National Coloring Day is September 14th. Set aside time to relax and color together! Coloring is a fun activity for kids to pass time while also being a great stress reducer and artistic outlet.
Did you know?
- Coloring lowers stress and anxiety.
Researchers and art therapists agree that coloring in coloring books has many therapeutic benefits.
“A 2005 study (and a 2012 replication study) concluded that people who colored in mandalas—complex geometric figures frequently seen in Hinduism and Buddhism—experienced lower levels of anxiety than people who simply colored on a blank piece of paper. The study concluded that like meditation, the act of coloring patterns can let the brain rest, decrease anxiety, and encourage mindfulness.” 1
Mental Floss
- Coloring books were originally created for adults.
The earliest variation of coloring books is from as early as 1612. A long poem, Poly-Olbion by Michael Drayton, featured illustrations of maps and fun creatures. It became popular for readers to color the illustrations themselves. However, coloring books became popular soon after mostly as a way to practice art skills like watercolor.2
- The average child wears down 720 crayons by their tenth birthday.
The biggest crayon is called Big Blue, and it is 1,500 pounds and 15 feet long.3 How long would it take you to use all of Big Blue?
- Colored pencils can last your whole life.
If you use colored pencils often, you may find yourself restocking them often. However, there have been colored pencils discovered that were over 100 years old and they could still be used perfectly!4 If you’re looking for long-term pencils, invest in high quality ones that won’t dry out or become faded over time.
- People once used bread as erasers.
Before the eraser was invented, people used tablets of rubber or wax. To remove ink from parchment or papyrus, they used bits of rough stone to rub it off. In Japan, they used soft bread. The eraser was invented by an English engineer in 1770 who accidentally picked up a piece of rubber instead of breadcrumbs and found that it worked well to erase.5
Find coloring pages and printables with ActivityHero’s Free Super Duper Kit!
For even more color-related options, check out ActivityHero’s On-Demand activities.