January coloring pages

Free printable January coloring pages bring snow days, New Year parties and cozy nights.

These free printable January coloring pages cover the whole month: New Year's Eve fireworks, snowmen, sledding, polar bears and warm nights by the fire. Toddlers get big snowflakes and mittens, most with the word JANUARY in outline letters to color. Kids get snowball fights, igloos and ice skating. Teens and adults get snowy owls, a patterned cardinal and cozy reading corners, and seniors get calm winter cabins. There are also real facts for coloring snowflakes and winter birds the way they look outside.

The simplest winter shapes are the best place to start.

Easy January coloring pages for toddlers start with one big winter shape.

The easiest sheets show one shape with thick outlines. Start with the Snowman, the Mitten or the Snowflake. The Hot Cocoa mug smiles back, and the Snow Bunny wears fluffy earmuffs.

Preschoolers can try the Polar Bear, the Penguin or the New Year Party Hat. The word JANUARY sits at the top of most of these sheets. Kids can color each letter a different winter color while they learn the name of the month. After one big shape, they soon want a snowy scene to play in.

January coloring pages for kids fill the snow with sleds, snowmen and skaters.

Kids love a snow day. In Sledding, three kids race down a hill. Building a Snowman shows two friends adding a top hat and scarf. The Snowball Fight has four kids ducking and throwing, and Ice Skating glides across a frozen pond. The Igloo has a husky sitting by the door.

New Year gets its own pages. The New Year Party has a family cheering under a clock at midnight, and New Year Resolutions shows an owl in a party hat with a notepad. For quieter pages, try the Snow Globe, the Winter Bird Feeder or Cozy Winter Reading. The Ice Fishing Bear and the bold Snowplow are quick and fun. The Winter Village is the most detailed kids' page, with snowy roofs and a stone bridge. Older colorers usually want even finer winter detail.

Detailed January coloring pages for teens and adults bring snowy owls and fireworks.

The Snowy Owl sits on a snowbank with every feather drawn. The Cardinal on a Branch Zentangle fills a bird with tiny patterns among berries. The Winter Forest Mandala rings a deer with snowflakes, and the Snowflakes Zentangle packs a page with lacy flakes. New Year Fireworks bursts over a snowy town.

For a slower, cozy evening, try the Winter Reading Corner, Winter Cabin, Puzzle Night or Knitting by the Fire. The Warm Soup Day shows two kids at a kitchen table. The Winter Fox, Penguins on the Ice and Polar Bear and Cub are cute but detailed. If the penguins are a favorite, our penguin coloring pages have many more. Quick bold pages include the Cat in a Sweater and Winter Boots and Scarf. Bold, open winter scenes also suit older colorers.

January coloring pages for seniors show calm winter scenes with bold lines.

The Cabin in the Snow has a wreath on the door and smoke from the chimney. Snow Angels shows a child spread out in fresh snow. The Winter Pattern repeats hats, mittens and snowflakes, and the Ice Palace is a tall castle of icy spires.

Snow angels and warm hats bring back winter memories for many people. They also lead to a good question: what do snowflakes and winter birds really look like?

How do you color snowflakes and winter birds so they look real?

Every snowflake has six arms. Caltech physicist Kenneth Libbrecht explains on his site SnowCrystals.com that snow crystals grow in six-fold symmetry. The six arms grow at the same time, under the same conditions, so they match. On the Snowflake and Snowflakes Zentangle sheets, color each arm the same way, in pale blues and silver, and leave white edges for sparkle.

Winter birds have real colors to copy. The National Audubon Society calls the male northern cardinal "our only red bird with a crest" in North America. So the Cardinal on a Branch Zentangle wants a bright red body. The same society notes that old male snowy owls are almost pure white, while young females are heavily barred with black. Color the Snowy Owl white with a few dark bars, or with lots of them, and you have picked a real bird.

A snowy sky looks best in light blue at the top and white near the ground. Shade the bottom edge of each snowbank in pale gray so the snow looks deep. Finished winter pages also make good winter activities.

January coloring pages make New Year cards, winter walks and snow-day games.

The New Year Resolutions owl holds a blank notepad, so kids can write their own wish for the year. After a walk outside, color the Winter Bird Feeder with the birds you actually saw. On a snow day, color the Building a Snowman sheet, then build a real snowman to match.

Colored snowflakes make a window decoration. Print them on cardstock, cut them out and tape them to the glass. When the month is over, our February coloring pages carry on with hearts and Valentine's Day.

From a smiling snowman to a snowy owl, these free printable January coloring pages carry you from New Year's Eve to the last snow day of the month. Pick an easy winter shape or a detailed scene, and give every snowflake six matching arms.