5 Benefits of Coloring With Kids + DIY These Cute Pencil Holders!

I have the best memories of coloring as a young girl. It opened up creativity and confidence when I could color anyway I wanted. I loved it so much that I soon wanted to draw my own girls and their own clothes. I was constantly making paper dolls. And when I outgrew it I would create them for the kids I babysat for. You may say coloring books led me to a career in Fashion + Art.

I started this fun thing with my niece when she was about six. I sketched out some paper dolls with outfits for her to color and made lots of copies. She would say, "Oooh this is sooo fun!" She absolutely loved coloring them in. Oh by the way, I have some free printable ones here. On my next visit, a year later, she wanted to do paper dolls again, only this time she was confident enough to draw and make her own paper dolls. And now, as a 13-year-old she loves to draw and is quite fabulous at it. I truly believe starting out with coloring has a lot of great benefits.

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Nurtures self-expression. Coloring is a great way to share emotions through colors and pictures. It also allows kids to express their feelings in pictures when they may not have the words to explain how they feel. I was definitely the kid who preferred to express through art, and I still do today! You can learn a lot about your little one by the images they draw or the colors they use.

Inspires calm. Coloring is not only therapeutic for adults but also for kids! Coloring is a great way for kids to feel calm, meditate, and practice patience. With the simple stroke of a crayon they can share their emotions, frustrations, and feelings. It will help them to sit and relax while they create their art. You can see pictured here photographer Aimey Fullbright's daughter chillin out as she colors in my Random Acts of Kindness Book.

Sparks imagination. Starting with a coloring page is like giving them a blank canvas because they can do so much with it. They can go out of the lines, or stay in the lines! They can color people purple with hot pink hair if they like….or unicorn hair! It is a great way to encourage uniqueness to your child. In my own coloring book series The Color Tribe I left some spaces with more white space than others so they can dream up the place they want the character to be in. Coloring is a fabulous way to spark their imagination!

DIY PENCIL HOLDER PROJECT

Prepares them for school. Coloring can help kids prepare for school with all kinds of skills, like eye/hand coordination, the beginning stages of hand-writing, and the ability to just sit in a chair longer than they're used to! For kids preparing to go back to school this year, whatever that may look like, I created this free printable! A couple of super cute DIY pencil holders for school IRL or at home. It will be a reminder to do their best in school. Unicornific!

To create the pencil holder you will just need to print the coloring pages on paper or cardstock works, plus soup or bean cans, glue or tape, scissors and of course their favorite coloring tools. To make things extra easy I created this little video tutorial to go along with the paper craft!

Boosts confidence and self-esteem. Finally, coloring can give kids the confidence to be true to themselves. It is a great way to own their own style. As I mentioned with my sweet niece, it also gives confidence to go to the next step. Once they go from feeling good about coloring they will be more likely to want to draw, paint, or take on whatever art that inspires them!

Share your pencil holders with us @BritandCo!

Lacee Swan is a watercolor artist and fashion illustrator with a distinct style inspired by girls who love pop art, fashion, music and especially heart shaped sunglasses. She has a stationery and lifestyle brand with her whimsical illustrations. As well as a super cute coloring book series for tween girls that cultivates creativity, kindness, confidence and friendship. She has been commissioned by big brands and has live-sketched at many events. Including Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstroms, asos, Beautycounter + Ulta Beauty to name a few. When she doesn't have a pen or paint brush in hand she loves to extend her creativity in the kitchen with some fun retro tv show on for inspiration.

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