Letter B coloring pages

Free printable letter B coloring pages fill the letter with bears, bees and balloons.

These free printable letter B coloring pages set a big letter B beside something that starts with B, from a teddy bear to a bulldozer. Toddlers and preschoolers get one bold B and one friendly picture. Kids get busy B scenes: a bakery, a beach, a bike ride and a birthday. Teens and adults get a stained glass B, a botanical B and a B mandala, and seniors get balloons and birds in bold lines. There is also a trick for telling b from d, and the surprising story of where the letter B came from.

A bear or a ball beside one big B is the easiest place to begin.

Letter B coloring pages for toddlers and preschool put a bold B next to one friend.

Start with the B is for Bear, the B is for Ball or the B is for Balloon. Each B is wide and hollow, with two round bumps a small hand can fill in two goes. Say "buh" for bear, ball and balloon while the crayon moves.

Preschoolers can add the B is for Bee, B is for Banana, B is for Butterfly and B is for Boat. The bold B is for Bell has a bell tied with a bow. With those done, the next step is a page with a whole scene around the letter.

Letter B coloring pages for kids build whole scenes around the B.

In B is for Bakery, a little baker carries bread past a shop window. B is for Beach gives the letter a smiling face beside a bucket and ball. B is for Bus, B is for Bike and B is for Birthday each add one big B word with plenty around it. Things That Start with B circles the letter with a bear, a bee, a ball, a banana and a boat to name.

Animals fill many pages. The Bears Picnic shares watermelon on a blanket, the Bees and Beehive buzz round a hive, and the Birds on a Branch sit side by side. There is also B is for Bunny, Blowing Bubbles and B is for Bread. Pattern lovers can try the Butterfly Letter B, made of butterflies, or the Floral Letter B wrapped in vines. Quick bold picks include the B is for Basket, B is for Bulldozer and B is for Burger. Teens and adults get the letter as a design in its own right.

Detailed letter B coloring pages for teens and adults turn B into stained glass and botanicals.

The Illuminated Initial B curls with swirls and small flowers around a smiling letter. The Botanical Letter B twines blackberries and blossoms through the B. The Patterned Letter B Mandala sets the letter in a ring of bees and balloons. The Bee Garden Letter B Zentangle fills the letter with honeycomb and flowers, and the Bear Portrait with B shows a realistic bear in a forest.

Cozy pages include B Is for Bedroom, B Is for Bakery and B Is for Beach, with a B hidden in each room. The B is for Barn is a lighter farm page. Quick bold pages include the B is for Bow, B is for Badger and B is for Blossom. A decorated B also makes a lovely gift for a Ben, a Bella or a Brooke. Bolder pages suit older colorers.

Letter B coloring pages for seniors keep shapes large and scenes gentle.

The Balloon Party ties three balloons to the top of a B. The Stained Glass Letter B is framed in a tall arched window of simple panes. The Birds and Letter B perches songbirds on blossoming branches, and the B is for Boots sets a pair of rain boots against the letter.

The stained glass page looks striking in jewel colors, one color per pane. It is also the page where the shape of B stands out most, which matters for young readers.

How do you stop children mixing up b and d?

A lowercase b and d are mirror images, so they are easy to mix up. One simple trick is to show that a lowercase b starts with a tall line, then the round belly. Use the capital B on these sheets as a guide: its bumps face the same way as the belly of b.

Color the tall back line of each B in one color and the round bumps in another. Then kids can trace the same order on paper: line first, belly second. The B word pictures help too, since every one of them starts with the "buh" sound, never "duh".

Where did the letter B come from?

The Online Etymology Dictionary traces B back through the Greek letter beta to the Phoenician letter beth. Beth literally meant "house." So a child coloring the B is for Barn or B Is for Bedroom is coloring a B word that fits the letter's oldest meaning.

Kids like drawing their own house inside the top bump of a big B. Try it on the B is for Ball sheet, which has the most open letter. With the story told, the pages are ready for the wall.

Letter B coloring pages make door signs, flash cards and an alphabet wall.

For a child named with a B, the Butterfly Letter B or Stained Glass Letter B makes a bright door sign. Cardstock keeps it flat on the door. The picture sheets cut down into flash cards: B on one side, the bear or bee on the other.

Before B comes A, and our letter A coloring pages start the set. Our alphabet coloring pages bring all our letters together.

From a teddy bear to a stained glass window, these free printable letter B coloring pages make the second letter easy to see, say and remember. Pick a bold B or a detailed one, and color the tall line first.