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Outside the Lines
Should You Avoid
Coloring Books? By Lisa A. Goldstein
Coloring Books?
If a child is exposed to coloring books and other "rules," by the time she is in third grade or earlier, she becomes hesitant and afraid to draw on a blank piece of paper because in her mind, it won't look as good as the outlined sheets and coloring books on which she has worked and been praised, Steinfeld says.
"In a child's mind, how could their drawing ever look as perfect as something drawn by an adult?" Steinfeld says. "The impact goes beyond art. This kind of exercise stifles creative and independent thinking in general." Even being compared to a friend or classmate can affect a child's confidence.
"The freedom, curiosity, and sense of adventure with which young children approach art is very difficult to relearn once it is squelched," Striker writes.
In her book, Striker says, "Please, never give a child coloring books, dot-to-dot, magic paint with water or similar anti-art toys. These items are counterproductive and children can become dependent on them very quickly. It is through these kinds of art activities that we inadvertently rob children of self-confidence and joy in producing their own work."
Marilyn Schillroth's granddaughter, Taylor, is 2 years old. She loves coloring books and doesn't feel frustrated by coloring in the lines since she doesn't know she's supposed to do that. She just enjoys coloring/scribbling over the pictures and talking about what she's doing. She really likes this activity, her grandmother says, and will color sometimes for over half an hour. "I feel a toddler can enjoy a coloring book as much or more than a blank piece of paper," says Schillroth, who is from Buffalo, N.Y.