Why coloring pages have so many enthusiasts among children and adults?

The coloring craze has really taken off around the Western world – with more and more adults seeing past the stereotypical image of coloring being a child-only activity. You should not be too surprised hearing that adults are coloring in patterns from books to help them cope and manage everyday issues they are faced with.
But that is only one of many reasons why has this imple activity seen a huge increase in interest and become a trend amongst the population – especially in adults?

1. Key benefits

Coloring pages have many benefits for both Children and adults. The obvious being improved dexterity when handling various stationary objects. What is more, it increases concentration level and a chance for children to feel a sense of achievement in presenting their work to teachers, parents, friends or siblings. This popular activity also binds parent and children together for some quiet time before everyday tasks, such as bedtime. It can act as a comforter and de-stresser for both adults and children.

Mental and physical wellbeing or self-care is beginning to take a priority in people’s lives in today’s world. People are searching for alternative low-level escape activities away from the stresses of everyday life. And coloring pages perfectly fulfills this task and is a trend which has really taken off the past few years.

Coloring books are being colored in by young people to act as a diffuser in helping them manage worries over exams and other anxieties a modern-day teenager may experience.

2. Mindfulness

Young people and adults who have been diagnosed with mental health conditions are regularly advised by medical practitioners to try calming activities which naturally bring down stress and anxiety levels. The coloring is not the only tool to be used, but it is a powerful one aimed at bringing people back into the here and now through the act of coloring mindfully. There is a huge appeal of allowing your brain to experience relief by entering a meditative state and temporarily eradicating negative thoughts and feelings.

How does mindfulness tie in with coloring books? Well, it enables children and adults to focus moderately on self-awareness. It is a very simple activity which takes us outside of ourselves – kind of like going for a country walk with your dog or mowing the lawn. These can all be relaxing activities – which is a priority. If we immerse ourselves into the present, we seem to create an ability to form a habit of forgetting about the past or future and this is an appeal for many people in today’s fast-paced society we live amongst. Mindful coloring can be used in conjunction with other mindful techniques such as meditating. This can provide a valuable tool to be able to deal with mental health issues people may be facing.

Coloring sheets to help people soothe is an appeal, but it is important to understand that such an activity is therapeutic but not therapy itself. This is to be worked in conjunction with medical professionals. But that does not mean that children, teenagers and adults are unable to benefit immensely from the simple act of coloring between lines if they have a mental health condition. Looking at the shapes and sizes of the page to be colored in and deciding which tools should be used, stimulates parts of the brain which stop anxiety-led thoughts and feelings.

3. Nostalgia

Connecting children with adults through the medium of coloring is something we should also mention about. It can help bring out the inner-child from within adults. This simple form of entertainment may also elicit a sense of nostalgia and re-open happy times from childhood.

For children, coloring is a nice and calming activity, for example, before everyday situations such as mealtime or bedtime. It brings them down from a heightened level of excitement from whatever activity they have been doing during the day, such as school.

4. Technology plays a part

More and more adults are becoming conscious of their overuse and over-reliance on technology and are forgetting about the simple things in life such as a pen and a paper. With this in mind, more and more people are investing in time away from their smartphones and I-pads by becoming creative. Coloring books promote creation over consumption.

Aside from all the mentioned health benefits, it is perfectly acceptable for coloring to simply become a hobby for a child or adult to commit to. Some people wish to play sports or fix automobiles, and some may wish to utilize their spare time with crayons in hands.

The beauty of coloring books is the fact that they are very cheap and you can easily choose a style or theme which suits you as a person. Their availability in stores and the Internet is really huge. It all depends on the amount of time you are wishing to commit and the reasons for your interest. Science and mother nature, animal themes, space motives, very intricate patterns, cartoon characters – the list can be really long. Coloring pages can give you a sense of freedom to be able to lose yourself in a new world for, at least for a short while. And more and more people are realizing this.

We all need an outlet from everyday events sometimes the perfect solutions are much closer than we expect them to be.