National Coloring Book Day Date in the current year: August 2, 2024

A coloring book is just what you would expect from the name; it is a book containing line art which people are intended to color using colored pencils, crayons, paint, marker pens, and other art supplies. Coloring books were originally designed for kids, but adult coloring books have become increasingly popular since the 2010s.

Coloring books emerged in the United States in the late 19th century. They were conceived as a way to democratize art and make art education more accessible for students from different backgrounds. One of the first publishers of coloring books was McLoughling Brothers. The company published its first coloring book, The Little Folks’ Painting Book, in collaboration with English artist and writer Kate Greenway. Its first edition was released in 1879.

Coloring books for young children became widely used in schooling for a number of reasons. Coloring enhances the development of fine motor skills, improves hand-eye coordination, focus and concentration, helps to develop spatial awareness, boosts creativity and self-expression, helps to teach children to discern shades of color, and serves many other educational purposes.

The first coloring books for adults were published in the early 1960s. However, these early coloring books were satirical; non-satirical adult coloring books emerged in the 1970s and weren’t particularly popular until the 2010s. Today, adult coloring books are saw as a form of relaxation and therapy. They help to reduce anxiety and relieve stress in a manner similar to medication, allow to take a break from technology, bring back happy childhood memories, and become a creative outlet for people who are not as comfortable with other forms of art.

National Coloring Book Day was created in 2015 by Dover Publications, an American book publisher that specializes in publishing books that are out of print from their original publishers and adult coloring books. In fact, Dover Publications was the first publisher to create a non-satirical coloring book targeted at adults; entitled Antique Automobiles, it was originally published in 1970 and is still available.

Of course, the best way to celebrate National Coloring Book Day is to crack open a coloring book and get coloring. You can even host a coloring party for your friends. Make sure there are enough art supplies for everyone and ask you friends to bring some wine if it is an adult only coloring party.

Other ways to celebrate the holiday include learning more about the benefits of coloring for children and adults, splurging on new coloring books or supplies, creating your own coloring book, installing a coloring app on your phone or tablet, and spreading the word about the holiday on social media with the hashtags #NationalColoringBookDay and #ColoringBookDay.