Make coloring for kids even more engaging with these unique ideas that are wildly creative, loaded with learning, and packed with fun! From giant coloring posters and DIY scratch-off pages to pet portraits and drawing to music, this list has something fun for all ages and abilities.
- Coloring for kids is one of the greatest gifts we can give to children
- Why coloring for kids is more than just fun
- Concentric Heart Art
- Pet Portraits
- Calming Watercolor Art
- Winter Directed Drawings
- Rainbow Drawing Activity
- Winter Coloring Pages
- Sharpie and Alcohol Painting
- Scribble Art Hearts
- Watercolor Doodles
- Thumbprint Drawing
- Bee Math Activity
- Drawing with Chalk Pastels & Glue
- Valentine’s Day Coloring Pages
- Symmetry Drawing
- Rainbows & Unicorns Coloring Poster
- Paper Bag Leaf Art
- Life Sized Portraits
- DIY Scratch Art
- Painting with Oil Pastels
- Popsicle Stick Sculptures
- Ocean Coloring Pages
- Creative Drawing Prompts
- Drawing to Music
- Black Light Drawing
- Drawing with Colored Sand
- Chalk Pastels and Sandpaper
- Keepsake Self Portraits
- Halloween Cutting and Tracing
- Eye Stickers for Creative Drawing
- Dinosaur Observational Drawings
- Shadow Drawing
- Marker and Foil Prints
- More fun with coloring for kids!
- Best supplies for coloring for kids
- Frequently Asked Questions
Coloring for kids is one of the greatest gifts we can give to children
Coloring is a love of my life.
It was my favorite thing to do as a kid, and now tremendous chunks of both my business and life are devoted to sharing fun coloring activities for kids. Every note around my house? There are doodles on it. Every page in my notebook? Doodles on them. No paper in my house safe from being colored on.
And here’s why this is interesting: sure, coloring looks fun, but it also feels good to the brain.
Coloring is peaceful, soothing, calm.
It’s one of the best resources and gifts we can give to children, and this list has FANTASTIC, creative, out-of-the-box coloring activities that kids genuinely love.
Why coloring for kids is more than just fun
Coloring keeps kids entertained, but coloring also overflows with educational and emotional benefits.
When kids color, they’re practicing and strengthening:
🖍 Fine Motor Development – Holding and controlling crayons and markers strengthens those little hand muscles.
🎨 Creativity & Imagination – Open-ended coloring activities encourage kids to think outside the lines!
🧘♀️ Relaxation & Focus – Coloring is a wonderful way to help kids unwind and build concentration.
📚 Early Writing Skills – Those coloring strokes? They help with pre-writing skills and pencil control.
Try some of these fantastic drawing activities and find some new faves!
Concentric Heart Art
This has been one of our most popular activities ever, ever, ever. Concentric heart art is stunning and it’s a perfect project for any time of the year.
Pet Portraits
Kids LOVE their pets and this is the perfect way for young artists to create pet art without needing refined, realistic drawing skills. I could do this one all day long!
Calming Watercolor Art
This type of art can be called neurographic art, a creative and therapeutic drawing technique that involves making freeform, flowing lines to create abstract patterns and designs.
Winter Directed Drawings
Directed drawings are step-by-step drawing guides that kids LOVE! Honestly, adults do, too. This set comes with eight Winter designs that you’ll want to create for hours.
Rainbow Drawing Activity
I couldn’t love this more if I tried. Kids learn how to draw different types of lines as shown on the free printable (ex: wavy, dashed, zigzag) inside the rainbow template.
Winter Coloring Pages
Did you know we are famous for our coloring pages? It’s true! I hand-draw all of the art using thick, bold black lines and without too many small spaces. They’re the best coloring pages for kids ever.
Sharpie and Alcohol Painting
This is a classic! Do you have a Sharpie collection where some of your colors never get a chance to shine? I’m thinking of you yellow, orange, lime, light pink…Pair them with some rubbing alcohol for tie-dye drawings.
Scribble Art Hearts
Imagine how surprised your kid will be when you say, “Today we’re drawing on the inside of a grocery bag!” *mind blown emoji* These are easy, adorable, and almost as free as it gets!
Watercolor Doodles
I wish you could see my face when I say to you that I LOVE THIS! First, kids create watercolor splats, then they color and bring them to life. This is the ultimate paint-meets-coloring-for-kids.
Thumbprint Drawing
It’s simple, darling, and oh so easy to create. Grab your stamp pads that you have had since 1997 and let them shine! (Don’t have stamp pads? No problem as paint works just as well.)
Bee Math Activity
This bee math activity connects math and coloring for kids. Download the free printable, grab a die, and invite kids to draw stripes on the bees. OR, provide kids with the printable and invite them to decorate their bees any way they wish.
Drawing with Chalk Pastels & Glue
Glue and chalk are an often unexpected pair, but they’re made for one another! Tip: while chalk pastels are more vibrant than sidewalk or chalkboard chalk, any kind of chalk you have on hand will work great!
Valentine’s Day Coloring Pages
This set includes 20 adorable, hand-drawn designs that are available as instant-downloads. We are famous for our coloring pages and this set is a star. Plus, it was recently completely updated for new, fun, fresh art.
Symmetry Drawing
The math in this is off the charts! Kids have to mentally visualize how to draw a mirrored, symmetrical image and it’s a delightful challenge.
Rainbows & Unicorns Coloring Poster
When we introduced the rainbow and unicorns theme, we knew it would be a hit…but we didn’t know it would be one of our best-sellers from the moment it launched! This poster overflows with magical fun! It is one of the cutest themes we have ever made.
Paper Bag Leaf Art
I have no ability to resist a grocery bag art project. Simply turn your grocery bag inside out and ta-da, you have an instant, almost-free, large canvas ready for creating. Such a great way of adding some extra life to something normally headed to the garbage.
Life Sized Portraits
A preschool classic. A hit. Are you even a preschool teacher if you haven’t made life-sized portraits with your students? These have been such a hit for so long because they are so, so, SO fun to make!
DIY Scratch Art
Do you remember doing scratch art as a kid? Well, now you can do them at home and even make your own scratch boards. They’re easy, fully-customizable, and oh so fun.
Painting with Oil Pastels
This coloring for kids project starts as a drawing, but ends up looking like a watercolor painting. I often share about my love for oil pastels and this is hands-down one of the coolest ways to use them.
Popsicle Stick Sculptures
I always have 7895438 popsicle sticks on hand…but never a ton of ways to use them. Enter: popsicle stick sculptures. Talk about a new, fun kids coloring activity, but with a fun engineering twist!
Ocean Coloring Pages
From smiling sharks and whales to fish, jellyfish, an octopus, squid, and more, these are the best ocean coloring pages for kids to ever exist. The large, bold lines make the art perfect for kids and adults of all ages.
Creative Drawing Prompts
You can make these with magazine pictures or images printed from the internet. I absolutely love how open-ended these coloring prompts are and the abundance of creativity that these encourage.
Drawing to Music
Couldn’t love this more. Different genres of music can elicit different feelings, emotionally and physically. Crank the tunes, grab drawing supplies, and watch the influence music has over how and what you draw.
Black Light Drawing
I can say with absolute certainty that kids will go bananas for this! Black lights make everything better, and kids will want to color for hours with glow-in-the-dark supplies. Having a black light on hand is one of my favorite teacher tricks for dazzling kids.
Drawing with Colored Sand
This immediately makes me think of rangoli art, so it’s a must-try. Coloring for kids doesn’t have to always be on paper, and this project is the perfect example of that. So fun!
Chalk Pastels and Sandpaper
This is one of our faves, but just a heads up: it’s messy! When doing this, make sure to do it outside. And while chalk pastels are extra opaque and vibrant, feel free to use whatever chalk you have on hand. This project is a sensory dream.
Keepsake Self Portraits
Of all the things I have taught children to draw, there’s nothing that I love more than a self-portrait. The little hands! The hair! Everything is perfection and the perfect encapsulation of how precious kids are is as they grow.
Halloween Cutting and Tracing
Use these adorable dashed-line designs for cutting, tracing, or cutting AND tracing. We are constantly adding more holiday and themed sets to our collection, so make sure to check back often to see what’s new.
Eye Stickers for Creative Drawing
Eye stickers are the greatest stickers ever. They come on a roll with what feels like a trillion stickers and they can be used for so many open-ended coloring for kids activities (and they’re inexpensive!).
Dinosaur Observational Drawings
Grab your favorite books, paper, and drawing supplies, and invite your littles to create drawings based on the illustrations in the books. This is not only fun, but it also strengthens observational skills.
Shadow Drawing
Shadow drawing is another preschool classic. You can use any of your favorite toys or things around your home/classroom for this activity. You can also bring it outside and do this with chalk on the cement.
Marker and Foil Prints
Saved one of my faves for last! Marker and foil prints are one of the best coloring for kids activities. This unbelievably simple project produces tie-dye like art that kids cannot get enough of.
More fun with coloring for kids!
When kids finish a coloring masterpiece, try these creative next steps:
- Turn pages into wall art – Frame them or tape them up for a DIY art gallery.
- Make a coloring book – Staple together finished pages to create a personal book.
- Use pages for crafts – Cut out shapes and use them in collages or greeting cards.
No matter how kids color, the most important thing is that they have fun and express themselves! Whether it’s with a simple crayon doodle or a full-on art session, coloring for kids is a timeless activity with endless creative possibilities.
Best supplies for coloring for kids
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To keep coloring fun and frustration-free, here are some of our must-have supplies for coloring.
✔ Crayons and markers – These are classic coloring supplies and come in tons of sizes, colors, and variations.
✔ Tempera sticks – Perfect for little hands still developing grip strength. I always
✔ Printable coloring pages – A variety of themes keeps kids engaged and our big, thick lines make them ideal for kids.
✔ Giant coloring posters – Great for group fun and long-lasting entertainment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Coloring helps develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and creativity. It also supports early writing skills and allows kids to express emotions in a fun, stress-free way.
Kids can start scribbling as early as 12-18 months with chunky crayons. By age 2-3, they begin to grasp coloring within lines, and by preschool age, they refine their skills even more.
Check out our printable coloring pages for kids and our giant 10-foot coloring posters!
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