Children tend to have a natural instinct for painting: first they are doodles, then “abstract” drawings, and later paintings with meaning. In one way or another, with more or less Less art, children love to paint because for them it is a way of expressing their emotions and understanding the world around them. The little ones enjoy giving shapes and colors to the figures, and best of all, while having fun they can develop different skills. Learn about the benefits of painting for children.

Five benefits of painting during childhood

1. Channel negative emotions

Painting is an excellent way for children to express what they feel, especially when it comes to negative emotions. Keep in mind that, like adults, the child also feels sad, upset, fearful and rejected, emotions that if not expressed and regulated properly, can affect their psychological development. A strategy to channel those emotions is to stamp them on paper. In fact, painting has been shown to be a very effective tool for children to express their feelings and moods, stimulating their satisfaction, relaxation and ability to express themselves. In addition, it is a way through which they can express their internal conflicts and discomfort.

2. It encourages communication and linguistic expression

Young children are not able to express their most complex feelings in an open and spontaneous way. It is difficult for them to use words to make sense of what who think and feel, for this reason, they resort to alternative forms, such as painting. Through drawing, children can express what they have inside, and for this they use shapes, colors and lines. In fact, drawing is a great therapy for children with communication and language difficulties, such as those with autism, articulation problems, or behavioral disorders.

3. Stimulates creativity and abstract thinking

A study conducted by researchers at Dartmouth College in Hanover, United States, has shown that painting can stimulate children’s creativity, visual perception, abstract thinking and executive ability in children. This is because, while the child paints, his entire brain is activated: the left cerebral hemisphere, related to logical tasks, and the right hemisphere, responsible for creativity and imagination . In this way, while the child has fun painting, their higher cognitive abilities are developed.

4. Improves motor coordination

Fine motor coordination and hand-eye coordination are one of the skills that children take the longest to develop, as they require a certain level of brain maturation. Handling and gripping skills are perfected as the little one acquires skills in the painting, so that he first goes from the rough grip, to the controlled grip and then to the pincer grip, which is much more subtle and precise. Therefore, painting is a great exercise for children who have fine motor difficulties or who have delayed motor development.

5. Improves hyperactivity and impulsivity

Children are often impulsive by nature as they have little self-control over their behavior and emotional expression. It is a fairly common problem that reaches its maximum expression in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. However,there are many ways to control this hyperactive behavior and one of them is painting. In fact, several studies have shown that painting is a very effective tool for regulating behavior in hyperactive children because stimulates your self-control and emotional regulation.