Coloring Books
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What Are The Benefits Of Color Books For Kids?
Coloring, a favorite pastime for many children (and a lot of adults), can play a vital role in early childhood development. The act of using a crayon to add color to a page helps children refine their fine motor skills. Giving a child a coloring book also gives them hours of artistic exploration, entertainment, and dexterity-building activity.
But the benefits extend beyond improving motor skills. Coloring also helps build hand-eye coordination, teaches color recognition, and plays a significant role in handwriting skills. Current research also shows that coloring helps relax areas of the brain most impacted by stress while supporting neurological processes that support creativity.
What Is The Difference Between Coloring Books And Activity Books?
Coloring books are collections of line art. Traditional coloring books are printed on paper that works best with crayons. Others are made with sturdier paper better suited to markers or watercolors. Children tend to favor coloring books featuring outlines of recognizable characters or scenes from their favorite books, television programs, or videos, or a favorite theme such as cars, dinosaurs, or animals.
Activity books give children the option of coloring, but more too. In an activity book, you'll often find stickers to add to completed artwork, mazes to solve, or games to play. When you shop for coloring books and activity books at your neighborhood CVS, you'll find plenty of appealing options for kids of all ages.
What Are Color And Trace Books?
A color and trace book is quite similar to a traditional coloring book. You'll find bold line drawings and a bonus. Color and trace books also have sheets of translucent paper. When your child places the tracing paper over a page, they're creating a replica of the original design. Tracing is a great activity for kids. The act of tracing requires concentration and hand-eye coordination.
Giving a child a color and trace book is also a great way to help them develop spatial awareness. Plus, color and trace books make the transition from coloring to writing much easier while helping your child build confidence as an artist. Tracing pages of letters and numbers can help with the fundamentals of reading and mathematics.
What Age Can Children Start Coloring?
If a child shows an interest in coloring, they are likely old enough to start. Although you'll see age recommendations of 3 and up on the back of most coloring books, younger children often enjoy them just as much. Coloring with your toddler can help them understand how lines and markings can represent objects in their environment. That understanding is the very foundation of early reading and writing.
But the average crayon can be hard for very young children to manipulate. For children too young to have mastered that challenge, look for thick, chunky crayons that will hold up to pressure, smoothly shaped "palm grip" crayons, or crayons made with a bulbed bottom and sturdy tip.