These free animal coloring pages are 16 printable pages for kids ages 2 to 5, drawn with thick outlines and big, friendly shapes. There are three dinosaur coloring pages (a long-neck, a T. rex and a stegosaurus), a dog and a puppy, a cat and a kitty, a friendly dragon, ocean animals and farm and zoo favorites. Each page is labeled with the age it suits, so a toddler and a preschooler can color side by side.
Quick answer: download the free animal coloring pages PDF (17 pages with a contents page) and print the animals your child loves. Pages 2 to 6 suit 2-year-olds, pages 7 to 12 suit 3-year-olds, and pages 13 to 17 (dinosaurs, dog, cat and dragon) have more detail for ages 4 and 5.
Free printable Animal Coloring Pages Printable
SaveWhat’s in the free animal coloring pages pack
| Page | Animal | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Fish | Ages 2+ (very simple) |
| 3 | Puppy face | Ages 2+ (very simple) |
| 4 | Kitty face | Ages 2+ (very simple) |
| 5 | Turtle | Ages 2+ (very simple) |
| 6 | Butterfly | Ages 2+ |
| 7 | Bunny | Ages 3+ |
| 8 | Whale | Ages 3+ |
| 9 | Pig | Ages 3+ |
| 10 | Long-neck dinosaur | Ages 3+ |
| 11 | Elephant | Ages 3+ |
| 12 | Lion | Ages 3+ |
| 13 | T. rex | Ages 4+ (more detail) |
| 14 | Stegosaurus | Ages 4+ (more detail) |
| 15 | Dog with a bone | Ages 4+ (more detail) |
| 16 | Cat with yarn | Ages 4+ (more detail) |
| 17 | Friendly dragon | Ages 4+ (more detail) |
Page 1 lists every animal with its age level and a few quick tips. Every animal in this pack is drawn fresh, so none of them repeat our seasonal coloring packs.
Dinosaur coloring pages
Dinosaurs are the most-requested coloring pages for a reason: kids love to roar while they color. The three dinosaur pages go from simple to detailed.
Long-neck dinosaur coloring page
SaveA gentle long-neck dinosaur with spots, four sturdy legs and a long tail. The big body is easy to fill for 3-year-olds, and the spots make a good counting game.
T. rex coloring page
SaveA smiling T. rex with a big head, pointy teeth, tiny arms and spikes down its back. Ask your child why the arms are so small; there’s no wrong answer.
Stegosaurus coloring page
SaveA stegosaurus with tall plates along its back and spikes on the end of its tail. Kids can color every plate a different color. Fun fact to share: stegosaurus lived about 152 to 145 million years ago, according to London’s Natural History Museum, long before T. rex appeared, so the two never met.
SaveDog and cat coloring pages
Pets are the animals kids know best. There are two dog coloring pages and two cat coloring pages: a simple face for toddlers and a full-body page with a toy for older kids.
Puppy face coloring page
SaveA happy puppy with floppy ears, a patch over one eye, a little tongue and a collar with a tag. If you have a dog, color the puppy to match.
Dog with a bone coloring page
SaveA spotted dog wagging its tail next to a bone. The spot and the ear give preschoolers a few small spaces to color carefully.
SaveKitty face coloring page
SaveA cat face with pointy ears, big eyes and long whiskers. A simple one for 2-year-olds: one big round face and two triangle ears.
Cat with yarn coloring page
SaveA sitting cat with a curled tail and a ball of yarn rolling away. Kids can follow the yarn line with a finger before they color.
SaveDragon coloring page
Friendly dragon coloring page
SaveA friendly dragon with bat wings, two horns, a striped belly and a pointed tail. Instead of fire, it puffs little smoke rings, so it isn’t scary for younger kids. Dragons can be any color at all, which makes this a favorite for kids who like to pick wild colors.
Ocean animal coloring pages
Fish coloring page
SaveA round, smiling fish with scales, fins and bubbles. The simplest page in the pack, and a good first coloring page for a 2-year-old.
Turtle coloring page
SaveA turtle with a patterned shell and a smiley face. The shell is split into big sections, so kids can make a pattern or color each part differently.
Whale coloring page
SaveA smiling whale with a spout and waves. Kid fact: whales breathe air, not water. The “spout” you see is mostly water sitting on top of the whale’s head being blown away as it breathes out, explains Whale and Dolphin Conservation.
Farm and zoo animal coloring pages
Butterfly coloring page
SaveA butterfly with four big spotted wings and curly antennae. Show your child how to color both sides to match, like a mirror.
Bunny coloring page
SaveA bunny with long ears, a round tummy, big feet and two front teeth.
Pig coloring page
SaveA round pig with a snout, a floppy ear and a curly tail. Pink is the obvious pick, but a muddy brown pig is just as fun.
Elephant coloring page
SaveAn elephant with a big ear, a curled trunk and little toenails. Gray, blue or purple all work.
Lion coloring page
SaveA lion face with a curly mane, round ears and whisker dots. The mane has lots of bumps, so kids can color it in two or three shades.
Which animal coloring pages suit which age
This table matches the pages to what most children can do at each age, based on the CDC’s milestones for 3 years and 4 years (things 75% or more of children do by that age).
| Age | What most kids can do | Start with |
|---|---|---|
| 2 years | Scribbles (most do by 18 months) | Fish, puppy, kitty, turtle, butterfly (pages 2 to 6) |
| 3 years | Draws a circle when you show them how | Bunny, whale, pig, long-neck dinosaur, elephant, lion (pages 7 to 12) |
| 4 years | Holds a crayon between fingers and thumb, names a few colors | T. rex, stegosaurus, dog, cat, dragon (pages 13 to 17) |
Let interest beat age. A 2-year-old who loves dinosaurs will happily scribble on the T. rex, and that’s fine.
Save5 animal games to play while you color
- Sound first: before coloring, make the animal’s sound together. Roar for the lion, oink for the pig.
- Where does it live? Sort the finished pages into piles: ocean, farm, home, zoo and long ago (dinosaurs).
- Silly colors: pick one page and color it in the wrong colors on purpose. A green pig or a purple lion gets giggles and builds color words.
- Count and color: count the dinosaur’s spots, the stegosaurus plates or the butterfly’s wing circles, then color that many.
- Make a zoo: cut out the finished animals and tape them to a big sheet of paper to make your own zoo or farm.
SaveColoring inside big shapes is also easy practice for the hand muscles kids need later for writing. For more ideas, see our fine motor activities for toddlers and activities for 3-year-olds.
Free animal coloring pages PDF
The free animal coloring pages PDF has 17 US Letter pages: a contents page with ages and tips, then the 16 animals above in order from simplest to most detailed.
- Print: turn on “Fit to page” so no outline gets cut off.
- Paper: plain printer paper works for crayons. Use thicker paper for markers so the color doesn’t bleed through.
- Use: free for personal and classroom use, no email required.
Want more? Try our winter coloring pages with a penguin, polar bear, owl and fox, the fall coloring pages with a squirrel and hedgehog, and the Christmas coloring pages with a reindeer.
Animal coloring pages FAQ
Are these animal coloring pages free?
Yes. All 16 animal coloring pages come in one free PDF with no email sign-up, for home or classroom use.
Which dinosaur coloring pages are included?
Three: a long-neck dinosaur (ages 3 and up), a T. rex and a stegosaurus (both ages 4 and up, with more detail).
Are there dog coloring pages and cat coloring pages?
Yes, two of each. A simple puppy face and kitty face for toddlers, and a dog with a bone and a cat with a ball of yarn for preschoolers.
Is the dragon coloring page scary?
No. The dragon smiles and puffs little smoke rings instead of fire, so it works for kids as young as 3 or 4.
What are the easiest animal coloring pages for toddlers?
The fish, puppy face, kitty face and turtle. Each has one or two big shapes and very thick lines, so a 2-year-old’s scribbles still look like the animal.
What should toddlers color with?
Chunky crayons are easiest for small hands to grip. Tape the page to the table so it doesn’t slide, and offer two or three colors at a time instead of the whole box.
