Coloring is a fun, soothing recreational activity for children and adults. The supreme aspect of coloring is that it is a source of recreation that can be done for $0 dollars, as opposed to going to an arcade or a ceramics shop. The free aspect of coloring is courtesy to the plethora of online websites that offer free coloring pages for adults and children.

Who Can Benefit from Free Coloring Pages

There are several groups of people who can benefit from free coloring pages. These include:

• Adults Adults already have so many expenses such as bills, groceries, eating out, etc. The last item they want to pay for is pieces of paper with black lines that form a picture. It is rare for adults to find a free source of recreation; free coloring pages are that rare free source of recreation.
• Teens Teens often have to rankle their parents or be very frugal with their money from part-time jobs to have money for recreation. Teens have to deal with numerous stresses in their lives such as school, sports, relationships, familial pressures, etc. Free coloring pages are a source of recreation that can reduce their stress and help them save money on the costs of recreation.
• Children and Parents Children love coloring; it is practically another form of playing for them. Parents benefit from free coloring pages because they are saving money on coloring books. Since coloring is recreation for children and adults, parents can bond with their children by coloring with them.
• Schools Schools have to print hundreds of coloring pages each school year. When a school has to pay for every coloring page and/or coloring book, coloring pages end up taking up a decent portion of their budget. Free coloring pages save schools hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year.

Coloring is Beneficial for Health

The reason behind the existence of art therapy is artistic activities such as coloring possess many psychological and physical health benefits. These include:

• Reduced Stress Once a person puts that crayon or colored pencil to the coloring page, their stress tends to melt away by each stroke. Coloring is comparable to meditation because it promotes relaxation of the mind by having the mind being focused on the picture.
• Intellectual Improvement Coloring requires use of the areas of the brain that have to do with maintaining attention and staying focused. It helps people improve their problem-solving skills and become better at staying organized. Coloring requires the use of the frontal lobe, which is the part of the brain that enables humans to have a higher-order of synthesizing thoughts; therefore, coloring is a facile activity that requires extensive thinking.
• Exercise of Both Hemispheres of the Brain When a person is coloring, he/she is contemplating about appropriate color scheme, aesthetic balance, and how to make them a reality on paper. These are thoughts that come from both the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere of the brain. Activities that stimulate both sides of the brain simultaneously are always healthy because they exercise both sides of the brain and train them to work together.
• Self-Expression Everyone's completed colored picture will be unique because every individual will have his/her own color schemes. Coloring allows an individual to create his/her own unique creation. The individual's creation is a reflection of himself / herself.
• Encourages Socialization The reason behind the emerging franchise Painting with a Twist, which is a place where people can paint and socialize, is people become social when doing any form of art. Because coloring is relaxing, it reduces people's inhibitions and to be more social.
• Helps with Emotional and Mental Health Problems Coloring and other art activities have been used in both formal art therapy and casual recreation to help people who are suffering with mental health problems such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, excessive stress, etc. Art increased composure of the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for the flight-or-fight response.

Top 5 Routes for "Free Coloring Pictures"

1. Crayola.com Everyone knows Crayola for their outstanding brand of art supplies. Crayola is also outstanding because they render a variety of categories with a plethora of free coloring pages under each category. These coloring pages are appropriate for both child and adult enjoyment.
2. Supercoloring.com This website has free 'coloring books' with multiple pages for each 'coloring book'. They also have individual free coloring pages to print out under various categories.
3. Momswhothink.com This website is ideal for moms or teachers who wish to entertain and/or educate their children with coloring pages. These free coloring pages have a child's development of motor skills, coordination, and color knowledge in mind.
4. Justcolor.net This website has free coloring pages that are more complex for the adult ability and enjoyment. The categories include history, travel, etc. There are also coloring pages for children available.
5. Coloring.ws This website includes free coloring pages and other stimulating mind activities such as color by numbers and connect the dots. There are wide varieties of categories, including a category for coloring pages that are geared for use in the classroom.