The Free Colouring Book

Six printable A4 pages for ages 3-7 - Cuddles the koala, Penny the platypus, a seven-band rainbow and a very full moon. Print one at a time, and let them choose.

Download the printable colouring book (PDF) - free, no signup, and yours to photocopy for a classroom or playgroup.

What is inside

• The cover - a title page for them to colour and sign
• Cuddles the koala, from Cuddles Loses His Home
• Penny the platypus, from Penny and the Silver Stream
• A seven-band rainbow, deliberately left empty to colour
• A full moon with a face and craters
• A "The End" page to finish and sign

Why colouring helps early reading

Colouring builds pencil grip and control, rehearses reading left to right and top to bottom, adds vocabulary through talk ("what colour is his nose?") and gives a child ownership of a character - so the story feels like visiting someone they made.

Print one page at a time rather than all six, let them choose which, and sit nearby without supervising. Colouring is a conversation activity, not a silent one.

Reading to go with it

Every page comes from a book: see the children's picture books, or read more about why colouring helps early reading.