4 Surprising Benefits of Coloring for Girls

June 29TH, 2022

Coloring can be a relaxing activity for young children and even adults. In recent years, adult coloring books have made their mark on society, calming many, and encouraging them to tap into their inner, creative child. But why is coloring so relaxing? What are the benefits of coloring? And is it helpful for our children to focus on?

Surprisingly, there is some controversy behind coloring as a pastime for our little ones. Some advocate for freeform drawing over coloring books. We believe both are valuable and that there are scientifically-backed benefits to coloring for young kids.

1. Coloring Improves Hand-Eye Coordination

Hand-eye coordination is the skill that allows the eyes to lead the hands in accurate movement. Coloring, whether it’s for a preschooler or older children, helps with strengthening this coordination. And strengthening hand-eye coordination is important for developmental and academic success.

According to a 2018 study, “researchers found that the children who performed better at the eye-to-hand coordination tasks tended to have higher achievement scores in reading, writing, and mathematics, based on national academic standards.

2. Coloring can help with creative expression

Yes, even coloring within lines can help with your child’s creative expression. Think about a coloring page given out at an event—no two completed coloring pages are the same. Children can be creative with color, pressure, and medium.

A decades-old study found that children who are given complex coloring pages create more varied works of art themselves. So even when coloring within the lines, there is still a lot of room for creative expression and growth.

3. Coloring can offer relaxation and calm

Children today have much more exposure to stress-inducing material than ever before, with social media, TV, and mobile devices. Coloring at times can be a calming antidote to such intense stimulation and offer kids the benefit of relaxation and calm.

4. Coloring helps improve focus and attention

As short form video becomes a main source of information for everyone, including young girls, it’s easy to lose our attention spans and focus easily. TikTok and IG Reels can keep us entertained and influenced, but sometimes they can have a negative effect on our focus.

We’ve all been guilty of the mindless, focusless scroll. But coloring actually helps kids build their concentration muscles. Kids will have to concentrate on the lines, on the pressure of their coloring, and on the medium they choose to create the vision they have in mind for the coloring page.

Try a Hopscotch Girls Art Set

If you’re looking for a fun, engaging coloring activity for girls, we’ve got you covered. This ultimate Hopscotch Girls Super Book Set has some of our best selling books, designed to encourage girls to be confident, brave, strong, inquisitive and more. And a couple of fun sticker books too!

Check out more of our coloring books for girls in the Hopscotch Girls shop!