Football Jersey Coloring Page

Number 88 is hanging up and ready for game day. This football jersey coloring page puts one big shirt on a hanger in the middle of a locker room, with GO TEAM across the chest and striped sleeves at each side. A row of lockers stands behind it. On the bench below, a player has left a helmet and two cleats, and a ball sits on the floor.

We call this one medium, but it is a gentle medium. Children from 5 to 12 can do well here, in about 25 minutes. The two giant numbers are a treat for little hands, while the small slashes down the side panels give older kids something finer to do.

Details to spot

A real game shirt has a lot going on. Look for the neat round collar, the three bands on each sleeve and the side panels with their stitch marks. The hem has one line of sewing at the bottom. Now look around the room. Every locker has air slots at the top and a little yellow handle. Two signs on the top beam read TEAM and ROOM, and the floor is laid out in big tiles.

Football jersey coloring page color ideas

Here is the fun part: this shirt can become any uniform you want. Copy your favorite team, or your child's own league shirt. You can even match a school's colors for a pep rally. The main body takes the strongest color. The side panels and number usually take the second, and the sleeve bands can use a third.

We used red, white and navy in the sample. These sets also look great:

• Forest green body, gold numbers, white panels
• Black body, orange numbers, gray panels
• Sky blue body, white numbers, navy bands

Lockers look best in one calm color, such as gray or light blue, so the shirt stays the star.

Swap 88 for a lucky number

Those numbers do not have to stay 88. Paint over them with white correction fluid, or print a second copy and cover them with a paper patch. Then write your kid's lucky number on top. You can also swap GO TEAM for a last name. Use pencil first and press lightly, so a mistake is easy to fix.

For the fabric, try tiny fold lines near the sleeves. A slightly darker shade along those lines makes the shirt look soft and real.

A team shirt activity

This is a great page for a team party or a class. Give every child a copy and have them design a shirt for an imaginary team. Then hang them all along a string with clothespins, just like a locker room. A coach can also use it as a gift: hand each player a colored page with their own number and a kind note on the back.

At home, try a quiet counting game. How many lockers are there? How many cleats? How many stripes on both sleeves together?

Why numbers matter

Those digits are more than decoration. Leagues set strict rules for uniform numbers so officials can tell who may catch a pass. In college play, for example, players who are not allowed to go out for a pass wear 50 to 79. Eligible receivers wear 1 to 49 or 80 to 99. So our number 88 is someone who could catch the ball. Ask your kid what position they think he plays.

Printing on heavier paper helps with this page, since the numbers soak up a lot of color. It also gives you a sturdier sheet to hang up. For a neat display, punch two holes at the top and thread a ribbon through them, so the paper shirt hangs just like the one in the picture.

Finish the uniform

Add the football helmet coloring page to complete the look, in the same colors. Then put the gear to use with the football player coloring page.

Questions