Colour Therapy can be an effective method of helping people with a wide range of health issues. It can help to improve physical, mental and emotional problems, relaxing a person. Certain colours can help children sleep, think, and concentrate.

When I think about colouring in, I often refer back to my childhood. A time when colouring was exciting, experimenting with different colours, and having many colouring books with different patterns and pictures to colour. Colouring was always something I loved and I was one of those people who had to make sure I stayed inside the lines the best I could!

Crayons, felt-tips, pencils, gel pens, you name it, I wanted them all. I think colouring in was a way for me to be creative when I was a child.

Houses were always my thing. I seemed to love drawing houses and using different colours for the bricks. Why? I’m not too sure but it was something I was always able to really focus my attention on.

– Natasha, Redbank House

Here are 3 benefits to colouring in to think about…

Relaxes them

Children with and without disabilities are able to feel relaxed. Whether they are confused, upset, or happy – they are able to express their emotions with the colours. Colouring in keeps them occupied and is a way for them to escape from everything else. Colouring from an early age helps a child to identify colours and associate them with different things.

Reinforces creativity

You don’t have to be an artist to enjoy colouring in. Children are able to use whichever colours they like, where others will stick to the standard colours. One child might always colour the door of a house in red, whereas another will tend to colour it in brown. From being a child, we all have our ways which we explore the colours of the rainbow and where we want them to be.

Increases awareness

Children are introduced to many different colours when they are younger. Some will associate yellow with all things bright and happy, whereas yellow can also be a warning sign so it can raise a warning for safety. Using different colours enables children to see what they think contrasts well and explore with colours they might not have recognised before.

What benefits do you think colouring in has for children?