Coloring—The Ultimate Quarantine Activity

Coloring is fun (and therapeutic!!!) and it’s an activity you and your kids can do together.

There are a ton of “not so good” free printable coloring book pages online. I have sifted through tons of free online printable coloring book pages to provide you with the best ones I could find. I’ve also included some tips on taking your coloring to the next level, how to make a "coloring book" and how to display your finished coloring book pages in a more meaningful, organized way.

Tip: if you are searching for free printable colored pages online, look for “adult coloring book pages” for your kids. The designs are better quality and your kids will be able to color most adult coloring book pages (if they are older).

Free Printable Coloring Pages Hand Painted Tiles https://thepostmansknock.com/catalog/tiles-collection-free-adult-coloring-pages/ FOX (the image featured on this blog post!) https://www.pokolorujswiat.com/2015/01/abstakcyjne-kolorowanki-niekoniecznie-dla-dzieci-do-wydruku.html

Mandalas 1. https://www.justcolor.net/relaxation/coloring-mandalas/?image=mandalas__coloring-mandala-geometric-circles__1 2. https://www.justcolor.net/relaxation/coloring-mandalas/?image=mandalas__coloring-simple-floral-mandala__1

Cactus (scroll towards the bottom to get to the cactus!) https://judyclementwall.com/coloring-pages/

Modern Lettering I Love Everything About You https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByYKxEdYb9pIV0RmNWx5NWwtZzA/edit

Here’s how to take coloring to the next level:

1. Print the coloring pages on heavyweight paper. You’ll be much happier with the results when coloring is done on 32lb weight paper than normal printer paper (20lb in weight). If you are working with markers, brush pens or watercolor, you definitely need heavyweight paper so the ink won't bleed. 2. Try out different mediums. Colored pencils, markers and crayons are the easiest go-to items for coloring but try out something you haven’t used before, such as gouache (paint), brush pens or watercolor to change it up. If you are using crayons, make sure the crayons are extremely sharpened, otherwise it will be tough to stay in the lines. Take a look at this modern lettering page colored with watercolor (it looks so much different than with colored pencils!): https://www.triedandtrueblog.com/i-love-everything-coloring-print-revisited/ 3. Make your own coloring book. How? Pick a theme and print multiple pages about that theme. Print all mandalas, flowers, fairies, etc. and either bind all of the pages together, or, post your work on an art wall when all of the pages are finished (see below). 4. Display the finished images in an artful way. If you don’t have one already, I highly recommend having a designated “art wall” or an art bulletin board in your house where you can display your children’s artwork. The refrigerator and magnets work but it can feel cluttered and disorganized. There are tons of ideas online but I would simply purchase a very large bulletin board or cork board tiles and use Command strips (to not ruin the art with push pins or tape) to hang the art. Here is a tutorial on how to make one with cork board tiles: https://www.younghouselove.com/more-room-for-grumpy-snowman/