How Coloring Books Can Be a Healthy Way to Relieve Stress

coloring coloring book Fine motor skills mindfulness The Effect of Color in Psychology

By Camille Hutchison , Parent Herald Oct 09, 11:55 pm

Coloring books are a tool for kids to practice good mental health, as children are growing aware of it. Some coloring books for young ones feature cartoon characters and designs that might appear simple but are actually helpful for kids' minds, according to Mayo Clinic.

Coloring books help the brain relax and improve its functions and can help an individual, specifically kids, to be mindful even at an early age. Mindfulness is the ability to focus and stay in the moment. For instance, as the kid color and follow the lines indicated in the book, they only think about the present moment. Also, making them focus on the moment's movements, sensations, and emotions.

It allows kids to disconnect from stressful thoughts and enhance focus and concentration. In addition, color recognition is one of the key cognitive development steps for young ones as it plays a vital role in object recognition and helps toddlers develop descriptive language skills, encouraging clear communication and understanding.

Coloring helps to develop fine motor skills

Making coloring a hobby for kids appears to be substantial as it helps them engage and present in a way that focuses less on physical stress and provides more time for creative expression and mindful exploration. Coloring is considered one of the forms of art as it allows one to express emotions and creativity and signals who they are.

Data published on Munsell encouraged parents to make their kids fond of coloring as color recognition is a salient part of kids learning. Identifying colors including their names, helps them develop visual and cognitive skills and allows them to communicate better by gradually learning to describe and categorize stuff around them. Colors draw on symbolic and cognitive powers to affect learning, enhancing memorization and identification of concepts. It also influences how kids see and process various information and hones the ability to remember words and photos.

Scholastic reported that coloring also helps children to improve fine motor skills as it deepens a kid's endurance in finishing tasks. Most of the time, children will complain due to hand fatigue in coloring; hence, they can establish muscle endurance by coloring with the small muscles of their hands, which provides them greater endurance when writing, too.

How colors and coloring can affect mood

A study, "The Effect of Color in Psychology," has determined that colors stimulate various parts of the brain and have found an effect on mood. Warm colors like red, orange and yellow appear more stimulating, while cool colors like blue and green are more peaceful to the eye.

Shoreline Painting suggests that parents know the colors that help kids with their moods and emotions, as some feelings have been associated with different colors, such as red, for anger and passion. While a bit of stimulation for your kid can be healthy, you don't want your kid to see red almost everywhere; thus, educate yourselves in terms of colors.

Chromatic primary colors such as red, green, yellow, and blue appeal to young children, while infants are more attracted to full chromatic spectrums, namely red, blue, yellow, and green.