These are the top reasons why coloring is important for your kids.

1. Sense of accomplishment

Kids love it when they finish something by themselves. Whether it is making a sand castle or whether it is tearing a paper into shreds, kids love doing something. For many kids, to finish coloring a small section in  a page is as big as when they recite the alphabets.  It’s an affirmation that they are capable of doing things by themselves, and it provides them a sense of self worth. This sense of accomplishment will give them more confidence when they are in school or when they have to solve different types of problems. It is easy for them to monitor their own progress when they color a page with crayons or paint because its a visual feedback system in its simplest form.

2. Playing by the rules

Not to cross the lines are the simplest rules of a coloring sheet.  Parents usually top it with their own rules – “Don’t leave the crayons on the table”, “Clean up after you finish” etc. . Coloring is a form of discipline which children learn at an early stage. While a toddler or preschooler might have no control when they use the coloring pencil or crayon;  as the child gets older, they will begin to respect those lines, and make an effort to color between them.

3. Motor skills

Holding a crayon and pressing it against paper might be a simple exercise. This in fact helps build the muscles in their tiny hands. Eye- hand co-ordination is one of the most important skills for young children. Writing skills are formed when the motor skills are developed. Small things like wiggling fingers and even bigger tasks like lifting a bag, holding a fork are all indirectly developed when children learn how to hold a crayon. The ‘grip’  shows them that they can put simple ‘tools’ to their use.

4. Learning new shapes

Circles, squares, edges and curves are all types of shapes which they deal with when children start coloring.  Fast and accurate visual recognition of single shapes is crucial for efficient pattern recognition and reading. There are evidences through scientific research that coloring a shape helps retain the memory of the shape than actually just visually seeing it. This is also true when kids do free form shape drawings.

5. Recognition of patterns

The next step to learning shapes is to recognize patterns and complex shapes. Like recognizing patterns and visual images. For example, some kids pick up that an upside down triangle on a rectangle resembles a house.  Four squares together looks like a window and so on. Pattern recognition activities require children to observe and continue patterns.  This is automatically done when they engage in coloring or painting. The activities prepare them for learning numbers and solve math problems.  The coloring pages  help children develop skills of recognizing patterns and math.

6. Recognition of colors

Most kids learn the bright colors first–red, yellow, green, blue, etc. But they generally learn all the colors all at once because they learn them from their families as the adults point out colors to them.
Each week it would be great if a new color is introduced when they color. Name things that are that color. Cook foods that are that color. Find things in the room and name them that are that color. Spell the colors out at the same time so that they learn new words.

7. Developing a unique style and self expression

The way they color shows their style and expression. Some kids color close to the line first and keep the center of the image to the last. They find that more comforting. They way they hold the crayon, the way the stroke the lines, the pressure they add to the paper are all indications of their style and their expression. This is a great outlet to their boundless energy.  A child who draws start, suns, and other bright objects may be expressing happiness and satisfaction.  It is important to give children a chance to express themselves, and not all children express themselves through words, many use tools and instruments .

8. Being focused

Concentration is required to color a page. Distractions can happen depending on where the child is sitting and coloring. Most kids sit on a table (usually the dining table) when they start coloring. The distractions can happen from a parent or another kid. The key lesson for the kid where parents should guide them is that no matter what the small distractions are, relax and finish of the coloring page.

9. Saving energy

Coloring doesn’t require electricity if you are coloring on a paper. The coloring kit is so portable, that the kids can take this to a party or a park. This makes it more appealing. Parents can let kids continue coloring on a sheet and the Parents can save their energy too!.

10.  Being in the now