More about Self-Care Hobbies for Special Needs Parents: Adult Coloring

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Adult coloring books make a great self-care hobby for special needs parents.

There are various skill levels and endless themes to choose from! Let’s look at some tips to get started. We will also explore strategies to make coloring fit into your special needs parenting journey.

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Why Coloring Makes a Great Self-Care Hobby

Coloring can be done individually or with others (preferably with their own books!). You can also coloring quietly or while listening to an audiobook or a movie.

Often, my children want or need me close by. I can color while they play a video game, watch a video, or even as they get ready for sleep.

Coloring can be done for short or long time periods. It also is an activity that is easily interrupted and restarted.

Coloring also has a variety of online communities. For example, you can join groups on Facebook to share work. You can also try a guided color along with YouTube tutorials.

Adult coloring books also come in a variety of themes. For example, you can find books of dragons, nature, mandalas, popular books and movies, and more. It is easy to find something for everyone! Coloring is both a calming and creative outlet. Taking time to focus on coloring also gives your brain a break from worries.

There is no wrong way to do this hobby! I enjoy experimenting with different techniques, mediums, and colors.

Bonus: Children who are less talkative, may open up while working on a coloring page while sitting with you. In fact, my daughter often opens up with her in-home therapist while coloring in and doodling on coloring pages.

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Ways to Make Coloring Safe for Specific Special Needs

If leaving a coloring book and art materials out is not an option, there are several ways to keep materials safe.

If your child has pica and might eat the art materials, it is important to store items out of reach. This is also a good strategy for children who may throw or damage the books or materials when angry. I learned the hard way to keep all of my coloring books on an upper shelf in my bedroom closet after a disappointing ripping incident.

Keeping pencils and pens in zip-up cases is another way to keep your items both safe and organized. Putting a few pens and pencils in mugs is another way I like to store my materials for easy access and storage.

220 Slot Zipper Colored Pencil Carrying Case.

Two gray mugs of hot chocolate with three large marshmallows each.

Getting Started with Adult Coloring

Start small. It can be tempting to buy several books and lots of supplies. Try sticking with one or two books to start. Also try a set or two of pencils and pens to see which medium you prefer. I enjoy pens, but have recently begun experimenting with pencils.
Start large. For your first few coloring books, look for drawings without too many small spaces and fine details.
Avoid bleeding through. Most adult coloring books have images on both sides. You will want to avoid colors from one page bleeding through and affecting the image on the other side. Alcohol markers (think Sharpies) will always bleed through. Other pens and markers may bleed through. Many books have a test page to try pens before using them on main images. If there is not a test page, I like to try the pens on the inside title page because it often does not have a picture on the other side.
Pick a small palette. If you are unsure which colors to choose, start small. For example, pick one color and try a monochromatic page. Or you can pick a color and put it everywhere you want on the page before moving on to the next color. Pick a handful of colors and stick with them. As you color pages, you will start to find your favorites.
Just start and experiment. Do not get stuck on finding the perfect colors or staying inside the lines. This is an open-ended hobby with no rules. Color the grass blue and the sky green if you want! You can color one page at a time or skip around the book. Have fun and be creative.

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Adult Coloring Book Suggestions

This is just the beginning of the variety of options available!

Nature Scenes

Cover image of Birds: A Smithsonian Coloring Book.

Cover image of Fragile World Coloring Book.

Cover image of World of Flowers Coloring Book.

Mandala Theme

Cover image for Stained Glass Mandala Coloring Book.

Cover image Snowflake Mandala coloring book.

Fantasy Theme

Cover image of Tales from the Midnight Masquerade coloring book.

Romantic Country: A Fantasy Coloring Book.

Unique Adult Coloring Books

Cover image for 30 Days of Creativity: Draw, Color, and Discover Your Creative Self.

Cover image The Twelve Dancing Princesses Grayscale Coloring Book.

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Suggested Supplies for Your Adult Coloring Hobby

Pencils

There are two types of colored pencils: Oil-based and Wax-based. Wax-based pencils are the most common from what I have seen over the years. You can buy pencils in sets and individually. Starting with a set of 12-24 before committing to a larger set will allow you to try out the pencils and have lots of colors to choose from. If you choose to invest in the more expensive pencils or markers, you may want to buy a few individual ones from open stock (either in craft-stores or online) before committing to the larger set.

Here are a few suggested sets to get you started. I have enjoyed using all of them.

Image of Black Widow set of Dragon Colored Pencils For Adults - 36 Coloring Pencils.

Prismacolor Premier 72 count set of colored pencils.

Pencil Sharpener

A nice pencil sharpener for colored pencils will help you get a sharp point and also reduce wasted pencil.

Image of 2 in 1 Prismacolor premier pencil sharpener for fine and medium points.

Pens

There are also a few types of pens. There are felt-tip (think markers), fine liners, gel pens, and ballpoint pens (think office pens). Felt-tip markers can have a tendency to bleed through pages, so I suggest you test them out. Fine liners are great for small spaces and outlining, but can be difficult for larger areas due to their fine nib. Gel pens are one of my favorites for coloring. Gel pens are also great for outlining and larger spaces. They can also be layers to create new colors.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started. These are all staples in my coloring hobby!

Image of 20 colorful gel pens with a set of ink refills.

Image of 30 Stabilo fineliner felt-tip pens in assorted colors.

Image of 14 assorted colored Paper Mate InkJoy gel pens.

Unique Supplies

A few other items you may want to include in your coloring book hobby include a coloring wheel to help with color choice, mild highlighters for a unique look, watercolor pencils (I like to activate them with watercolor markers or the highlighters for a unique look). Glitter pens also add a fun touch to parts or the entire page!