Coloring books for preschool children encourage learning on many fronts. In addition to reinforcement of appropriate color selection, alphabet identification and motor skill improvement, preschool coloring books provide fun, portable activities to enjoy in the classroom, during home art time or while sitting in a waiting area. Favorite cartoon characters, animals and holiday scenes fill coloring books and provide a slate for a young Picasso's new refrigerator masterpiece.
If you have run out of coloring book pages, there are thousands of free coloring pages available on the Internet to supplement store-bought coloring books. Print pages of Disney characters, holiday symbols or learning activities for your child to add to her current stack of coloring activities.
Coloring books for older children include activities beyond the basic coloring concepts. Challenge your child to complete the word searches, crossword puzzles and hidden picture pages included in addition to coloring pictures. Retailers also sell activity books dedicated to single types of puzzles. Hidden picture puzzle books engage the brain in the search for items on a list and stimulate creativity in coloring as the items are found. Color-by-number books encourage number recognition along with the art enjoyment.
Make your own coloring book featuring the activities most enjoyed by your child. Children's book illustrator Jan Brett offers a website with more than 4,800 coloring pages and projects. Brett's website includes coloring worksheets from book characters, holiday pictures and special items like calendar pages.
Eric Chudler, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at the University of Washington Engineered Biomaterials published "The Neuroscience for Kids Coloring Book" to educate children on the neurological systems. In addition to the printed booklet, Dr. Chudler offers worksheets, brain puzzles, mazes and lesson plans on a website called Neuroscience for Kids.
Coloring book activities for teens and adults range from designs and geometric shapes to reproductions of famous artist renderings. Coloring worksheets showing specific pieces from phases of art history help students recall details of the drawings.
Adult coloring book activities include related puzzles, anagrams or mazes along with the drawing. Teens and adults utilize coloring activities to improve shading techniques in art as well as a means of relaxation. Parents teach young children to color by actively coloring with them.