Coloring Books are Bad?

We haven't discussed this topic in the Ed. Psych. class, but we have talked about it in my Art in the Elementary Schools course. I thought it was incredibly interesting so I wanted to share. . . 

Studies have shown that allowing young students to color in coloring books can hinder their learning! I read an article by Lowenfeld (the man who introduced art into the classroom), and he had very strong opinions. His points made me think outside of what I had ever contemplated before. For example, Lowenfeld made the point that "there is no place in coloring books to express anxieties." When children draw on plain sheets of paper they can draw whatever they want, express whatever they want, etc. In a sense, it is a way to create whatever they want. A child is not, however, given this freedom in a coloring book.

Another point Lowenfeld makes is that as a child colors in a dog (for example) he/she realizes that their dog may never look as good as the one in the coloring book. This causes a slight loss of their self-esteem and the child may not try as hard anymore.

Lowenfeld's main point of the article is that coloring books have a "detrimental effect on the child's creativeness." Children are expected, for example, to stay in the lines of the picture. Also, the picture is already there so the child does not need to imagine what to draw onto the paper. After constantly using coloring books, children may expect to be given a picture, instead of creating their own.

Overall, this topic was very interesting to me. As a person who used coloring books as a child, I don't feel that I am inferior to children who did not. I never used coloring books in the school, however. I was only given them by my family. Lowenfeld's point makes a lot of sense to me and I hope to use his points in the future: both with my children and my students.