Abstract
Educators widely use colouring books in early childhood and primary classrooms, yet they often treat them as decorative or supplementary activities rather than as intentional pedagogical resources. This study presents a systematic review of 45 peer-reviewed empirical studies on the educational use of colouring books in early childhood and early primary education, complemented by an analytical review of 194 educational colouring books considered as pedagogical artefacts. The analysis examined three dimensions: links with curricular learning, opportunities for argumentative or reflective engagement and the extent to which colouring supports problem formulation. The findings reveal a fragmented evidentiary landscape. Studies most often associate colouring with emotional well-being, technological engagement and expressive development, while giving limited attention to instructional design or inquiry-oriented practices. Classroom materials showed a similar pattern, as most books provided images to complete without prompts for discussion or collaborative reasoning. Colouring, therefore, remains an underexplored pedagogical resource.
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