What Children Get When They Open Up A Colouring Book
No doubt you’ve heard or seen firsthand the explosion of colouring books aimed for adults. It often seems like every bookstore in Ottawa has a prominent shelf as you come in, showing off the latest and greatest adult colouring books. With all this focus on the grown-up market, it can be easy to forget that kids still get the most out of colouring. Here are just a few reasons why daycares in Ottawa like to see kids colouring:
Stress relief
Though touted as the biggest benefit for adults, colouring is just as relaxing for kids. It may seem strange that children have anything to be stressed about, but daycare staff know that they can get worked up easily. A colouring book is a peaceful activity that soothes the mind and can even allow children to express some of the emotions they don’t quite understand.
Motor skills
Holding crayons properly and moving them around the page in a coordinated way allows children to start developing the fine motor skills they’ll need as they learn and grow. Daycares in Ottawa stress that parents should demonstrate the correct way to hold colouring tools (crayons, markers, etc.) at home as well so kids don’t develop bad habits that will be harder to break later on.
Creative juices
Ottawa daycares want to engage with the creative side of a child as much as possible. Being creative early in life encourages children to start coming up with their own ideas. Since colouring allows kids to be creative within certain parameters, they can expand on what they’ve learned and explored while colouring and start making art on their own.
Planning ahead
When children look at a page in a colouring book, their minds will begin to plan: what shades to use for which parts, in which order they’ll use the colours, maybe even knowing what to combine for a new effect. This important plan-then-execute skill will be crucial down the line when kids need to step back from any challenge and decide how to proceed.
There are so many more benefits to giving children colouring books, but these are some of the best. Plus, if you combine it with adult colouring, it can be a great excuse to sit down and have some quiet quality time with your children. You can contact any daycare in Ottawa to learn more about the benefits of colouring for both the mind and body of kids.
