Remember the days when you would come home from school with a backpack full of coloring sheets? Being so proud of your accomplishments? Think about when students draw their family for the first time, maybe minus an arm or leg, and they are so proud. Coloring, drawing or art is so simple, but so important. Not only do students get a sense of pride, but classroom coloring actually has a ton of other benefits also.
Classroom Coloring Is Not Just For Art Class
Not only is coloring minimal planning and easily included in your school day, but you may not realize how important it really is for students to start classroom coloring! Stress is real even for our youngest students. Unfortunately, the demands on our young scholars is far more than ever before, and then throw a pandemic at them on top of it! So the question is, what can we do? That answer is simple. Let them color. Let them draw. Let them do art. Believe it or not, classroom coloring has been scientifically proven to reduce restlessness, improve focus and help with problem solving. Not only is it great for stress reduction, but also for fine motor skills and building creativity! Read on to understand a bit more.
Mindfulness
Slowing down and simply coloring is so calming. It parallels meditation! This is such an important aspect of the day for our students. I would love to be able to yoga and meditation with my little students, but it just isn’t always feasible. Imagine thirty 5-year-olds doing downward dog, not the easiest! Don’t fret. Mindfulness can be created through art. Think about how simple it could be. Students choose coloring sheets and choose some colors. Those simple tasks, compared to the challenges of reading and math, take away so much anxiety of the day. Imagine giving students an hour to color and in turn, keeping their stress levels low and their brains open for learning! In the world today, mindfulness for our children is of utmost importance and coloring and art are a simple way to insert it into your day.
Reduce Fear
It is truly crazy to think the simple act of coloring or creating art can cause fear receptors in your brain to calm down. If you are giving a benchmark exam or doing a really important task, counteract it with some time for art or coloring. Testing anxiety seems to be on the rise and no matter how much we reassure our little scholars, tests can still be scary. Reducing that fear of the exam may be all you need for the students to show what they can truly accomplish!
Improve Focus
Coloring can even improve focus. When creating or coloring, you become hyper focused on staying in the lines or making your art piece exactly how you want it. This is an exercise in improving focus. With so many electronics today, focus for our students can sometimes be a challenge. The electronics are causing our brains to be in a constant spiral, working nonstop, causing issues with focus and attention. Using coloring and art can combat some of the technology that our world is full of today. Try it with your students and watch the focus improve! Between the benefits of improved focus and the reduced fear and anxiety, coloring seems like a great fit for any student or even for teachers!
Problem Solving
Another benefit of art and coloring is increasing the ability to problem solve. When engaged in coloring, you are using your whole brain! This is not just using creativity, which is the right side of the brain, but also the focus and concentration it takes using the left side! Exercising your brain is so important to keep up the ability to problem solve and what an easy activity to use!
Fine Motor Skills and Creativity
The more obvious importance of using coloring and art for kids. They are building fine motor skills and using their creativity! Kids are learning to hold pencils or crayons correctly. They are also practicing with detailed lines and staying within the lines. The attention to detail when students are trying to bring their art to life is critical for their growth with fine motor skills. Coloring also helps build their creativity! Students are using their creative thinking to choose what they draw, choose balanced colors, and they always have a story to tell about pictures they create!
Coloring and art are clearly winners when it comes to our kids. Students finished their work early? There are definitely some great educational websites. However give them a few coloring sheets and they will think they are being rewarded! You will know they are actually benefiting significantly from that simple coloring sheet! Enjoy coloring and art with your kids and hey why not join in with them! Check out some of my best selling color sheet packs here! AND download a freebie below!
