Christmas and winter coloring pages for toddlers and preschoolers

Cozy pages for cold days

Winter brings things children notice right away: snow, warm scarves, a tree with a star in the living room. Coloring them at the kitchen table is a calm thing to do on a dark afternoon or while waiting for Christmas.

Some pages tell a small story. Santa waves with a sack of presents, a little elf ties a bow, a polar bear cub hangs a bauble on a tree and a sleepy mouse snuggles inside a stocking. Others show the things children spot all December: a present with a big bow, a candy cane, a bauble, a gingerbread house and Santa's sleigh piled with gifts. All of them have thick outlines and plain areas, with no tinsel, glitter patterns or busy backgrounds.

Half of the pages are marked Very simple, for children of 2 and 3: one figure or one object with big areas, like the present, the bauble or the penguin. The other half are marked Simple, with a few more parts for children of 4 and 5, like Santa, the gingerbread house or the toy soldier. Use the level filter to show only one kind.

Ideas while you color

• Decorate the tree

  The Christmas tree with a star has no ornaments yet, so your child can draw their own: round baubles, a garland or presents underneath. There's room for as many as they like.

• Make a Christmas card

  Glue the finished page onto folded card and it becomes a Christmas card for a grandparent, a neighbor or a preschool teacher.

• Design the wrapping paper

  The present, the bauble and the gift boxes are plain. Your child can draw dots, stripes or stars on them before coloring.

• Talk while you color

  What would you wish for? What is the mouse dreaming about? Where do reindeer and polar bears live? A few questions turn the page into a small conversation.