Why is colouring-in beneficial for pre-schoolers?
Some may think that colouring-in activities are only used to occupy young learners and keep them busy. Far from it! Amongst the many benefits of colouring in, the following are included:
- It makes little hands stronger!
We don’t realise how many muscles we use in hand-writing. Colouring in exercises hand muscles, and helps young learners increase strength and fine-motor dexterity.
- It gives practice in how to hold a pencil.
For quick, neat handwriting in the long run, it’s vitally important that parents and teachers ensure that children are holding their pencils correctly. Please get this right! It’s so hard to un-learn incorrect habits.
- It improves hand-eye coordination
Staying inside the lines takes a lot of skill and colouring in is excellent in developing and refining hand and eye coordination.
- It improves concentration
Colouring-in requires concentration, and practise in focusing on one task helps improve a child’s concentration. Start with simple pictures and encourage a sense of satisfaction when the task is complete.
- It stimulates colour-recognition and creativity
a. In early years, you may still be encouraging colour-recognition. It is useful to ask children to use specific colours. e.g. Colour circle red. Colour the triangle green etc.
b. Encourage a child to choose his/her own colours to use in the picture – unless objectives for the activity include visual perception and comprehension. Allow children to add some small drawing of their own to the duplicated picture. e.g. Draw an insect of any kind in this picture. (It could be anything.)
The Sunrise Readers want to support parents and teachers in as many ways as possible. Click on the pdfs below for free downloadable colouring-in pictures for Sunrise Readers Book 1 – Friends. (Each picture has a word for young learners to read, write over and to copy again on the line below.)
More detail in these pictures to colour in from Sunrise Readers Book 2: Work and Play