Coloring pages of things that fly, for toddlers and preschoolers

Up in the sky, down on paper

Airplanes, helicopters and balloons are usually far away, small shapes high in the sky. Many children love spotting them and asking where they are going. On a coloring page they are suddenly big and close enough to look at properly.

Each page shows one flying machine with a friendly face: a little airplane above a cloud, a helicopter flying past two clouds and a sun, and a hot-air balloon floating up with its basket. The outlines are thick and the shapes are round and smooth, with no rows of tiny windows, no numbers and no busy sky.

The little airplane and the hot-air balloon are marked Very simple, for children of 2 and 3. The helicopter is marked Simple. Its rotor, skids, clouds and sun give children of 4 and 5 a few more parts to color.

Ideas while you color

• Look up together

  Next time you hear an airplane or a helicopter, stop and look for it. Then find the same thing on the page.

• Color the sky

  There is plenty of white space around each drawing. Older children can color it blue, add more clouds or draw a rainbow.

• Make the balloon bright

  The hot-air balloon is split into four big panels. Coloring each panel differently is an easy way to make it bright.

• Plan a trip

  Ask where the airplane is flying today and what it will see on the way. A short made-up trip keeps young children interested.