Santa Claus Coloring Page
About This Coloring Page
Santa is the one December subject that needs no introduction at all. Hand this page to a two-year-old in November and they will tell you who it is before the crayon is out of the box, and that instant recognition is what keeps a very young child at the table long enough to finish something.
The drawing is built in layers a child can work through in order. The beard is one big curly shape and can be left white, which is its own small lesson: not every part of a picture needs colouring in. The hat, the coat and the boots are wide open areas for broad strokes. The fur trim along every edge is the careful part — a wavy band that has to be followed round the hem and cuffs without wandering into the coat.
The sack is where the talking happens. Three wrapped presents poke out of the top, and the question of what is inside them, and who they are for, is a story most children will tell without being asked. Letting them narrate while they colour is language practice that does not feel like any such thing.
Skills Practiced
How to Use This Coloring Page
- Leave the beard white. Say it out loud: this part stays paper. Deciding what NOT to colour is a real choice, and it is the first time many children get to make it.
- Follow the fur trim all the way round. Hem, cuffs, hat brim. A wavy band with an edge on both sides is the same control as writing between two lines.
- Ask who each present is for. Three presents, three answers. Then ask what is inside. That is the whole story, told by the child.