Activity and Coloring Books: Unsung Educational Heroes

It goes without question that reading a book is an excellent way to stimulate a scholar’s imagination.  But what about activity books? Can they also be beneficial? Recent studies say that they can.  Studies show that activity books can help to provide physical benefits to scholars, such as motor skills development.  For example, students can learn pen control from coloring pages, dot to dots, even mazes.  There’s also the sense of independence and accomplishment that a scholar gains with completing an activity all their own.  Activity books are ideal for cultivating lifelong habits that can actually be established through fun!

Let’s break down a few of the benefits that coloring and activity books offer:

1. Motor Skills Development:

Activity books provide an entertaining way for children to practice holding pens, pencils, crayons, and scissors.  They help children to strengthen their hand and finger muscles and improve their pen and pencil control.

2. Improves Concentration:

Activity books contain tasks that are simple and fun enough to keep children focused on one thing for a period of time.

3. Improves Comprehension and Critical Thinking Skills:

Activity books help to improve critical thinking and comprehension skills as children work to figure out how to complete an activity.

Thank an Inventor Coloring and Activity Book

4. Recognition of Colors, Numbers, Etc..:

Activity books help to reinforce color, shape, number and letter recognition.  Some activity books even reinforce basic addition and subtraction.

5. Hand-Eye Coordination:

Activities like coloring pages and dot to dot help to improve hand and eye coordination.  A primary example is how children ultimately learn to color within the lines instead of practicing uncontrolled scribbling.

6. Less Screen Time:

This may be the best benefit of all!  Studies show that children spend 4 hours a day on screen time, with the amount doubling on those days that weather doesn’t allow for outdoor play.  Busy parents can help to reduce that screen time by offering hours of entertainment through a tried-and-true activity book, and replace technology as the go to entertainment source for children.

7. Sense of Personal Accomplishment:

There is a sense of pride, accomplishment, and independence that children feel when they complete an activity.  Seeing the image that forms when they join the dots, or decoding a secret message, can help to instill a sense of self-confidence in children that, if properly fostered, they can carry with them throughout life.

8. Learning Through Fun:

When completing fun activities, children learn without realizing it.  Often, this is the best way to help them refine their skills without them feeling any pressure.

Think you’d like to add an engaging activity book to your scholar’s library? Why not get the Thank an Inventor Coloring and Activity Book?  It’s ideal for anyone who’s already purchased one or both books in the Thank an Inventor STEM series, but it’s also perfect for any scholar who enjoys learning through play!