Soccer Ball Coloring Page

One huge ball fills this soccer ball coloring page. It sits on short grass in front of a goal with a diamond net, with tufts of grass around the bottom and a pair of boots left beside it. A water bottle stands on the right and a few cones mark out a practice area. There is very little fuss, which makes it a great first sports page.

Ages 3 to 9 do well with it. Small kids can finish the big patches in ten minutes, and older ones can spend longer on the net and the grass.

Five sides or six sides

This drawing has a small math secret. We built the ball from the same pattern a classic ball uses, so the patches are real shapes. The dark ones have five sides and the white ones have six.

Before your child colors anything, count the sides of a patch together. Trace around one with a finger. Next, have them mark each five sided patch with a tiny dot. Those are the ones to fill in dark.

Black is the classic pick, but nothing says it has to be black. Try navy with orange, or give every dark patch a different color for a rainbow ball. A ball with a pattern of hearts or stripes inside each patch looks great too.

Coloring a round shape so it looks round

• Press lightly near the middle of the ball and harder near the edge. The ball will start to bulge off the page.
• Leave one white spot near the top, where the sun would hit.
• Make the shadow under the ball the darkest green on the page.
• Color the boots last so they do not smudge while your hand rests on them.

Thick markers suit the patches, but the net squares will fill up fast. Use a sharp colored pencil on the net, or leave it white. It reads as a net either way.

Facts about the ball itself

The classic design has 32 patches, with 12 five sided shapes and 20 six sided ones. It became famous at the 1970 World Cup, when a black and white ball was easier to follow on black and white TV. You can read how the ball has changed at Wikipedia's soccer ball history page.

Balls come in sizes as well. Young children usually use a size 3, kids from about 8 to 12 use a size 4, and teens and adults use a size 5. Check the number printed on the one in your garage.

From one side you can only see about half of the patches. Ask your child how many five sided patches they can find in the drawing, then explain that the rest are on the back.

What to do with your soccer ball coloring page

Cut the finished ball out in one big circle and glue it to a paper plate. Poke two holes, add string, and you have a door sign for a soccer fan. Teammates can sign the white patches at the end of a season, which turns it into a keepsake from the coach.

It also makes a quick party game. Tape the ball to a wall, blindfold each player, and try to stick a paper boot as close to it as they can. Lots of giggling is guaranteed.

Next stop on the field

Find more like this one in our football coloring pages. The soccer match puts a ball like this in the middle of a goal scene. If a child in your house likes the American game too, try the football ball and compare the two shapes.

Questions