With developments in technology, I feel that colouring activities have taken a bit of a back seat in children’s learning. Colouring pictures and drawings may seem like a simple task but there are so many learning benefits for children to engage in the act of colouring in.
Every year, Pelikan Malaysia organises a colouring contest for school going children who love art and colouring. They believe in encouraging children’s creativity through art which allows children to express themselves uniquely while fostering their passions, emotions and curiosity. And this year is no less with the : “It’s the Beginning That Matters” Colouring Contest
I really enjoyed watching these children let their imagination run free as they were drawing and filling in colours “professionally”. No joke as I couldn’t do it myself. I was being skeptical towards the colouring activity as I thought it’s just an easy job, but I was proved absolutely wrong by these kids. And now I wish that my Mini Cs would pick up colouring as a main hobby now – they have so much benefits!
Here are 6 learning benefits of Colouring Activities:
1. Fine Motor Development:
Colouring helps children develop good finger grip. It provides an opportunity to practice holding a pencil the correct way and aids in developing those fine motor muscles in their hands, fingers, and wrist. I’m still working Mini C on this as he has poor gripping skill due to weak fine motor skills and colouring really helped him a lot.
2. Concentration:
Children’s length of concentration develops and improves over time. Colouring requires good concentration and this type of focusing on one task can help a child develop his or her overall concentration levels.
3. Colour Recognition:
Colouring in activities encourages colour awareness. Using different colours gives children an opportunity to explore different combinations and lets them see how they can change the appearance of the picture. It is great also for gaining awareness of the lesser known colours.
4. Hand & Eye Coordination:
Colouring in assists in the development of hand & eye coordination as the child learns to colour within the specified area. Watching and doing and coordinating both actions is a developing skill when colouring in. When children first start colouring they will have a tough time keeping within the lines but as they progress their skill will increase. Staying inside the lines takes considerable skill and when they master it they gain a sense of pride and achievement. Like my Mini C! Haha. Still colour out of the line but much better now 🙂
5. Sense of Pride and Achievement:
We need to give young children every opportunity to gain self-confidence and a sense of self-worth. If they can create something that is aesthetically pleasing, then this will help in the positive development of their personality.
6. Creativity:
Colouring in stimulates creative thinking. Children can develop a drawing style and enjoy making an imaginary world. Children learn to plan as they decide the colours they will use in their picture and then what order they are going to colour things within the picture. As their confidence grows, they are more likely to take risks and experiment with colour, patterns, and special effects with pencil or marker strokes.
So proud of these children who won! And to those who didn’t, you’re all champion for participating! Every artwork was remarkably beautiful and I’m pretty sure the judges have had such a hard time to choose!
Ok. Let’s start with getting some Pelikan colouring pencils and crayons for my Mini C!
