Christmas Coloring Pages for Kids: Free Printables and 10 Ways to Use Them

Christmas coloring pages are one of the easiest ways to keep kids busy during the holidays, whether it's a slow afternoon, a long car ride or the hour before Christmas dinner. Here's where to get some for free, how to print them so they look great, and fun ways to use the finished pages.

Get free Christmas coloring pages

The free Christmas sampler includes two coloring pages, a Letter to Santa for little ones and a sheet of snowman gift tags. Enter your email and the PDF is yours to print as often as you like.

Tips for printing at home

• Use the right paper: regular printer paper is fine for crayons and colored pencils. For markers or paint, use cardstock so colors don't bleed through.
• Print at full size: choose "fit to page" or 100% scale in your print settings so nothing gets cut off.
• Print extras: printables can be printed again, so print a few copies of favorites for siblings, cousins and do-overs.

10 ways to use finished coloring pages

1. Christmas cards: fold a page in half and write a message inside for grandparents.
2. Gift tags: cut out small pictures, punch a hole and tie them onto presents.
3. Placemats: color pages for the kids' table and cover them with clear contact paper.
4. Ornaments: glue a colored picture to cardstock, cut it out and hang it with ribbon.
5. Wrapping paper: tape several colored pages together to wrap a small box.
6. Advent countdown: color one page a day from December 1st and hang them in a row.
7. Window decorations: tape finished pages to a window facing out for the neighbors.
8. A coloring contest: perfect for family gatherings, with silly awards like "Most Glitter."
9. A holiday book: staple a stack of finished pages into a keepsake book with the year on the cover.
10. Thank-you notes: after Christmas, kids can color a page and write a thank-you on the back.

Which pages work best for which ages?

Younger kids do best with big, simple shapes and thick outlines. Older kids enjoy more detail, word searches and mazes mixed in. If you're coloring with a group of different ages, print a mix.

Need more ideas for the season? Try the Christmas Activity Pack with mazes, word searches and dot-to-dots, or the Coastal Christmas Pack with ocean coloring pages. Capybara fans will love the capybara fairytale coloring books.