I saw this discussion on another board and wondered what you all thought.

Do coloring books restrict creativity in your child, or are they helping them to learn boundaries?

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Oldest dd when she was in kindy she was told to learn to color in lines!! but my girls do not like coloring books they like plain paper the best!!

I don't think they really do either. I think coloring in a coloring book IS being creative. They choose the colors and designs and really are the ones creating the pictures, especially in young children. Drawing free hand is important too but it is just a different way of being creative.

I think that it is important for there to be a balance. Plain paper is fine sometimes and coloring books are, too. That is where they get to see pictures and learn to do what they want with them. That is where many of their fine motor skills will be improved by having to stay in the lines and color in one direction. If everything is freehand, they don't get the same idea of structure. Yet, freehand is important for their creativity and skills, as well. Yep...a balance of the two.

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I think they are great for kids learning to color within boundaries. I also agree with beautifulbabies that the children are free to choose the colors, or patterns in some circumstances (my son likes polka dots).

What do you all think of COLOR BY NUMBERS? lOl

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I think they are an important part of early childhood learning. I agree with Jeannette and Christy. Good points, ladies. I'm just too lazy to quote you both here!

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I think they are great, too, to help little ones learn how to pay attention and follow directions. They are also good for learning how colors coordinate and compliment each other. They will see how a plain piece of paper can come to life with just the right combination and use of color.

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Okay, I'm just going to follow Jeannette around today and agree with everything she says

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I think that they are a good tool for trying to get kids to learn to color in the lines. I am going through this with my 4 year old right now. She really needs to work on her fin motor skill, but when I try to get her to color in the lines all she does is scribble on the page.