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Are you looking for the best coloring books for seniors or your parents?
We’ve got you covered, no matter if you’re caring for an aging parent or looking for easy-to-color books for yourself.
Check out the side-by-side comparison table below for a quick peek.
Then, read on for in-depth reviews and details about each!
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READ MORE: 75th Birthday Celebration Ideas for Mom
Table of Contents
Top 5 Best Adult Coloring Books
People often think that coloring is reserved only for small children. However, coloring has become a popular activity for adults and seniors in recent years and has many benefits for your mental health.
For example, coloring relieves boredom, allows you to develop your creativity, and reduces stress or anxiety. It can help you make friends in social settings, bond with your family, and entertain grandchildren.
However, there are so many options that you might have a hard time picking one. But that’s why we’re here with our top five picks that promise hours of fun coloring!
#1 Simple Designs: A Laid Back Coloring Book
Coloring has never been so easy, thanks to this laid-back coloring book. It features unique yet simple pictures that will keep you busy for a while.
The book is created by Kimberley Garvey, who has several years of experience drawing and creating color books.
The artist has done her best to keep the design as simple as possible, making the book suitable for seniors and beginners.
Main Features
The laid-back coloring book features 36 one-sided pages of simple pictures suitable for people of all ages. You can expect to color mainly flowers with interesting shapes and scenery.
The pictures are generally easy to understand, and you don’t have to put much thought into what color to choose. You can turn your mind off while coloring and enjoy the serenity of the experience.
The pictures are also large to prevent children and seniors from getting overwhelmed by small details and complicated patterns.
You can watch a short video to judge if the pictures and designs are up to your liking.
Benefits
Customers share that the pictures are fun to color and that they don’t frustrate mentally-impaired seniors.
The simple design also allows adults to be as creative as possible and create unique masterpieces.
Seniors also love that the pictures take 10-15 minutes to finish and get the satisfaction of completing a page quickly.
Some adults also note that they like the large print since they don’t have to strain their eyes or use a magnifying glass to make the small details.
- simple pictures
- large print
- suitable for all ages
- affordable
Drawbacks
In general, users are satisfied with the quality of the coloring book but note that it has a few cons:
- Thin paper
- Repetitive patterns
Some customers note the paper’s quality is poor, and colors bleed through if you use markers.
As such, it’s better to use colored pencils.
Who Needs This Easy-to-Color Book?
Thanks to its simple design and large print, this coloring book is best suited for:
- seniors with mental problems, such as dementia
- people with hand tremors and poor vision since it’s easy to stay within the lines
- small children
- beginners
- Garvey, Kimberly (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 78 Pages - 07/01/2015 (Publication Date) - CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Publisher)
#2 My Sweet Home Coloring Book for Seniors
No products found.Another excellent coloring book for senior citizens is My Sweet Home, with its variety of pictures and designs.
It’s created by Happy Coloring and Elena Bogdanovych to provide seniors with a way to self-express, bond with their grandchildren, and improve motor skills.
It’s an excellent coloring book if you want to engage in creative activities, and you’re bound to feel great satisfaction when the black and white pages turn colorful.
Main Features
As the name suggests, My Sweet Home coloring book focuses on household objects, rooms inside the house, and everyday items.
The pictures are entertaining without being frustrating, hard to comprehend, or difficult to color.
Most drawings don’t require too much time to complete, but you’ve got a couple of detailed pages that require more time and precision.
Nevertheless, you can always skin the “hard” pictures and stick to the simple ones.
As such, this book provides excellent mental stimulation without making coloring for seniors too challenging.
The book is 68 pages long, so you can have hours of fun with it before you’re done with its beautiful images.
Benefits
My Sweet Home is among the best adult coloring books because it’s:
- beautiful designs
- not repetitive
- entertaining
- relaxing
Customers share that the drawings are large enough to see without straining, and it’s easy to stay within the lines. They find it enjoyable and say it’s a great anti-stress coloring book.
Drawbacks
In general, My Sweet Home is ideal if you’re considering a coloring hobby. Still, it has a few cons, such as:
- A lot of empty space on some pages.
- It might be too simple for some seniors.
Some customers note that they expected more details and think the book will be boring for seniors without physical or mental problems.
Who Needs This Art Book?
We recommend My Sweet Home for anyone who likes coloring and is looking for creative and self-expressive activity.
The images are cute and will appeal to most children, so it’s an excellent choice if you want to spend more time with your grandchildren.
Moreover, the drawings are large enough to be suitable for people with physical limitations.
No products found.
#3 Winter Village – Coloring Book
If you’re looking for affordable color books for seniors, then you can’t go wrong with this cute Winter Village book.
Since it’s holiday-theme, it makes a perfect gift for aging parents interesting in picking up a new hobby or looking for ways to reduce stress/blood pressure.
The detailed pictures also allow you to be as creative as you want, breathing life into these black-and-white images.
Main Features
The gorgeous color book for seniors features 32 beautiful designs with enough details to make it a fun challenge to complete. You’ve got children playing, animals, serenity winter scenes, and Santa Clause.
It’s perfect if you’re looking for something more detailed than household items and less boring than geometric patterns or mandalas.
Moreover, the one-sided paper pages are black-backed to reduce bleed-through as much as possible. So, you can use standard coloring pens or markets without worrying about ruining the picture.
The large 8.5 x 11 print also makes it suitable for adult people with poor eyesight that have problems focusing on small details.
You can also share your art on social media and meet other adults with the same passion as you.
Benefits
Customers share that the images are charming and that the large print makes it easy to color the details. They note that there’s space to add your own details if you wish.
We like the Winter Village book because:
- It’s affordable
- Features a variety of designs
- Provides hours of fun
- Has large print
Drawbacks
- The beautiful designs and detailed patterns featured in this Winter Village book might be too complicated for seniors with mental or physical limitations.
- Pictures take a while to finish, and you might get frustrated or bored.
Who Needs This Color Book?
We recommend this color book for any seniors and children with an artistic nature and an eye for detail. It’s also likely to appeal to most adults, older kids, and caregivers.
Since most drawings have details, it might not be the perfect coloring book for people with impaired motor skills.
- Rivers, Julia (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 72 Pages - 11/20/2018 (Publication Date) - CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Publisher)
#4 Simple Designs II: Another Easy Coloring Book for All
Kimberly Gravey presents another easy color book for people of all ages that enjoy the simple activity of coloring.
This book is even simpler than the previous one to make it suitable for seniors who might struggle to stay within the lines or have impaired motor skills.
It can be an excellent choice if you’re looking for ways to relieve boredom during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Main Features
Like Kimberly Gravey’s previous print coloring book, this one features 36 drawings. Each picture is one-sided and printed in large so that you don’t have to strain your eyes to make every single detail.
You can expect to color simple flowers, easy patterns, trees, and relaxing scenery. Check this short video for a quick inside look into the book to see if its images appeal to you.
We also like Simple Designs II because it includes a protective sheet to prevent markers and color pens from bleed into the paper and ruin your unfinished pictures.
Moreover, this book is more affordable than other large print coloring books with detailed pictures.
Benefits
Customers share that their elder parents liked this simple coloring book and that the pictures are big and fun to color.
Other advantages of this book include:
- Simple pictures with no intricate designs
- Large print
- Relaxing drawings
- Hours of fun
Drawbacks
- Some of the pictures are repetitive, and you might get bored with them.
- It’s similar to Simple Designs Volume I.
Who Needs This Book?
Due to the lack of intricate designs and the large print, we recommend this adult color book for people with dementia, rheumatoid arthritis, and disabilities.
It’s also an excellent choice for relieving stress, reducing anxiety, and calming your mind. The book is also suitable for art therapy.
- Garvey, Kimberly (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 82 Pages - 08/22/2015 (Publication Date) - CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Publisher)
#5 Easy Coloring Book for Adults
If you’re looking for something simple yet unique and challenging, you can’t go wrong with this easy coloring book.
Alisa Calder is the author and has created several coloring books, so you might want to check them out if you like this one.
Main Features
One of the best things about this color book for adults is that it features various designs and patterns to keep you interested.
You get to color animals, mandalas, houses, butterflies, and sceneries – 44 unique illustrations in total. Some are more detailed than others, so they’re bound to provide hours of fun coloring for adults.
Moreover, the pictures are printed on large paper, measuring 8.5″ x 11″ to make it easy for you to color details and not struggle with the small stuff.
The book is also printed on pure white paper to ensure vibrant colors when you finish coloring the page.
Benefits
Users share that the Easy Color book for seniors is fun and that they love the pictures’ large size and simplicity. Other pros include:
- 44 unique designs and patterns
- Pure white paper
- Large print
- Affordable price
- Great for beginners
Drawbacks
- Customers note that the colors bleed through if you use anything other than colored pencils.
- It might be too difficult for some because it has got some detailed drawings.
Who Needs This Book?
This coloring book is suitable for anyone who likes coloring, including adults with disabilities. Most of the drawings are very large, and it’s easy for beginners to stay within the lines.
Since the images are simple and easy, the book is also suitable for small children.
- Calder, Alisa (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 90 Pages - 04/04/2018 (Publication Date) - Creative Coloring Press (Publisher)
FAQs
You probably have some questions about adult coloring books and if it’s a suitable hobby for seniors. We’re here to satisfy your curiosity.
What are the benefits of coloring books for seniors?
As we already mentioned, coloring can be more than a hobby, and it can improve your health in more ways than you can’t imagine. It’s not just an activity to keep children and seniors busy and quiet. More on this later.
What Colors Can the Elderly See Best?
Interestingly, as people age, the eye lenses become yellowish, and it might seem like you’re looking at the world through a yellow filter. Cataracts and other eye problems are also common and affect how seniors see colors. That’s why the elderly might have problems telling blue apart from purple or yellow from green. But they don’t seem to have many issues with colors in the red-green spectrum.
Are Color Books for Seniors Good for Dementia?
Specialists believe that coloring books can be great for people with dementia and help them fight the disease. That’s because coloring requires focus and concentration to avoid spoiling the drawing. It reduces confusion in the elderly and keeps them grounded.
Dementia leads to a decline in cognitive abilities over time. It gets harder to remember things or solve problems, even simple ones as paying your bills. As a result, patients get anxious, stressed, and sometimes aggressive.
Staying active and exercising both sides of the brain can also perverse neural connections and slow down mental decline. It’s not a cure, but it’s worth trying, even if it has only a minor effect.
Moreover, coloring also calms the mind and has almost the same effect as meditation. It’s likely to reduce stress and anxiety in patients with dementia and decrease the chances of aggression.
Coloring a book might also spark childhood memories in patients with dementia and make it easier to recall things. It’s also a great bonding activity for those in-home nurse care.
So, let’s take a look at the main health benefits of coloring books for seniors.
#1 Reduces Stress and Anxiety
It’s no coincidence that art therapy is so popular for people suffering from trauma or who are under a great deal of stress and pressure.
Coloring can take your mind off unpleasant things and let you live in the moment. When you’re focused and absorbed in a task, you’re less likely to think negative thoughts or worry about the future.
Moreover, studies have found that people who color mandalas or geometric patterns have lower stress levels than persons who color blank pages.
Scientists have determined that structured coloring is a soothing activity and beneficial for fighting stress, improving mindfulness, and decreasing depressive symptoms.
#2 Keeps Your Mind Sharp
Being creative is an excellent way to keep your brain sharp and slow cognitive decline. That’s because coloring engages both parts of the brain.
You use your creative brain to pick the best colors. But your rational brain controls fine motor skills and solves problems. Without both sides working hard, you won’t be able to create a good picture.
As such, coloring is the perfect activity for improving brain activity, focus, and basic motor skills.
#3 Brings Happy Memories
For most people, coloring is a big part of their childhood. When you go back to color books as an adult, you might get to remember things long forgotten that you used to like.
Moreover, you might feel that old spark of being a child with no worries about the future or regrets about the past. Coloring can bring you simple joy and let you be a kid again, at least for a couple of hours.
#4 It’s a Bonding Activity
Another potential benefit of coloring is that it gives you something to bond over with family, senior friends, grandchildren, and strangers.
Moreover, you can join plenty of social media groups to share your art, find free coloring pages, and meet new friends.
#5 Allows Self-Expression
Sometimes it’s hard to express yourself because you can’t find the right words or can’t shape your feeling into language.
Coloring can allow you to express yourself with colors, shapes, and nuances. Pictures can speak a volume, even when all you do is color them.
Moreover, art therapy and coloring are great ways to reveal your inner artist. They might give you the confidence to try painting and drawing, even if you’re not very skilled at the beginning. Check out this video.
Conclusion
Having fun and doing something relaxing is as important as personal hygiene care for the elderly or daily stretches for seniors to keep the body fit.
Coloring books is an easy creative activity that can improve your motor skills, increase your ability to focus, and reduce anxiety. It’s also fun and entertaining, especially if you have someone to share it with.
Final Recommendation
All these color books will be an excellent option if you’re thinking about picking up coloring as a hobby. But there’s one that stands among the others, and that impressed us the most.
We’re talking about Simple Designs because it’s affordable, relaxing, and easy to color. You’ve got plenty of pictures to color, and the large print ensures you don’t tire your eyes more than necessary.
Furthermore, you can look inside the book to judge if you like its patterns and designs before buying it.
- Garvey, Kimberly (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 78 Pages - 07/01/2015 (Publication Date) - CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Publisher)
What do you think about these 5 best color books for seniors? Do you have any other coloring book suggestions? Tell us about your experience with color books in the comment section.
