Digital vs analogue: Why children still need real crayons and colouring boards
Colouring isn’t just about crayons and colouring books anymore. These days, you can also colour-in on tablets, phones and computers. Both ways can be lots of fun but they each have their own special things to enjoy (and a few things to think about).
Age matters
Little kids often get the most out of colouring with real crayons or pencils on paper. When you hold a crayon, press it down, and fill in the shapes yourself, your hands and eyes learn to work together. You also get to feel your art coming to life!
The physicality of colouring
Think of the scents and textures of physical crayons and pages. Traditional colouring offers a wide variety of colour-making tools, from watercolour pencils to oil pastels, Each tool produces a different texture, adding depth and dimension to artwork. Blending colours, layering and stippling and so on are all very satisfying activities. It's great for your child to see their own physical effort affecting the work as it is done. Let’s also not forget the delights of scented crayons and markers, along with that lovely, irreplaceable scent of paper.
When you colour on paper, your body moves and works in ways that help you grow stronger. Where children of any age are concerned, physically doing is always preferable to doing something through a device.
A very real downside to digital colouring is screen time. Prolonged screen time means prolonged exposure to blue light, which can lead to eye strain, headaches and disrupted sleep patterns. This is particularly concerning for children.
Colouring promotes feelings
Children benefit from the mindfulness of traditional colouring. The slow, deliberate motions of filling in spaces with colour engage the mind in a meditative, calming way.
Traditional colouring involves feeling the colouring book and its pages, and physically turning pages to find the image that most appeals. It involves holding the crayon and exerting pressure on the crayon to make the colourful impact required. If a child is feeling flighty he or she can hold the crayon lightly, skimming it over the paper, producing gentle swathes of colour. If feeling angry, the child can grip the crayon with intent, press down hard and really let that anger out onto the page. This can be very cathartic and a safe way to show emotions!
The lack of physical interaction with paper or pencils, can make the digital creative process feel less immersive. There’s less sensory satisfaction in holding a manufactured device and pressing buttons.
Experimentation
Digital colouring apps have millions of colours and special tools. You can use sparkles, stickers and cool brushes. It’s fun to experiment and see what you can make. However, real crayons and paints have their own charm. You can feel the texture as you go and adapt to suit.
Memories that last
Traditional colouring has tangible permanence that is not possible with digital devices. There is something very, very special about finding a sheet of paper with your child’s colouring on it. It can bring a tear to the eye, a memory of your child at the table holding the crayon and concentrating on producing a work of art. This type of nostalgia is tangible. You can trace the lines your child made.
Although you can easily save and share your work digitally, there’s something about unearthing an actual drawing that a child actually held, perhaps even sweated-over, that is unique.
What it costs
Traditional colouring involves less up front investment than digital colouring that requires the purchase of a device and app. Some apps are free but the more technical the options the likelier they will cost. In traditional colouring there are maintenance costs as crayons wear down and colouring books become fully coloured in. However, these are not generally highly expensive items. Indeed you can buy quality supplies wholesale at very reasonable prices at Keeko Kids
Space and portability
When you colour with paper, you need space for your books and crayons. A tablet or smartphone makes digital colouring highly portable. All your tools are contained within one device. Yet, there is something really great about setting up your art space and packing it all away for next time.
Mess
You might make a bit of a mess with traditional art work. Yet aren’t messes part of the fun! You learn to clean up after yourself, too. Digital colouring doesn’t make a mess at all, but you miss out on that hands-on, creative chaos that makes art time so exciting.
Eco consciousness
Using paper and crayons means using trees and plastic, but you can help the planet by choosing our eco-friendly art supplies.
Digital colouring doesn’t use paper, but tablets and computers use electricity and need materials that come from the earth, so they have an environmental cost too.
Choosing between paper or screen?
A lot can be said for the potential of digital colouring to expand horizons but, in the end, the horizons are virtual rather than actual and therein lies the reason why colouring books and crayons will always be a staple and why Keeko Kids leads the way for UK crayon and art supplies.