National Coloring Day is September 14th. Most people think of coloring as a fun activity. However, coloring does a lot more than providing entertainment to children and is an essential tool for childcare providers. Here are some other ways that promoting coloring as an activity can help children:

Coloring Develops Hand-Strength and Improves Fine Motor Skills

Holding the pencil or crayon and learning to grip correctly helps develop the hand muscles children need for many of their daily activities. Some of the daily activities coloring help with include typing, writing, cooking, or even household chores. Hand-strength is essential for these hand-related fine motor skills, and coloring can help strengthen them.

Coloring Stimulates Creativity and Self-Expression

Giving a child a box of colored crayons or pencils will surely stimulate their creativity. They use colors, shapes, and their imagination to create pictures and stories that allow them complete creative control. Additionally, children engage their independence and self-expression when coloring. Everything they do is up to them. Coloring is also perfect for children who are having difficulty expressing their feelings but can draw a picture of how they are feeling.

Coloring Stimulates Learning

Coloring is a perfect tool for teaching children about primary and secondary colors, tints, and hues. It’s also an ideal tool for teaching children about boundaries and spatial awareness. Adhering to limitations is an essential part of life. Teaching children to stay in the boundaries when needed could turn into a critical life lesson.

Coloring Provides Stress Relief

Coloring does so much more than teach children; it is calming and therapeutic for them. In fact, coloring can be so therapeutic that adults are now purchasing “adult coloring books” that are used for stress relief. Giving children the time to color can provide them with the quiet, private time they need to process their emotions and thoughts and maintain a relaxed state.

Coloring is a perfect activity for children, whether at home or daycare. The best part of coloring is that it can be educational! There are a variety of websites that provide printable coloring pages that align with any school subject so that children will learn while they color.

Some of Our Favorite Coloring Pages:

• Teachers Pay Teachers coloring pages about washing hands.
• The Artisan Life coloring pages about distinguishing colors.
• Simple Everyday Mom coloring pages about letters and farm animals.
• Itsy Bitsy Fun coloring pages about the weather.
• Sara J Creations coloring pages about sight words.
• Just for fun: Free Crayola Disney coloring pages.

We would love to see your childcare’s coloring masterpieces! Tag us in a picture on our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.