When choosing art activities for preschoolers, plain paper has distinct advantages over coloring books  and coloring pages that are printed with an image.

It turns out that a simple white sheet of paper is more educational and more age appropriate for toddlers and kids of all ages than fancy cartoon drawings on coloring sheets.

The Limits of Coloring Books and Coloring Pages

Although coloring pages are popular, they don’t foster opportunities to develop age appropriate skills. For example, toddlers have not mastered the fine motor skill of coloring inside the lines. They have nearly learned to hold a crayon, usually with a palmar grasp (clutched in the fist) instead of a tripod grasp (as if writing with a pencil).

Why offer coloring books a toddler for whom the lines don’t serve a purpose? In addition, well meaning adults (who don’t understand the fine motor skill and cognitive limits of toddlers) may instruct toddlers to “color inside the lines” as a goal. The goal of coloring inside the lines is unachievable for most toddlers and doesn’t foster creativity or teach age appropriate elements of art.

To support cognitive, fine motor skill and social/emotional development, the NAEYC recommends that art activities for preschoolers focus on the “process” of creating art instead of the “product” (what art looks like in the end). Coloring pages are product driven with little exploration of art materials or design elements.

Advantages of Plain Paper Over Coloring Books

A white piece of paper is a blank canvas – visual freedom that prompts toddlers and preschoolers to choose a variety of artistic and fine motor skill activities. Will it be lines, circles, squiggles or a house on the paper today? The natural and predictable developmental drawing stage often determines the marks children choose to make on a plain paper.

A blank sheet of paper has fewer limits (than coloring sheets) to restrict art activities for preschoolers. Children can experiment with broad intense strokes or curly cues inspired by listening to classical music. The possibilities to add color to a blank sheet are endless. Plain paper says, “What do you want to create today?” while coloring sheets say, “Fill in the blanks.”

Plain paper also respects the limits of a toddler or preschooler’s fine motor skill development. If the large muscles of a toddler’s arm are the ones controlling the crayon, a blank easel pad can accommodate the artistic endeavor. As a child’s brain and body work together to hone fine motor skill development, blank paper can offer opportunities for fine motor skills practice, no matter the stage of development.

When planning art activities for preschoolers, adults can foster more creativity and fine motor skill development by providing an abundance of plain white paper. Apparently less is more when it comes to inspiring creativity, developing artistic confidence and setting age appropriate expectations for young children.

Photos by Cienpies Design and Viviane Stonoga on StockXChange  and by Kelly Pfeiffer.