Using Coloring and Doodling to Support Regulation and Mindfulness
Coloring and doodling are often seen as simple, fun activities. But for many children, they’re also powerful tools for emotional regulation, mindfulness, and self-expression.
If you’re a parent, educator, or therapist supporting a neurodivergent child who experiences stress, anxiety, or sensory overwhelm, these creative outlets may offer more than just entertainment. They can be part of a reliable coping strategy—one that’s accessible, flexible, and easy to incorporate into daily routines!
This article explains why coloring and doodling can support regulation, how to introduce them effectively, and what to do if your child resists these activities.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.
How Do Coloring and Doodling Work as Regulation Tools?
When we talk about coloring or doodling in a regulation context, we’re not referring to structured art lessons.
Instead, these are low-demand, open-ended activities that let children:
- Slow down their thoughts
- Engage in repetitive, rhythmic movements
- Create visual order
- Focus on something predictable and safe
- Express emotions nonverbally
Coloring and doodling are grounding activities.
They can help shift your child’s attention away from internal chaos or external overload to something tangible, structured, and manageable.
Coloring might involve coloring books, printable pages, or blank sheets of paper. Doodling can mean scribbles, patterns, shapes, or drawing pictures of whatever they want, even drawing something that “feels like” how their body or brain is experiencing the moment.
There’s no right or wrong way to doodle or color. Allow your kids to use these activities as tools to support regulation in the moment, as needed.
Why Coloring and Doodling Matter Developmentally
Coloring and doodling can meet multiple developmental needs at once. These activities offer a blend of emotional release, sensory input, skill-building, and choice—all of which are important for supporting neurodivergent kids in feeling safe, regulated, and confident.
Emotional Regulation
Coloring and doodling allow kids to share their feelings without verbally expressing them.
This matters for several reasons:
- Interoception: Many neurodivergent children struggle with interoception—the ability to sense and understand what’s happening in their body. They might not recognize that they’re anxious, angry, or overwhelmed. But their nervous system knows.
- Verbal Skills: Even when a child can recognize what they’re feeling, they may not have the verbal skills to express it. Describing emotions is hard, even for kids who are highly verbal in other contexts. Emotional experiences are abstract, and many kids—especially autistic children or those with language processing differences—find abstract language especially challenging.
- Thinking Brain is Offline During Dysregulation: Communication becomes even harder when a child is already dysregulated. Their “thinking brain” (prefrontal cortex) goes offline, making it difficult to find words, follow conversations, or explain what’s wrong. In those moments, they’re not being uncooperative—they’re overwhelmed. A low-demand way to release or express emotions can help.
Coloring and drawing provide a safe, nonverbal way to externalize those feelings. They don’t need to explain. They don’t need to get it “right.” They just need to move the crayon or marker across the page.
- Some kids might scribble fast, heavy lines when they’re upset.
- Others might choose calming colors and create soft, repetitive shapes.
- A child who can’t say “I feel anxious” might draw what anxiety feels like in their body—a tight ball, a lightning bolt, or a gray cloud. Everyone’s artistic expression is different and unique.
Over time, these visual expressions can help build emotional awareness, especially when adults gently reflect or label the patterns they see—without judgment or pressure.
This is why coloring and doodling are more than art.
Think about it like this: putting color on a page serves as a bridge between internal sensations and the outside world. There’s no pressure to name the emotion. No expectation to explain it. Just a quiet, contained way to let it move through.
That’s why, for many kids, art is the only way to safely cross their bridge in the moment.
Body Regulation
Many neurodivergent children seek or avoid specific types of sensory input to help their bodies feel “just right.”
Coloring and doodling can provide calming input for some kids—but only if it aligns with what their sensory system needs in the moment.
When kids color or draw, they receive proprioceptive input through their hands, fingers, and arms. The pressure of holding a writing tool, the resistance against the page, and the repeated movement patterns can be grounding for some nervous systems.
This type of input can support regulation by helping the body feel more organized and anchored.
That said, coloring does not offer the same intensity of input as climbing, jumping, swinging, or crashing. If a child is actively seeking vestibular or full-body proprioceptive input, sitting down to color may not meet their needs—at least not right away.
In practice, you could use coloring and drawing as part of a regulation sequence if your child needs more intense input to get back to baseline.
For example, use coloring and doodling:
- After your child has had access to movement or heavy work
- When your child is beginning to settle and shift into a calmer state but is not quite ready to shift into high-demand, high-focus classwork.
- As a way to support transitions from high-energy to focused tasks
For some children, it’s a helpful way to extend regulation after movement. For others, it can become a regular part of their sensory routine—especially if paired with soft lighting, quiet music, or fidget-friendly tools.
The key is to observe how your child responds and your child’s unique sensory preferences. If coloring helps them slow down, breathe more evenly, or stay seated longer, that’s a sign it’s supporting regulation.
If it leads to frustration, restlessness, or resistance, they likely need a different type of input first.
Attention and Focus
Many neurodivergent children struggle with sustaining attention, especially in environments that are noisy, fast-paced, or full of distractions. Coloring and doodling offer a low-pressure way to practice staying focused without the demands of academic work or performance-based tasks.
These activities involve repetition, predictability, and visual-motor engagement. This combination often makes it easier to remain present and engaged for longer stretches of time.
They’re also flexible. Your child can color for 30 seconds or 30 minutes. There’s no “right” pace, which helps reduce anxiety or avoidance related to focus-based tasks.
In classroom settings, some kids focus better on instruction when they’re allowed to doodle while listening. For others, coloring can serve as a buffer between activities, helping them reset before transitioning to something more demanding.
Over time, this kind of focused engagement—especially in a calming environment—can support improvements in sustained attention and visual tracking skills. But it’s not about increasing how long a child can sit still. It’s about helping them feel safe and regulated enough to attend in the first place.
Motor and Sensory Development
Coloring and drawing are naturally rich in fine motor and sensory input—both of which support foundational developmental skills.
The act of holding a crayon or marker strengthens the small muscles in the hands and fingers. Moving the tool across a page builds hand-eye coordination and supports motor planning.
These are important for tasks like writing, tying shoes, brushing teeth, and using utensils.
From a sensory perspective, coloring also offers tactile input through the texture of the paper and drawing tools and visual input through color, contrast, and pattern.
Again, for some children, these sensory elements are calming and organizing, while for others, they may feel overwhelming or uncomfortable.
That’s why it’s important to consider your child’s sensory preferences:
- Some children prefer smooth pens or gel crayons.
- Others may be drawn to heavy markers or tools that provide more resistance.
- Some may benefit from muted tones or high-contrast color choices, while others avoid certain colors or visual patterns.
If your child avoids coloring, it doesn’t mean they’re unmotivated or uninterested. They might be experiencing fine motor fatigue, tactile defensiveness, or visual overload.
You can support this by offering:
- Adapted tools like jumbo chunky crayons, triangular pencils, or paint sticks
- Vertical surfaces like easels or whiteboards
- Alternatives like finger painting, sand drawing, or water painting
The goal in this context isn’t to “build handwriting skills.” It’s to offer a sensory-rich, low-demand experience that helps strengthen the body’s coordination and confidence over time.
Self-Expression and Control
For many neurodivergent kids, the world can feel unpredictable, overstimulating, or out of their control.
Coloring and doodling give them a space where they get to decide:
- What the task looks like
- What tools they are going to use
- What shapes, marks, or colors they create
- Whether they finish or not
That sense of autonomy is regulating in itself. It lets kids take ownership of their experience without being evaluated or corrected. There’s no pressure to talk, perform, or meet an adult’s expectations. It’s just a page and a tool…and full permission to express whatever they want.
Some kids may create the same pictures over and over again. Others may create different detailed scenes, designs, or abstract scribbles every time.
All of it is valid.
Repetition can serve a self-regulatory function, especially for kids who use visual or movement-based stimming to organize their nervous systems.
And for kids who are mostly non-speaking or who struggle with abstract language, visual expression can offer a window into their inner world—without requiring verbal explanation.
When adults treat coloring and doodling as meaningful—not just “filler activities“—children begin to experience them as reliable tools for control, expression, and comfort.
What Makes Coloring and Doodling Hard for Some Kids?
Not every child finds coloring or drawing soothing (which is okay; there’s no one coping tool that works for everyone).
But, if these activities seem to be dysregulating, there are a few possible reasons why:
1. Fine Motor Fatigue
Children who find fine motor skills challenging may find coloring physically tiring or frustrating. Gripping a pencil tightly or staying inside the lines may cause stress instead of relief.
What to try:
- Use larger crayons, paint sticks, or chalk
- Offer vertical surfaces like an easel or whiteboard
- Allow finger painting or drawing in sand, shaving cream, or clay
2. Perfectionism or Rigidity
Some kids feel pressure to “get it right” even if there are no expectations to perform a certain way. They might get upset or abandon the task if they make a mistake or go outside the lines.
What to try:
- Avoid coloring books with detailed designs
- Offer blank paper or freeform templates
- Verbally model that mistakes are okay
3. Visual Overload
Busy coloring pages or intense color contrasts can overwhelm the visual system, especially for kids who are more sensitive to visual input.
What to try:
- Use minimalist or high-contrast designs
- Offer neutral tones or a limited color palette
- Let the child choose what feels comfortable visually
4. Low Interest
Not every child enjoys artistic expression. That’s okay.
What to try:
- Combine drawing with other interests (e.g., coloring a dinosaur while listening to a dinosaur podcast)
- Let them use drawing as part of another goal, like designing a menu, map, or game level
If coloring and doodling is simply a task that your child doesn’t enjoy and it isn’t a useful coping tool, then it’s completely okay to throw it out of your coping tool kit and focus on finding activities that are right for your child. Everyone is different.
How to Support This Skill at Home or in the Classroom
If you want to introduce or encourage coloring and doodling as a mindfulness or coping tool, the key is to keep it low-pressure and relationship-based.
Here are ways to make it more accessible:
Create a Routine Around It
Build it into the day at predictable times, like:
- Before a transition
- After school as a wind-down
- During morning check-in or circle time
- Before bed, as part of a calming routine
Provide the Right Materials
Set up a station with a few options so your child can choose.
Include:
- Crayons, markers, gel pens, colored pencils, pastels, etc.
- Blank paper and coloring sheets
- Index cards for quick doodles
- A clipboard for portability
- Optional: fidget tools, music, or visuals nearby
Avoid overstimulating amounts of materials. Too many choices can make it harder to get started.
Use It With Co-Regulation
If your child is upset, sitting nearby and calmly coloring yourself can be more effective than telling them to draw.
Use quiet narration:
- “I’m going to color in this circle. It helps me slow my thoughts down.”
- “Want to sit beside me and just make some lines?”
Even if they don’t join in, seeing you regulate in this way models the skill over time.
Add Emotional Language Gently
Over time, you can connect feelings to colors or lines:
- “I used all blue today. That feels like a slow, calm color to me.”
- “This line is really scribbly. It reminds me of how my brain feels when I’m frustrated.”
This helps build emotional literacy without forcing your child to name their feelings directly.
My Calming Strategies Coloring Book
25 printable coloring pages that illustrate various calming strategies that can help children with emotional regulation.
What the Research Says
Coloring and creative expression are linked to measurable reductions in anxiety and improvements in focus.
A 2016 study published in Art Therapy found that just 45 minutes of free-form art-making led to lower cortisol levels (a stress hormone) in 75% of participants.
Other research highlights that:
- Coloring mandalas or geometric patterns can reduce anxiety and increase mindfulness
- Doodling while listening can improve memory retention and focus
- Nonverbal self-expression can improve emotional awareness over time
While most of this research has focused on adults or neurotypical children, the sensory, emotional, and cognitive benefits are especially relevant for neurodivergent kids—many of whom struggle with language-based processing or traditional regulation strategies.
Questions to Reflect On
If you’re considering whether coloring or doodling might help your child, ask yourself:
- Does my child already enjoy this type of activity when they’re calm?
- Do they resist drawing because of perfectionism or fatigue?
- How can I remove pressure and increase flexibility?
- What would it look like to do this alongside them—not as a demand, but as an invitation?
You might find that your child already uses drawing as a regulation tool—you just hadn’t recognized it as such. Or they might need a different on-ramp, like using stickers, cutting shapes, or creating comic strips.
Coloring and doodling aren’t magic fixes. But for many kids, they offer a way to pause, reset, and make sense of overwhelming moments without having to explain anything out loud.
It’s a simple technique, but it can be deeply meaningful.
When adults understand the “why” behind these activities, we can use them more intentionally—at home, in classrooms, and therapy spaces—to support regulation, creativity, and emotional safety.
