The Christmas holiday season is always a whirlwind of different activities. Everyone hustles in shopping, decorates their homes, and hosts parties for friends and family. Consequently, all of this makes it very easy for not only our physical health but also our mental health to take a backseat. Finding ways to be mindful and calm can become challenging in such a situation.
That is where mindful Christmas coloring can help. It is a fun way to be connected with family and have your own peace of mind too. Let’s learn how we can use this coloring method on holidays.
What is Mindful Coloring?
Mindful coloring is a technique that integrates the therapeutic advantages of coloring with the principles of mindfulness.
In other words, mindful coloring involves focusing on the present moment while coloring intricate patterns and designs. So, unlike traditional coloring, the goal is not to produce a perfect picture but to engage fully in the process.
Additionally, psychologists have proven that making art and other creative activities can be therapeutic. It means mindful coloring is a great way to calm the mind and focus on the present, much like meditation. It teaches your brain to block out the inner chatter from your head and the noise from the outside world.
Benefits of Mindful Coloring for Adults and Kids
The practice of coloring, whether by adults or children, has grown in popularity over the past few years. Even though it’s an excellent tool for children to learn about color theory and painting, adults may get numerous benefits from it as well. Such as
1. Mindfulness
Coloring requires the main focus to be on the present. We let go of ideas about tomorrow, yesterday, or what we will do later, much like meditation. It also does not require any practice.
In fact, studies show that coloring might have a calming effect and promote mindfulness. In addition, it’s a reasonable substitute to sit and meditate in silence.
2. Distraction from Stress
When we color in a rhythmic and repeated manner, it can have a meditative impact. This meditative state can help give our brain a break by calming down the amygdala, which is the part of the brain that handles emotions. This makes us feel more relaxed and less stressed.
One study also found that mindful coloring for 20 minutes may help your mood, lower your stress, and make you feel more relaxed.
3. Enhances Creativity
Mindful coloring is a great way to unleash your ideas and spark creativity. Choosing colors and mixing them in a particular manner generates an aesthetic value, which is pretty satisfying.
4. Improves Sleep
Mindful coloring can be a great bedtime ritual. Above all, it means you’ll spend less time looking at your phone or TV screen, which can help you sleep better by lowering your exposure to blue light before bed.
5. Great for Young Motor Skills in Children
There is a good reason why coloring is added to the curriculum of elementary schools.
Mindful coloring helps kids build strength in their fingers, hands, and wrists. The strengthening of fingers is, in fact, great for developing motor skills and small hand movements such as holding a cup or brushing your teeth.
Ideas for a Mindful Christmas Coloring for Kids
Mindful Christmas coloring can be perfect for kids. It helps improve their attention, creativity, and fine motor skills in a fun and engaging way. Plus, it can reduce feeling overwhelmed during the busy holiday season.
Doodling
One idea to incorporate mindful coloring is to doodle. So, encourage kids to doodle without any shape or purpose in mind. Let them draw, shade, and color anything that will make them happy, and let them color it.
It enables them to let out their creativity as well as their emotions without feeling the need to perfect what they are doing.
Mindful Coloring Books
The best method is to give children coloring books and tell them to pay attention to the colors they pick and how it feels to color in the lines. This can be a relaxing exercise that helps them concentrate.
Ideas for a Mindful Christmas Coloring for Adults
Like children, adults can also relax and enjoy the mindfulness offered by coloring as well.
Mandala Coloring Ideas
A mandala is a type of circular design that often features repeating patterns. Adult coloring books for mindfulness tend to be more complex, intricately patterned, and abstract than traditional coloring books.
In many cultures, mandalas hold spiritual significance and are used as meditation aids. In fact, using mandala coloring has been found to reduce negative thoughts and help with mood enhancement.
Nature-inspired Designs
Adults can always look for coloring sheets depicting winter scenery, such as pine trees, snowy landscapes, or seasonal flowers like mistletoe and holly. As you color, let yourself be enchanted by the natural world by focusing on its delicate details.
Pro tip! You can also pair your mindful coloring time with music or an interesting educational podcast to stimulate your brain.
How to Do Christmas Mindful Coloring?
There are no hard and fast rules to do mindful coloring. It is as easy as sitting and coloring, and you don’t have to be an expert artist to color.
However, there are some extra things you can do to make your experience even better.
- Sit in a comfortable place and try to avoid as many distractions as possible.
- Select a picture that resonates with your current feelings. If you have already begun one, it is okay to switch to another if that isn’t working for you at the moment.
- Use your senses to ground yourself. Feel the pencil or crayon in your hand, and listen to the sounds they make on the paper.
- To stay focused, you can try mentally saying what you’re doing. For example, try saying I am coloring the flower with pink, or I am using blue for the sky. In the case of children, you can ask them to tell you what they are doing.
- As you color, pay attention to your breathing pattern and make sure you’re taking regular, full breaths from your tummy. If your mind budges around, just notice it for a second and come back to the present moment.
- Never judge your work. To be mindful is to be non-judgmental. So let the final piece be as it is.
You can use any material you prefer. Colored pencils, crayons, marker pens, or watercolor pens are all great options. If you’re just starting out, use a fine-point pen or colored pencil since they’re simple to hold and have an excellent point for coloring details.
How Much Time to Do Mindful Coloring?
There is no time limit to perform mindful coloring. Feel free to do it whenever you want and for as long as you enjoy it.
And once you are done with coloring, you can use the same paper for wrapping gifts or making cards for loved ones.
Online Resources for Mindful Christmas Coloring
There are a lot of online books and apps out there for coloring. Here, we are listing a few templates and printable images. These cute and holiday-themed designs are great for kids, incredibly creative and busy kids. But they can also be used by adults to achieve similar effects.
Mindful Christmas Coloring Books on Amazon
There is a wonderful selection of mindful Christmas coloring books available on Amazon. Here some of the best sellers are mentioned.
1. Bold and Easy Cute Christmas Coloring Book
This book is perfect for younger children. It has small shapes and patterns that are easy to color, making it a fun introduction to mindful coloring.
2. Mindfulness Coloring Book for Kids
This book is a fun way to teach kids about mindfulness. It includes simple shapes and patterns that are meant to help them focus and be present.
3. Enchanted Forest coloring
With detailed, hand-drawn pictures of plants and animals. This coloring book can take your kids on a magical adventure through an imaginary world, perfect for sparking creativity.
4. Christmas Coloring
Specifically designed for adults. This beautifully crafted book offers mandala designs that promote relaxation and mindfulness during the holiday season.
5. Stress Less Coloring: Mandalas
This book has 100 geometric mandalas that you can color while you focus on the details and calm your mind.
6. Creative Haven Christmas Gnomes
This book is one of the bestsellers on Amazon. It features beautiful yet simple images of adorable gnomes, perfect for mindful coloring sessions that bring joy and creativity.
Mindful Christmas Coloring PDFs
Why spend a lot of money on fancy coloring books when you can print out these beautiful Christmas coloring printables for free?
A lot of free downloadable options are available. One of the great resource is created by Psychologist Lawrence Shapiro, who has created Christmas-themed mindful colouring sheets. These printable sheets feature mandala designs, making them particularly appealing for adults, but they can also be enjoyed by teenagers.
In addition, another source is from the BBC. These are specially designed for children of school-going age. It has wide different varieties of printables available, from Christmas-themed coloring pages to table mats.
You may find many free, fun coloring sheets on websites like Crayola and Mondaymadla and a lot from apps like Pinterest. For example, here we are sharing an advent calendar for Christmas mindful coloring from Pinterest.
Mindful Christmas Coloring Applications
Digital coloring books are becoming very popular. You can easily find a variety of them on the App Store for Android and Apple devices. Here are some noteworthy options to consider:
1. Christmas Winter Coloring Book
2. Christmas Coloring Book Games
Using these apps is very easy, just touch the areas of the picture you wish to paint with your finger.
Conclusion
In summary, mindful Christmas coloring is a great way to spend quality time with loved ones while getting into the holiday mood. It works for everyone, from adults looking to relieve stress to kids learning new skills. We have mentioned so many mindful christmas colouring pages and freebies out there. So get your coloring supplies, find a quiet place, and get lost in the world of colors.
Also, don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to share your work with us!
While we discussed mindful coloring, there are many other mindful Christmas activities you can also try to have a relaxed Christmas holiday. Be sure to check out our article on Christmas Mindful Activities for inspiring ideas that will immerse you in the holiday spirit while promoting peace and mindfulness.
References
- Shukla, Apoorva, et al. “Role of Art Therapy in the Promotion of Mental Health: A Critical Review.” Cureus, Aug. 2022, https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.28026.
- Flett, Jayde a. M., et al. “Sharpen Your Pencils: Preliminary Evidence that Adult Coloring Reduces Depressive Symptoms and Anxiety.” Creativity Research Journal, vol. 29, no. 4, Oct. 2017, pp. 409–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2017.1376505.
- Ashdown, Brien K., et al. “How Does Coloring Influence Mood, Stress, and Mindfulness?” ResearchGate, Dec. 2018, www.researchgate.net/publication/329972183_How_Does_Coloring_Influence_Mood_Stress_and_Mindfulness.
- Saparahayuningsih, Sri, and Badeni Badeni. “Improving Children’s Fine Motor Skills through Pencil Skills.” Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, Volume 295, Jan. 2019, https://doi.org/10.2991/icetep-18.2019.29.
- Babouchkina, Anastasia, and Steven J. Robbins. “Reducing Negative Mood Through Mandala Creation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Art Therapy, vol. 32, no. 1, Jan. 2015, pp. 34–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2015.994428.
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