Have you ever wondered why your preschooler regularly comes home with a colored drawing to show you? Though the lines are wobbly and the scribbles look so cute, why is coloring so important for a young child? As a parent, should you encourage your child to color more often at home over watching TV when school’s closed?

PLAY Preschool Silverlake – Learn what the experts say?

Experienced teachers at PLAY Preschool Silverlake, an esteemed playschool in Los Angeles, USA state there are very good reasons for teaching preschoolers how to color. Little children are yet to develop their eye-hand coordination. Coloring is an excellent way to achieve this. Besides this, coloring helps your child to-

1. Make their hands strong- Adults have hand strength. They have been writing, typing on the computer, and doing many other tasks with their hands. They have developed their fine motor skills with several hand activities. However, little children are learning. They are not aware of their hand muscles. This is where coloring helps. With coloring exercises, they are able to exercise their little hand muscles and make them strong.
2. Practicing how to hold a pencil- The first writing instrument your child will hold is a crayon. When your child practices coloring with crayons, he/she is practicing pencil grips. Hand grips are crucial for the next level of education in your child’s life-writing. If the handgrip of your child is poor, he/she will have problems holding a pencil. Coloring helps your child to practice hand grips.
3. Boost creativity- Children are creative, and they imagine stories inside their little heads. Coloring and drawing help your child to express themselves. They interpret colors, shapes, and other strokes in their own way. Do not worry if your child draws the same picture again and again. He/she is still boosting creativity with coloring.
4. Fine motor skills and coordination- As mentioned above, little children are yet to develop their fine motor skills. Daily tasks like combing your hair, turning the pages of a book, writing, eating, using a tool, etc. all need fine motor skills. With the help of coloring regularly, your child is able to develop these fine motor skills. A good exercise in developing fine motor skills for your child is to buy him/her dot to dot drawing books. The child will learn numbers faster, draw a picture, and color it. In fact, these books keep your child engaged at home as well.
5. Improve focus- Coloring helps your child to improve focus. Concentration is needed for children to learn and study. With the right focus, you can start any task and finish it without hassles. If you teach your child to focus early on coloring, he/she can learn faster.

The teachers at PLAY Preschool Silverlake state coloring has its benefits. So, the next time your child brings home a colored drawing, encourage him or her with a smile. You know your child is learning important life skills through those wobbly lines and cute scribbles!