On this page
Animals to color
The polar bear sits in the snow with a wide smile, and the penguin stands on the ice in a striped hat. The reindeer has tall antlers and a bell on its collar. Dog fans will like the Dalmatian and the dog with a bone. The horse and the axolotl round out the group.
Looking for one kind of animal? Browse our full collections of cats, dogs, dinosaurs, farm animals and ocean animals.
Animal coloring pages by age
The youngest kids do best with one large animal and very few small parts. The polar bear and the penguin are both good starts. They are made of big ovals, so a toddler can color most of the shape with one crayon.
Kids of four to seven enjoy the reindeer and the Dalmatian. Antlers and spots ask for a bit more care, and they give kids a chance to slow down and try small spaces.
Older kids can make any animal look more real. They can look up a photo and copy the fur, the feathers or the markings. It is a good way to practice seeing the small details.
Tips for coloring fur and feathers
A few simple tricks make an animal look more real.
- Use short strokes that follow the direction the fur grows.
- Pick two shades of one color, and put the darker shade on the back and the legs.
- Color white animals by filling in the background around them.
- Leave the small white dot in each eye, since it makes the face look awake.
- Add a home for your animal, such as grass, snow or water.
Colored pencils give the best control for fur. Crayons work well for big shapes. If you use markers, place a spare sheet of paper underneath your page.
Learning with animal pages
Animal pages work well in a lesson. Try sorting them into groups. Which animals live in cold places? Which are pets? Which are wild? Kids can cut out the drawings and place them on a big paper map to show where each one lives.
Science lessons fit well too. Talk about what each animal eats, how it stays warm and how it moves. Polar bears have thick fat and fur. Penguins huddle in groups. Reindeer have wide hooves for walking on snow.
Reading and writing are easy to add. Ask kids to write three facts on the back of the page, or to tell a story from the animal's point of view. Younger kids can practice the first letter of each animal's name. P is for penguin, and R is for reindeer.
Please print as many copies as you need for home, class or library use. Our free use license explains the simple rules.
Fun facts about animals
Scientists have named more than a million kinds of animals, and most of them are insects. Many more have not been discovered yet, especially in the deep sea. You can read more on Wikipedia.
Polar bears and penguins are often drawn together, but they never meet in the wild. Polar bears live near the North Pole. Almost all penguins live in the southern half of the world.
The axolotl and the horse make a good pair for a lesson on habitats. An axolotl is a salamander that stays in the water all its life, and it can regrow a lost leg. In the wild it lives only in the lakes near Mexico City. Horses eat plants and can doze while standing, because their legs lock in place. Ask your child which animal needs a pond and which needs a field, then draw each one a home.
Animal coloring pages for outings
Take a few of these pages to the zoo, a farm or an aquarium. Before you go, print a few and talk about what you hope to see. Afterward, color the animals you met and write the date on the back. It turns the visit into a small keepsake.
Pet shelters and libraries can use them as well. A table of pages and crayons gives kids something to do at events, and it starts good talks about being kind to animals. A class could even color pages to decorate a local shelter's walls. Small acts like that teach care in a very real way.
Road trips are another good time. Pack a clipboard, a few pages and a small bag of crayons. Kids can look out the window for cows, horses or birds, and color whichever animal they spot first. It keeps the back seat quiet for a while.
Keep exploring
Small kids can find more simple drawings in our preschool coloring pages. For sweet characters of all kinds, visit our cute coloring pages.
Questions
Are these animal coloring pages free?
Yes. All of them are free to print or color online for home, classroom and library use.
Which animal page is easiest?
The polar bear and the penguin are the easiest. They are made of big round shapes.
Will you add more animals?
Yes. We add new drawings often, including farm animals, ocean life and jungle animals.
Can teachers use them in lessons?
Yes. They work well for lessons on habitats, food and animal groups. Print as many as you need.
