6 Best Anatomy Coloring Books (updated for 2021)
During the COVID-19 shut down in California, I found myself looking for more creative outlets at home. I’m not sure if it was the fact that I suddenly had to home school my two and 4-year old children, or I had been suppressing the urge to start coloring, but I found myself doodling in my daughter’s anatomy coloring books almost as frequently as she was.
I first discovered anatomy coloring books as a nursing student many years ago. At the time, I was overwhelmed with the sheer amount of information I was expected to memorize. I wasn’t sure why, but putting markers on paper helped me remember the anatomy and physiology better than anything else could.
I later learned that coloring the body and its systems is the most effective way to study the structure and functions of human anatomy according to research.
Here I am now, in the middle of a global pandemic, and I’m coloring again. My point is that coloring isn’t just for kids. I think coloring with a crayon or marker should be considered a relaxation or stress-relieving technique. I am surprised that I am just figuring that out now.
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A great anatomy coloring book has every body system
• The Integumentary System
• The Skeletal System
• The Muscular System
• The Nervous System
• The Endocrine System
• The Circulatory System
• The Lymphatic System
• The Digestive System
• The Respiratory System
• The Urinary System
• The Reproductive System
By coloring each of the body systems, you can learn how the systems affect and work with one another.
Benefits of coloring
Reduces stress and anxiety – coloring helps to relax the brain, in a similar way that meditation can. In fact, coloring can be a type of meditation in itself. When you color, it forces you to be still and quiet, which can help generate mindfulness – especially after a stressful day of work, school, or parenting.
Improve focus – Coloring requires attention and allows you to live in the moment.
Improve sleep – Coloring is always better than looking at blue-light electronics like cell-phones; it also much better than browsing through social media, which can cause more stress and keep you awake at night.
Coloring a kidney will help you understand its anatomy and function.
Additional recommended reading: The 7 Most Important Nurse Supplies You Need
Colors and meanings
Since color impacts memory, it is important to know what different colors mean or symbolize.
- Red: anger, passion, danger, vigor
- Green: money, eco-friendly, peace, environmentally friendly, jealousy, envy, fertility & healing
- Blue: peace, knowledge, cool/cold, trust
- Black: mourning, elegance, death, evil, negativity
- Purple: spirituality, royalty, wisdom, intelligence
- Yellow: clarity, intelligence, energy, freshness
- Pink: girly, romantic, feminine, playful
- Orange: warmth, joy, success, balance, freedom
6 Best Anatomy Coloring Books:
#1. The Yoga Anatomy Coloring Book: A Visual Guide to Form, Function, and Movement
This fun mix of coloring book and instructional guide demystifies anatomy for the yoga enthusiast! This book is great for yoga teachers learning anatomy used in all different yoga poses.
The creator of The Yoga Anatomy Coloring Book is a yoga instructor, licensed massage therapist, and anatomy teacher Kelly. The workbook provides an entertaining and informative journey through the human body, focusing on the bones, joints, and muscles used in yoga.
After an overview of helpful terms, Kelly covers the skeletal system, joints, and connective tissue, followed by the muscular system. Each anatomical feature is illustrated with a beautiful black-and-white drawing of a yoga posture, or asana, to color.
Coloring the bones and muscles, and their names, will help you to remember their location and function, and 32 perforated flashcards enable readers to quiz themselves and study yoga anatomy on the go.
#2. Kaplan Anatomy Coloring Book
This anatomy coloring book features detailed illustrations of the body’s anatomical systems. Plus, Color Guides on every 2-page spread offer instructions for best coloring results so you can study effectively. The Amazon description states this coloring book has:
- More than 450 detailed, realistic medical illustrations, including microscopic views of cells and tissues
- Exclusive perforated, flashcard-format illustrations of 96 muscle structures to color and study on-the-go
- Clear, descriptive overview on the page opposite each picture, with key learning terms in boldface
- Self-quizzing for each illustration, with convenient same-page answer keys
- Full coverage of the major body systems, plus physiological information on cells, tissues, muscles, and development
#3. The Human Body Coloring Book: The Ultimate Anatomy Study Guide
The Human Body Coloring Book takes an interactive approach to human anatomy that will help users learn, understand, and revisit the subject with ease.
Drawing on an unparalleled library of state-of-the-art specialist anatomical illustrations, The Human Body Coloring Book is structured system by system for ease of use, with comprehensive coverage of the human body from cell to system.
The Human Body Coloring Book is a unique study aid that provides students with an innovative approach to learning. At the same time, the opportunity to self-test maximizes the ability to recall knowledge.
#4. The Princeton Review Anatomy Coloring Workbook, 4th Edition
Another great book that helps with a concise understanding of anatomy.
The Anatomy Coloring Workbook includes:
• 126 coloring plates with precise, easy-to-follow renderings of anatomical structures
• Comprehensive explanations of the pictured structures and anatomical concepts
• An introductory section on terminology to get you started and coloring suggestions to assist you
• A glossary of standard anatomical terms
• New injury & ailment appendices, with additional memorization techniques
#5. Anatomy Student’s Self-Test Coloring Book
This Student’s Self-Test Coloring Book includes hundreds of anatomically accurate line illustrations to help you learn the human body.
Coloring the anatomy systems helps you learn the shape and location of each body part, making it easier to visualize, retain the information. In addition to clear explanations and instructive content, it features
- New to this edition: Clinical points text boxes to illustrate the medical significance of the structure
- 144 two-color pages that lie flat for easy coloring.
- 16 new pages of text
- Extra-heavy paper that minimizes show-through
- Includes every body system and part
- All parts labeled with correct anatomical names
Conclusion
Any of the anatomy coloring books on this list are very detailed and helpful for learning. Or, if you just need a coloring outlet to relieve stress that also allows you to learn something new, any of these works perfectly.
Additional recommended reading:
- 5 Best Nursing Report Sheets & Notebooks
- Top 30+ Nursing School Supplies & Essentials (2021)
- The 10 Best White Nursing Shoes
