Groundhog Day Coloring Page

A chubby groundhog pops out of his burrow on this groundhog day coloring page, and his long shadow has already landed on the snow beside him. He holds his paws together and looks right at you with big round eyes and two front teeth. A wooden sign next to him reads FEB 2, GROUNDHOG DAY, so there's no doubt about the date.

The sun peeks out from behind a cloud, and it looks rather pleased with itself. Two bare trees stand on the hill, a rabbit watches from a safe distance, and three brave crocuses push up by the sign. A few snowflakes are still drifting down.

Easy enough for little hands

This is an easy page, best for ages 3 to 8. The groundhog is large and his body has very few parts. A preschooler can color him in ten minutes. Older kids can add fur lines, snow shadows and tiny bark marks, which takes closer to 25 minutes. Teachers often like a page such as this one for the first week of February, when little ones still need big shapes.

Groundhog day coloring page color ideas

Real groundhogs are brown with a lighter belly, so begin there. Use a medium brown for his back and head, then tan on the belly and cream around his nose. His ears have a small inner shape that looks sweet in pink. Keep his teeth white.

The shadow is the star of this story, so make it clear. A cool gray or light blue works well on snow. Tell your child to color it after the snow, and to press softly, because shadows are never as dark as the thing that makes them.

For the rest of the page:

• Dirt mound: dark brown, with tan pebbles
• Crocuses: purple, yellow and pink
• Sign: light wood, with brown letters or bright red ones
• Far hills: pale blue, so the snow in front feels close

Handy coloring tips

Do the groundhog's fur in short strokes that follow his body. Short marks read as fur, while long smooth ones look like plastic. The same trick works on the rabbit.

Leave the small white dots in his eyes alone. Those highlights make him look awake and curious. If they get covered, a dab of white paint or correction fluid brings them back.

Thin paper can pill if a child scrubs too hard on the big snowy area. Remind them that snow can stay white, and only the shadow needs color. Saving that space also gives the sign and the flowers more room to shine.

What the legend says

Every February 2, thousands of people gather at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to hear from a groundhog named Phil. According to the legend, if he comes out and sees his shadow, six more weeks of winter are on the way. If he doesn't, an early spring will arrive. NOAA checked his record against US temperatures and found he was right about 30% of the time over ten years. So kids can do just as well with a coin toss, and that's a fun thing to test.

Try this on February 2

Go outside at breakfast with your child and look for your own shadows. Write down what you see. Then keep a tally on the calendar for six weeks and mark each cold or warm day. Did the groundhog get it right this year?

In class, split students into two teams, one for "more winter" and one for "early spring." Each child colors a sheet and writes one reason for their choice. Hang the two groups on opposite walls and see which side wins in March.

More February fun

Kids who like a good snow scene can color the snow angel coloring page next. For another furry friend with big front teeth, go to the squirrel coloring page.

Questions