Preschool coloring pages

Free printable preschool coloring pages mix big shapes with first words, letters and pretend play.

These free printable preschool coloring pages keep shapes big and friendly, with a little more to find than a toddler page. Some put a month's name or a first letter beside the picture, like APRIL over rain boots or a B with a butterfly. Others show everyday things and animals, from flip flops to a kitten in a box. A few invite pretend play, with a castle, a crown and a princess dress. There is also what Head Start says coloring tools do for young hands, and tips for coloring a little more carefully.

Pages with words and letters are a good first choice.

Preschool coloring pages with words and letters make reading part of the fun.

The Rain Boots stand under the word APRIL, with flowers on the side. The Hot Cocoa steams under the word JANUARY, with a marshmallow on top. The Watering Can sits below the word MAY.

For letters, the B is for Butterfly has a butterfly perched on a big B. The A is for Astronaut floats beside an A among stars. The Z is for Zero has a smiling Z standing next to a smiling zero. Our alphabet coloring pages have more letters with their own pictures. Everyday things make just as good a page.

Preschool coloring pages of everyday things and animals are full of smiles.

The Candy Bucket is a jack-o'-lantern pail full of lollipops and sweets. The Flip Flops have little faces, surrounded by hearts and stars. The Sunflower smiles on a tall stem, and the Umbrella and Raindrops opens under falling rain.

The Kitten in a Box peeks over the edge of a cardboard box. The Hedgehog Smelling a Flower sniffs a big daisy. The Tree and Bird is a smiling tree with a bird on one branch. Some pages go further and spark a story.

Preschool coloring pages for pretend play bring castles, crowns and flying machines.

The Castle and Crown shows a smiling castle with a crown shining above it. The Princess Dress hangs a ball gown with hearts on its skirt. The Helicopter is ready to lift off, with a smiling face and a big rotor.

Kids can color the page and then act the story out: who lives in the castle, and where is the helicopter going? Our coloring pages for kids have busier scenes for when they are ready. All this coloring also helps little hands grow stronger.

Does coloring help preschoolers get ready for school?

Coloring practices a skill that Head Start, the federal early learning program, lists as a goal for preschoolers: using the small muscles of the hands. Its Early Learning Outcomes Framework describes the child showing increasing control, strength and coordination of small muscles.

Head Start also says that the strength, balance and coordination growing in young children become the skills to use tools. It names pencils, crayons, markers and paint brushes among them. A coloring page gives those small muscles regular, happy practice. The next question is how to help a preschooler color with a bit more care.

How do you help preschoolers color more carefully?

Show them how to trace just inside the outline first, then fill the middle. Keep a sharpened crayon or a colored pencil for the smallest parts, like eyes and buttons. Some children find short crayon pieces easier to hold with their fingertips.

Ask what color things are in real life: is the sunflower yellow, and are the rain boots red or blue? Then let them choose freely too, since a purple kitten is just as good. Praise the effort, not only the neatness.

From rain boots under the word APRIL to a smiling castle and crown, these free printable preschool coloring pages keep shapes big and add a little more to explore. Pick a page, trace the edges first, and let the story grow.