Disclaimer -As an Amazon Associate I can earn from qualifying purchases with no additional cost to you.
Kids love art. It’s something that everyone knows, especially parents. It’s pretty likely that you’ve seen the joy on a child’s face as they scribble with crayons or dunk their hands into tubs of paint to make messy little creations. Many parents are also on the receiving end of crude artistic presents from their kids, something that both the parents and the child generally take great pride in.
While it’s pretty clear that art is a magical and fun tool of creativity, its benefits also extend far beyond that. Inculcating artistic habits in children from a young age can help boost their skills on many different fronts, including for mental development, emotional growth, and physical dexterity.
One of the simplest ways to ease a child into the creative arts is through coloring books for kids.
In this blog post, we’ll explain why coloring books are so useful for kids and what the 9 best ones currently available on the market are.
Table of Contents
Why Introducing coloring books to Kids is Important
The artistic process in general, and coloring books specifically, helps in building the foundation for a range of important skills that are necessary for a child’s development. These include:
- Fine Motor Skills: When a child holds a paintbrush or dabbles around with papercraft or simply makes use of a crayon, they’re helping refine their motor capabilities. These artistic practices translate into their fine motor skills for daily functionality as well. Basically, you’ll see how your young learner becomes more adept at performing everyday tasks like buttoning things or tying shoelaces, thanks to their experience with art.
- Cognitive Skills: A child who is experimenting with art through a coloring book is also likely to be furthering the development of their own cognitive abilities. Most kids have some semblance of a mental plan of what they’re trying to replicate on paper, which serves as a good exercise in critical thinking. This also helps young learners understand the fundamentals of cause and effect. For instance, a child who blends two colors learns that doing that has the potential to create a third, new color.
How does Colouring help a Child’s Development?
The importance of art for children also extends to the development of other worthy qualities.
- Communication: Art is a universal means of self-expression, and this can be especially true for children. The process of coloring allows young learners to communicate through a visual medium. This holds value for small children who might not be able to articulate what they’re feeling or experiencing solely through verbal communication effectively.
- Patience and Confidence: Self-expression also helps kids build on their confidence. When a small child makes a piece of art, even if it’s just filling a coloring book, this creation is usually accompanied by a sense of pride, one that can be reinforced when their work is validated by an adult figure. Moreover, the artistic process is a good lesson in patience, showing young learners that it takes time and effort to create something out of nothing.
- Introspection: It’s definitely true that art is a form of play for kids, but that doesn’t mean it can’t simultaneously be an introspective journey! Coloring books help children unconsciously tap into their psyche, allowing them access to deeper thoughts and emotions. Introspection can aid self-awareness and enable young learners to stay connected to their inner selves.
- Problem-Solving: One of the biggest benefits of coloring books for children is honing the ability to problem-solve. Creativity instills a sense of out-of-the-box thinking, especially when nurtured from a young age. This is a valuable skill to possess, particularly in adulthood. A child that knows how to creatively tackle a problem is likely to grow into an adult that is equipped to handle larger ones.
- Innovation: In the same vein as problem-solving, art also enables innovation. Coloring books can assist kids in assessing where improvements can be made and how to go about doing that. This inventiveness is a precious skill to carry into adulthood.
- Cultural Appreciation: One of the most magical traits that art helps grow is an appreciation for culture. It’s easy to see why this is a great skill for a child to possess.
Coloring encourages people to view reality from different perspectives. The ability to witness the world from different perspectives can enhance feelings of empathy, kindness, and cultural awareness. - Academic Success: The power of art transcends the purely creative field. Coloring can be a source of improved visual learning and consequently improved memory function. A report by Americans for the Arts states that “a student involved in the arts is four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement.” The same report goes on to state that a student involved in the arts is “four times more likely to participate in a math and science fair.” It also notes that “72% of business leaders say that creativity is the number one skill they are seeking when hiring” – a statistic that allows creative children to have a higher scope of success as adults in the workplace.
How do you Explain a Coloring Book to a Child?
When it comes to coloring books, the answer is quite simple — let them have fun! If the walls of your house haven’t already witnessed it, kids instinctively enjoy playing with crayons. Show them the basics of the process and then allow them to figure out the rest. All you have to do is hand them the book and a pack of crayons.
The Best Coloring Books to Buy for Kids in 2021
As promised, here’s a detailed list of the best children’s coloring books you can get your kids.
1. My First Big Book of Coloring:
This jumbo coloring book is filled with almost 200 pages for your kids to color in. Its big drawings and thick lines make it the ideal coloring book for toddlers. Choose this special book for hours of engaging fun for your young learner.
2. Melissa and Doug Water Wow!:
Melissa and Doug Water Wow has to be one of the coolest kids coloring books you can buy. Each book works as a reusable writing pad that comes alive when wet. Each book comes with boards and a chunky, refillable water pen. This coloring book guarantees hours and hours of fun. Melissa and Doug Water Wow is perfect for kids between the ages of 3 and 7.
3. I Am Confident, Brave, and Beautiful:
Made especially for little girls, this book inspires your young learner to break social norms early on. I Am Confident, Brave and Beautiful conveys the message that girls can be who they want to be without any fear.
4. Born to Be Wild: A Toddler Coloring Book:
The 62 pages of Born to Be Wild: A Toddler Coloring Book are handy guides to the fundamentals your child will need while stepping into school. With this book, your kid will be introduced to concepts like letters, numbers, counting, and animals before they even enter the classroom.
5. Crayola All-in-One Coloring Book Set:
Another big coloring book that your little one is bound to love is the Crayola All-in-One Coloring Book Set. With over 250 pages of a range of different things, this is the coloring book to buy for that long car journey or plane ride. Bonus feature — there are glitter stickers for extra flair too!
6. Mudpuppy Coloring Roll:
Mudpuppy themselves boast of this being the perfect coloring book for travel and playdates. This unique creativity kit includes crayons and a 30-inch roll of drawings that kids can take with them to color on.
7. Color Me Bilingual:
As their website tells you, Color Me Bilingual was created with brown kids in mind! Representation is important and it’s vital that kids understand this from when they’re young. This incredible coloring book also helps children learn and identify words from another language while coloring.
8. Notebook Doodles Super Cute: Coloring & Activity Book:
This happy book of doodles has 32 pages for your kids to unleash their creativity on. There are also over 20 color palettes to help your child figure out how to go about their coloring. With comparatively intricate patterns, this book might be best suited to slightly older children.
9. Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book:
The Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book is one of the most popular coloring books around for kids and adults alike! This interactive book doubles as a journey through a secret garden, with detailed illustrations of the natural world waiting to be colored in. Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book is likely to be enjoyed best by kids over the age of 10.
Conclusion:
We should remember that the power of free expression is excellent for the overall well-being of children. It’s a source of stress-relief, growth and, ultimately, happiness.
A child doesn’t have to be Picasso in order to enjoy and learn from the creative process. At the end of the day, it’s not the quality of the art that matters but the joy creating it brings. What are you waiting for? Buy your kids a bunch of coloring books and watch their creativity blossom.