Pet coloring pages for toddlers and preschoolers

Why pets make good first coloring pages

Most children meet animals at home, at a friend's house or in a picture book long before they can name colors. A kitten or a puppy is familiar, so a child can say what it is, make its sound and decide what color its fur should be. That makes a pet page an easy first step into coloring.

Our pet pages show one animal at a time, doing something small: looking at a butterfly, sitting or having a nap. The outlines are thick and the shapes are big, so crayons and chunky markers fill them without much effort. There are no backgrounds, no fur patterns and no tiny details to get lost in.

Pages marked Very simple suit children of 2 and 3. Pages marked Simple add a few extra shapes, like a collar or a ball, for children who want a little more to color.

Ideas while you color

• Your pet, your colors

  Ask what color the kitten should be. Purple cats and green puppies are fine. Choosing is the point.

• Make the sounds

  Meow, woof, squeak. Naming the animal and making its sound turns coloring into a game for children who don't talk much yet.

• Copy a real pet

  If you have a pet, or a grandparent does, color the page to match it. Then put it on the fridge or give it as a present.

• Count together

  Count the paws, ears or whiskers before you start. Small numbers on a big, clear drawing are easy to see.