First Coloring Book for Toddlers Ages 1-3: 111 amazing and cute pictures to color. Animals, sea animals, fairy-tale characters, food, toys and more
First Coloring Book for Toddlers Ages 1-3

First Coloring Book for Toddlers Ages 1-3

  • Ages1-3
  • Drawings111
  • Pages114
  • Size8.5 x 11 in
  • Big, simple pictures, drawn by hand
  • Thick outlines a child can actually see
  • One drawing per page, printed on one side only
  • 111 different drawings on familiar, interesting subjects
  • A child colors and learns new words at the same time
Simple: an outline turtle drawn with thick lines, one object on the pageBig: a cow drawing filling the page, colored in by a small childRecognizable: a smiling red car, one of the everyday objects in the book

The word under each picture can be colored too, so first words and letters come along with the coloring.

What is inside

See all 111 drawings

Land animals

  • LionLion
  • ElephantElephant
  • ZebraZebra
  • ParrotParrot
  • CrocodileCrocodile
  • MonkeyMonkey
  • KangarooKangaroo
  • RhinoRhino
  • FlamingoFlamingo
  • LemurLemur
  • HummingbirdHummingbird
  • GiraffeGiraffe
  • KoalaKoala
  • FrogFrog
  • AlpacaAlpaca
  • BunnyBunny
  • OwlOwl
  • HedgehogHedgehog
  • GoatGoat
  • BatBat
  • RaccoonRaccoon
  • BearBear
  • FoxFox
  • ChickenChicken
  • ChameleonChameleon
  • CowCow
  • BeaverBeaver
  • EagleEagle
  • HamsterHamster
  • CatCat
  • DogDog
  • SquirrelSquirrel
  • DuckDuck
  • DeerDeer
  • MouseMouse
  • BeeBee
  • DragonflyDragonfly
  • SnailSnail
  • ButterflyButterfly

Sea animals

  • SharkShark
  • DolphinDolphin
  • WhaleWhale
  • CrabCrab
  • OctopusOctopus
  • JellyfishJellyfish
  • Sea turtleSea turtle
  • AngelfishAngelfish
  • SeahorseSeahorse
  • SealSeal
  • Clown fishClown fish
  • ShellfishShellfish
  • AxolotlAxolotl
  • PufferfishPufferfish
  • ShrimpShrimp
  • Manta rayManta ray

Fairy-tale characters

  • MermaidMermaid
  • UnicornUnicorn
  • DragonDragon
  • CrownCrown
  • DwarfDwarf
  • GriffinGriffin
  • TrollTroll
  • FairyFairy
  • Magic cauldronMagic cauldron
  • Wizard's hatWizard's hat
  • Magic potionMagic potion

Vehicles

  • CarCar
  • HelicopterHelicopter
  • AirplaneAirplane
  • Hot air balloonHot air balloon
  • ShipShip
  • SubmarineSubmarine
  • RocketRocket
  • ScooterScooter

Sports and play

  • SkateboardSkateboard
  • KiteKite
  • BadmintonBadminton
  • American footballAmerican football
  • CameraCamera
  • DrumDrum
  • Beach ballBeach ball

Everyday things

  • SunglassesSunglasses
  • Beach umbrellaBeach umbrella
  • Beach hatBeach hat
  • GlobeGlobe
  • PresentPresent
  • GamepadGamepad

Flowers and nature

  • Maple leafMaple leaf
  • RoseRose
  • MushroomMushroom
  • CloverClover
  • SunflowerSunflower
  • Pine conePine cone
  • CactusCactus
  • Lily of the valleyLily of the valley
  • LotusLotus
  • TulipTulip

Food

  • CakeCake
  • Ice creamIce cream
  • WatermelonWatermelon
  • CarrotCarrot
  • BroccoliBroccoli
  • OrangeOrange
  • CherryCherry
  • AvocadoAvocado
  • StrawberryStrawberry
  • PearPear
  • PineapplePineapple
  • LemonLemon
  • PumpkinPumpkin
  • DonutDonut

A look inside the book

An unedited flip through, filmed on a table. Cover, back cover, and page after page, so you can see the line thickness and how much of the sheet one drawing takes up before you decide.

  • Big, simple pictures, drawn by hand
  • Thick outlines a child can actually see
  • One drawing per page, printed on one side only
  • 111 different drawings on familiar, interesting subjects
  • A child colors and learns new words at the same time

$6.99paperback on AmazonBuy on Amazon

$6.99paperback on AmazonBuy on Amazon

Sold and shipped by Amazon. We earn from the sale.

Who it is for

Made for the stage between the first deliberate mark and the first shape colored on purpose, which for most children falls between one and three years old. It works as a first coloring book at home, in preschool and daycare, where one book keeps a whole group busy, and as a birthday or holiday gift when you do not know the child well.

When this book is the wrong choice

If your child already stays inside the line without effort and finishes a page in a few minutes, this book will bore them. At that point look for a scene with more areas to fill, or a step by step drawing book where the child builds the picture themselves.

Questions parents ask

Is this too hard for a 1 year old?

No. The drawings were made deliberately simple for the youngest end of the range. A one year old will scribble across the shape, a three year old will start staying inside it. The same book carries through all three years, which is the point of it.

How thick is the paper?

It is standard book paper, printed by Amazon, and some parents have wished for something heavier. The book is built around that: each drawing sits on its own page with a blank back, so a marker that soaks through marks an empty sheet rather than a second picture. A spare sheet underneath solves it completely.

Crayons, markers or colored pencils?

Thick crayons at the beginning. They need no grip strength, they will not tear the page, and they leave a wide mark that a child can actually see. Markers give a brighter result but go through the paper. Colored pencils need a finger grip that most children do not have before three.

Can I use this book in a preschool or daycare?

Yes, and it is one of the places it works best. Every drawing sits on its own page, so a page can be pulled out and handed to a child, and one book keeps a whole group busy. The subjects are ordinary things a child can name, which is why teachers use them for first words as well as for coloring.

Does this work as a gift?

It does, and it is a safe one when you do not know the child well. The range is wide, one to three, so the book does not stop being useful in a month. It costs less than most toys and it keeps a child busy for a long time rather than for one evening.

Is there a Spanish edition?

Yes. The same 111 drawings with the words in Spanish underneath. It is a separate book, not a bilingual one, so the page stays uncluttered.

The same 111 drawings with the words in Spanish underneath, as a separate book.El Primer Libro de Colorear para Bebés de 1 a 3 Años

Try ten pages first, free

Ten drawings straight out of the book, in two paper sizes. Print one, hand your child a crayon, and you will know within five minutes whether this kind of page suits them.

Free printable coloring page for toddlers: LionFree printable coloring page for toddlers: ElephantFree printable coloring page for toddlers: Giraffe

See all free pages

Find the right first coloring book

Four questions, about thirty seconds. Nothing is stored and nothing is sent anywhere.

Question 1 of 4

How old is your child?

The four stages of first drawing

  • First marks

    about 12 to 18 months

    Holds a crayon in a fist and makes marks on paper on purpose

  • Controlled scribbling

    about 18 months to 2 years

    Scribbles without being shown first, and can copy a line someone else draws

  • Aiming at the shape

    about 2 to 3 years

    Copies a vertical line, a horizontal line and a circle when shown

  • Inside the line

    about 3 to 4 years and up

    Copies a circle accurately, and a cross closer to four years old

By age

What this site is

A guide to the very first stage of drawing, from the first scribble to the first shape a child colors on purpose. Every claim about what a child can do at a given age is tied to published developmental milestones, and the sources are listed at the bottom of this page. The site is run by Magic of Discoveries LLC, a small children's book publisher in Miami, Florida, and it features one coloring book of our own.

Why a first coloring book is not just a smaller coloring book

  • Line thickness decides everything. A thin outline disappears under a crayon held in a fist, and the child sees no result.
  • One drawing per page. Two or three subjects on a sheet split the attention of a child who can hold it for a few minutes at most.
  • The drawing has to fill the sheet. A small picture in the middle of a large page asks for accuracy the hand cannot deliver yet.
  • The subject has to be recognizable. A toddler colors what they can name, and naming it is half the reason they stay at the table.
  • Single-sided printing. A marker goes through ordinary book paper, and on a double-sided page it ruins the next drawing.

Where the developmental facts come from

Ages on this site are typical ranges, not deadlines. Children reach these points at their own pace, and a few months either way is ordinary.