The physical benefits of adult colouring books aren’t really mentioned. However, adult colouring books have become a phenomenon over the last few years. Worldwide, thousands of adults have taken up the hobby many of them loved as children, and are seeing the benefits. Although we associate colouring with childhood, let’s take a look at the benefits of colouring for adults.
Train Your Brain.
Colouring trains your brain to focus and helps you keep deliberate movements in your fingers and hands. The art of colouring helps you tap into your creative side. You get the chance to use your imagination in ways you may not be able to in everyday life.
More people are picking up adult colouring books because colouring is such an enjoyable hobby.
Helps Maintain Fine Motor Skills.
Colouring gets both sides of your brain working which can improve your fine motor skills. Choosing which colours to use involves logic and concentration from the left side of your brain, and how to use the colours takes the right side of the brain, which is the creativity and imagination side.
When older people use both sides together, they reap the benefits of colouring. Who knows – maybe colouring could help keep dementia at bay, like experts believe word and number puzzles do.
One of my old neighbours, a lady in her 80s, had dementia but she was still able to do crossword puzzles even after she lost the ability to recognise her family.
Touches Into Childhood Memories.
When I start colouring, in my mind I go from being a 60 year-old back to being a 5 or 6 year-old. How about you?
It’s the smell of the colouring pencils especially when I use the pencil sharpener on them. And it’s the anticipation / excitement because I’m going to do some colouring.
Colouring helps me forget present troubles, taking me back to a time when life was carefree and I had no responsibilities.
Doing colouring for a couple of hours gives you the chance for “me” time, to recharge your internal batteries.
Get Social.
My cousin’s a retired nurse and she goes to a colouring group each week. It’s held at a local village hall and she takes her pencils and colouring book, sits at a table with 3-4 other ladies and has a jolly good chinwag while she’s colouring. She loves it.
I’m hearing more and more about colouring parties for adult colorists. They’re a growing trend in the US and Facebook is full of colouring groups.
If you’re not able to get out, there’s a huge world online full of coloring enthusiasts waiting to give you feedback on your drawings, offer tips and engage socially with other colorists.
Helps You Improve Your Abilities.
Some people believe that, as they get older, their abilities will decline and that there’s no point in trying to improve any of them.
Colouring is an activity older people can take up and where they will see improvements. Even if you haven’t coloured since childhood, it comes back to you. It helps you concentrate and it doesn’t matter if you stick the tip of your tongue out of the side of your mouth. That’s part of the concentration.
The feeling of achievement and the boost to your confidence when you finish colouring a pattern is priceless!
Helps You Express Yourself.
Colouring is a great way for you to express yourself.
Your choice of colours. Your shading decisions. Even you choosing that particular piece says something about you. Even if you’re quiet, you can express yourself in new ways through adult colouring.
What benefits have you experienced from adult colouring?
Let us know in the comments!
Happy colouring!
Warmly,
Shan
Joan says
Interesting ..I haven’t heard of colouring parties ..sounds like fun
Shan says
Hi Joan
Indeed. I was fascinated when my cousin told me about the one she goes to. I’ve heard of some where the person running takes their own designs and people sit around colouring them. Could be useful…
Thanks for reading and commenting 🙂
Shan