Circus Train Coloring Page

This circus train coloring page is full of fun things to find. A purple engine with a tall stack pulls two cars past a big striped tent. A lion peers through the bars of a fancy wagon, and an elephant in a party hat rides on a flat car. Up front you get a seal with a ball, a girl holding three balloons and a popcorn cart.

It suits ages four to ten and takes about thirty minutes. The tent has wide stripes that fill quickly, so little kids feel the page coming together. The small details on the train are there for those who want more.

Show time colors

Red and white stripes are the classic big top look. Alternate them around the tent, and fill the scallops along the edge in yellow and blue. A red flag on top finishes it off.

A circus wagon should look loud, so go bold. Try a red wagon with gold bars and a yellow trim. The flat car can be blue with a red and yellow drum on it. Give the lion an orange mane, and let the elephant stay soft gray with a bright red blanket.

Pick a color for the engine that no other train in this set has. Purple is fun. So is lime. Then fill the ground with green, and color the balloons in three different shades.

Tips for this circus train coloring page

• Color the tent stripes first. It gets the biggest shapes out of the way.
• Go around the wagon bars carefully, since the lion sits behind them.
• Use a yellow crayon with a little orange on top for the popcorn.
• Add stars or dots to the sky if it feels too plain.

Glitter glue looks great on the stars of the elephant's blanket. Just give it an hour to dry before you hang it up.

Stuck on the lion? Bars can make a face hard to color, so work in small sections between them. Start with the yellow face, then add the orange mane. Keep the wall behind him cream, and his head will really stand out from the wagon.

A city on rails

Circus shows began to travel by rail as far back as the 1830s. Flat cars carried the wagons and gear from one show to the next. In 1903, at least 38 of 98 circuses went by train. In 1869, one show even took two elephants and two camels by rail from Omaha to California.

The trains grew very long. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey show ran one of 59 cars in 2010, and at over 5,200 feet it was close to a full mile. People called those trains the city without a ZIP code. The show closed in 2017 and later came back, this time traveling by truck. You can read more in this article on the circus train.

Run your own circus

Make a poster. Give the show a name, then write the date and the star acts on the back of the page. Your child can be the ringmaster and read it out loud with a big voice.

Add a new car to the train on a strip of paper. What would ride in it? A juggling bear, a band of mice, a very tall giraffe? Tape it behind the lion wagon. Each child in a group can add one, and soon the train runs right across the table.

This is also a nice way to talk about animals. Many shows today skip them and use acrobats and clowns instead. Ask your child which acts they would pick, and why.

More fun on the rails

This circus train coloring page joins our other train coloring pages. Young fans can also try the toy train or count along on the number train.

Questions