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Value of Coloring

It's doubtful that any of us went through childhood without putting crayon to paper.  Yet, as we raise our own children, it often puzzles us as to why such a simple task is so important to childhood development.

Of course, we learn our colors in this way.   But, that's a very obvious answer and far too superficial.  Let's delve a little deeper into the connection between color and the human psyche.

Primary Colors

We're first introduced to the three primary colors of red, blue and yellow early in our education.  Our intellect and emotions are unrefined and undeveloped at that point.  Our need for color is very basic.  In fact, young children may use only one color for several weeks before trying the next possibility. 

Hues and Shades

As our intellect expands, we begin to combine these primary colors to create different hues and shades.  Concurrently, our personality and emotional boundaries begin to develop layers or hues as well.   Thus, we can chart our emotional growth by our use of color.

Emotional Ties

Even though coloring is approached as purely play, from Pre-K, we all define ourselves with the world of color.  Do you recall having a favorite crayon color as a child?  Most of us do.  Children are strongly affected by colors and use them to express feelings that cover the full range of human emotions.  That favorite color gives comfort and produces a state well-being while another color may cause unease and discomfort.

This psychological aspect of experiencing color has been used as a tool for diagnosing disturbed and abused children.  It's considered a reliable barometer of a child's emotional development. 

So, the next time your child spends hours stretched out on the floor with crayons and coloring pages strewn from one end of the living room to the other, remember they are in the midst of developing their emotional flexibility.  They are expressing themselves with color...hopefully their enthusiasm won't spill onto to your walls.

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