by Denise Calaman

Created on: January 09, 2009   Last Updated: October 12, 2009

Coloring books have been delighting children and sparking their imaginations and creative development since 1879 when the McLoughlin Brothers published the first known coloring book to America, entitled the Little Folks Painting Book. America's first coloring book was a red hardcover book with gold and black trim highlighting a detailed picture of children delighting in painting at an easel. Originally, coloring books were designed for children to paint in. Even after the introduction of crayons in the 1930's it was still popular for children to paint in their books rather than color in them. At that time paint was readily available and less pricey than a box of Crayolas.

The popularity of coloring books peaked in the 1960s. Over the years coloring books have gone from containing the simplest of pictures to telling detailed stories and containing elaborate designs. Today, coloring books can still contain the simplest of pictures but often coloring books are used for educational purposes. Religious coloring books are among the most popular coloring books, helping children learn the fundamentals of their religion through an elementary story. Other popular educational themed books include animal books, phonics related books and historical books.

Teachers and parents have learned that coloring books offer a new way for children to learn. Children don't just have to color cartoon themed pictures anymore. Using educational themed coloring books allows a child to learn, while having fun often without the child realizing that he is learning. Coloring books are also beneficial for young children because it allows them to develop their fine motor skills. One of the hardest skills for a child to master is to hold a pencil. Children who color in a coloring book regularly with crayons often have better penmanship than those who don't because they learn how to hold a crayon at an early age. Coloring books allow children to express their creativity by allowing them to explore different colors and shapes within a picture. Along with having better penmanship, coloring helps children to identify their shapes and colors earlier than children who don't color in coloring books.

Over the past 50 years coloring books have been increasingly used in the health care field. Children and adults who need to recover from traumatic injuries often color in coloring books to recover hand eye coordination and practice fine motor skills. Autistic children benefit greatly from coloring books. Using crayons with muted colors is often very soothing for an autistic child bringing him back to center. Coloring also helps autistic children or children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD develop longer attention spans.

Since those first days of the Little Folks Painting Book, coloring books remain inexpensive to buy, which is a rarity in today's toy market. Today, children can choose coloring books that can be colored in with crayons or colored pencils and markers. Children also may still paint in coloring books with Paint with Water books. Toy manufacturers are doing an excellent job of introducing new products to be used to color in coloring books. And parents can feel good because of the low cost and educational value of an old favorite.

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