Liberty Bell Coloring Page

This Liberty Bell coloring page shows the famous cracked bell hanging from a heavy wooden beam on a tall stand. Gold stars dot the sky above, and green grass runs along the bottom. It is a calm, simple page for ages 5 to 12, and most kids finish it in about 20 minutes.

There are few small spaces, which makes it a good choice for a mixed age group. The long jagged crack down the side is the feature kids spot first, and it gives you an opening for a short history talk.

Why teachers like this page

The bell comes up a lot in first and second grade social studies. Kids can color it while they learn about Philadelphia, the early years of the country and the word liberty. It takes little prep. Print, pass out the crayons and start the story.

Parents can use it at home for Presidents' Day, Constitution Day or the Fourth of July. It also goes well with a family trip to Pennsylvania.

Colors that look like old bronze

The real bell is a dull brownish gold, not bright yellow. Mix a tan or gold crayon with a soft layer of brown. Leave one side lighter than the other, and the bell will start to look round.

The bands around the bell can be a shade darker. Color the crack in dark brown or black so it stands out. The beam and the stand look best in a rich wood brown, with small lines drawn along them for grain.

A light blue sky keeps the page bright, but a soft cream gives it an old time feel.

Liberty Bell coloring page tips

• Color in curved lines that follow the bell's sides. That helps it look round.
• Use your darkest brown along the left edge to make a shadow.
• Go over the crack last so it stays sharp.
• Press softly on the sky and let the stars do the work.

The story of the crack

The bell was made in London for the Pennsylvania State House, which we now call Independence Hall. It arrived in 1752 and cracked soon after workers first rang it. Local men melted it down and cast it again. Over time, a new crack appeared, and by the 1840s the bell could no longer ring out as it once had.

The words on it come from the Bible and speak of proclaiming liberty throughout the land. In the 1800s, people working to end slavery picked up the bell as a symbol and gave it the name we use today. It weighs about 2,000 pounds, and it still sits in Philadelphia, where visitors can see it for free. The Liberty Bell article on Wikipedia has much more of the story.

That is one heavy bell. It weighs about as much as a small car.

Simple things to try after

Listen to different sounds. Tap a metal spoon on a glass, a pot and a wooden table. Which one rings longest? Now hold the pot with your hand and tap it again. The sound stops quickly, since the metal can no longer shake freely. A crack does something like that to a bell.

Make a small bell from a paper cup. Decorate it, poke a string through the bottom and tie on a button. It will not ring like bronze, but kids will enjoy it.

Talk about fixing mistakes, too. The bell has a big crack, and people still love it. That can be a helpful thought for a child who gets upset about going outside the lines.

Look closely at the crack on the page. On the real bell, the line looks wide and jagged because workers drilled along the crack in 1846 to stop it from spreading. The repair did not work, and the bell has not rung since. Ask your child to trace the crack with a finger before coloring it dark.

Next pages to print

Round out the set with the Statue of Liberty coloring page and our fireworks page. You will find them all in our 4th of July coloring pages. Teachers can also add our teacher 2027 calendar to plan a history week ahead of time.

Questions