Adult coloring has become all the rage after a series of articles were published that highlighted the therapeutic benefits of coloring. Coloring seems to be especially helpful for people who suffer from anxiety. This is because it has been shown to activate different areas in the brain, control attention, and improve focus. It has been suggested that coloring helps people to replace negative (often recurring) thoughts with beautiful images. Coloring can even cause changes in heart rate and brain waves. As a result, many psychologists are now prescribing coloring to their patients. So if coloring can do all this for adults, what can it do for students in the classroom? Ask any teacher, or curriculum developer who uses coloring textbooks like The The Anatomy Coloring Book or The Complete Hawaiian Reef Fish Coloring Book in their classroom and they will tell you that first off, coloring helps students relax and relieve stress. But relaxation is just one of the benefits. Coloring also decreases fidgeting and increases focus. Imagine you are in a classroom of high school students stressed out about schoolwork, taking their SATs, dating, fitting in, or getting into college. The teacher is lecturing about the anatomy of a fish and the students’ minds are wandering thinking about the girls they like or what they are going to eat for lunch. They start fidgeting; they are not focused on the lecture. Enter the coloring book.Read More