We all remember the joys of coloring books when we were kids, and recently American adults have been rediscovering this pleasant and care-free activity.
With many people stuck in there homes for the year of 2020, the adult coloring book world saw quite the boom. Providing fun indoor activities that were also stress-relieving, it’s no wonder that many people found this to be a suitable and enjoyable exercise not just for their kids, but for themselves, too.
Coloring isn’t just fun and nostalgic, it actually has some real health benefits.
Let’s take a look at the benefits of coloring for both kids and adults. Few things are so fun and so good for you!
Benefits of Coloring For Kids
There are a lot of physical and psychological health benefits of coloring for children. Not only does coloring act as a relaxing and creative activity for children, but it can help them to develop skills that will help them support their overall well-being as they grow up.
Enhances Fine Motor Development
Coloring is a great way for children to build the necessary muscles with which they can handle and manipulate small objects. Fine motor skills are necessary for a lot of different aspects of self-care as a child, including things like cleaning their own teeth, feeding themselves, and putting on shoes.
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Improves Hand-Eye Coordination
When kids color, it’s an opportunity for them to improve their hand-eye coordination. Many activities that your child will want to participate in during their lives benefit from good hand-eye coordination, including catching and throwing balls, grasping objects, playing video games, and reading music and playing an instrument at the same time.
Develops Spatial Awareness
Spatial awareness is an important skill that all young children have to learn. Because of the way that coloring can help children develop the awareness of the position of their hand and the edge of the page it can help to build spatial awareness.
Builds Focus and Concentration
It’s easy to forget as an adult, but there was a time for all of us when it was difficult to color in between the lines. Doing so can take quite a bit of concentration and focus, which can help them learn how to be focused in other areas as they grow up.
Promotes Self-Expression and Creativity
You might think that coloring a pre-drawn picture doesn’t leave much room for creativity, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Coloring lets children make decisions about colors, the amount of pressure they apply, and whether they color tightly or loosely.
Teaches Shape Recognition and Colors
Using coloring books is a great way for kids to learn about the different colors as well as color combinations. It’s also an opportunity to learn to recognize different shapes and forms.
Helps Kids Relax Release Emotions
Since coloring can take quite a bit of concentration, it can have a profoundly calming and therapeutic effect on them. During this time, children are participating in a peaceful activity that allows them time to process their emotions.
Benefits of Coloring For Adults
Maybe you’ve largely thought of coloring as something that kids do, but there are actually a lot of health benefits of coloring for adults, too. This can be a great pastime to pick up if you’re looking for an affordable and accessible self-help tool.
Coloring For Adults Is an Accessible Self-Help Tool
There has been some preliminary research done that suggests that coloring can help to lower anxiety and depressive symptoms. This is an affordable and accessible way for adults to help improve their own psychological health while doing a relaxing and enjoyable activity.
Helps Maintain Focus
Coloring doesn’t just help kids focus. By opening up your frontal lobe, which is the part of your brain that deals with problem solving and organizing, coloring helps you to focus on the present moment.
Helps You Sleep
Coloring before you go to sleep is a great alternative to using electronic devices. As you know, using electronic devices with screens before bed can interrupt your body’s production of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Finding a suitable and enjoyable activity to do before bed that doesn’t involve a screen can help you get the best possible night sleep, every night.
A Great Alternative to Meditation or Yoga
If you’ve ever looked online for ideas about how to decrease stress and become more mindful, you’ve likely run into the suggestions of meditating, practicing yoga, or doing breathing exercises. While these exercises are great and can certainly help people maintain psychological and physical well-being, they aren’t for everybody.
If these traditional techniques just don’t work for you, you might consider trying coloring. It is a wonderful opportunity for you to work on being in the present, relaxing, and enjoying an activity. It can also relieve you of pressure, accountability, and responsibility.
In our modern world, it’s easy to stay in a nearly constant state of stress. This is unhealthy for both your body and your mind, and over time can lead to serious health issues. Picking up a creative and mindful activity such as coloring can help you to manage your stress levels and live the healthiest life you can.
The Practice of Coloring Can Benefit Your Whole Family!
As an adult, it might feel silly at first to pick up a coloring book to use on your own. However, there are so many health benefits of coloring for both adults and children you’ll get over that feeling of silliness quickly!
There are few practices in life that are so enjoyable and so good for your overall well-being at the same time. If your kids are spending the afternoon coloring, why not join them?
Did you find this article about the benefits of coloring interesting? If so, be sure to check out the rest of our blog for more fun and informative articles!