A few of my friends who have kids often turn to crayons and coloring books to keep their children preoccupied in restaurants while waiting for food to be served, or in other places where kids tend to get bored. True enough, it’s a great way to keep them focused, but on top of just coloring, they’re actually getting several benefits from the activity, too.

While such an ordinary task, coloring is very beneficial for children, and these great effects include the following:

Coloring helps them “write” well. Starting children early allows them to practice holding a writing instrument correctly. Even if they will not be writing their A,B,C’s in the next few years, coloring already helps develop the small muscles in their fingers, wrist and hands.

Image via Genius.com

On top of that, it’s a great practice for hand-eye coordination.  Don’t worry if your kid colors outside the lines for now, learing to color inside a specified area is part of the learning process.

It’s also an academic process, helping them learn and recognize colors, hues, lines, shapes and forms. These are actually the first few lessons in kindergarten, as the things that children learn while coloring are fundamentals to reading and math.

Coloring teaches children how to focus, and also inculcates the value of patience. It takes time to finish one page, but they are then rewarded with a sense of accomplishement when they are done. It also teaches them the value of foresight. As kids grow older, they will eventually look at coloring pages and will start to plan what colors to use. To do this, they will need to imagine the output firsthand before deciding on the colors.

Coloring is a relaxing and comfortable activity, especially when you allow kids to express themselves artistically. They can fill in the shapes and spaces that they like, and use colors of their choice. To keep the experience stress-free and relaxing, don’t hover and let them color what they want. So what if your child decides that the sun is blue?

Lastly, of course, is the fact that the activity allows you to spend quiet time together. Like reading together, coloring can be a wonderful time for bonding, where you can just sit down and chat with your child.

A quick suggestion: Small children, crayons and plain walls do not necessarily go together, so you will probably need to schedule coloring time and keep an eye on your toddler throughout the whole activity. Then again, I know someone who sticks up pads of Manila paper on their hallway walls and give free reign to her kids. This may also be an intersting thing you might consider.

Coloring activities can be alternated with storytelling time, so that you can vary your activities and avoid boring your child. Check out our free coloring pages here.

Have fun!

Nani Nani Kids