Which sheet gets the first crayon, the fluffy chick or the iceberg?
Penguin coloring pages are an easy win on a cold afternoon, and there are 30 free printable sheets below, from a chubby chick with saucer eyes to a wide Antarctic bay with mountains behind it.
The set covers both ends of the skill range. Some sheets are a few thick outlines and a big blank belly, ready for a preschooler with a fat crayon. Others carry fine feather hatching and layered ice that will keep an older kid, or a parent, busy for an hour.
Scroll for the sheets, then check the picking guide and the craft ideas further down.
Cute Baby Penguin
Two oversized eyes take up most of this chick’s face, which makes it the friendliest sheet in the set. The body is one big rounded shape with almost nothing drawn inside it, so a toddler can fill the belly with a single color and still feel finished. Leave that belly pale and put the darkest crayon on the head and back for the classic penguin contrast. Print it on thicker paper if markers are the tool of choice.
The artist swapped cartoon eyes for one small round eye and a long tapered beak here, so the bird reads as a real adult rather than a character. Gentle snow ridges run across the background, which gives you somewhere to lay a pale blue wash without crowding the bird. Fine feather lines sit just above the feet, and colored pencils hold those far better than a thick marker. Older kids who like to shade will get more out of this one than younger ones.
A pom-pom hat sits low over this chick’s eyes, and a wrapped box with a looped bow rests on the snow beside it. The box has clean straight edges, so it is a good place to try a pattern such as stripes or dots instead of one flat color. Red hat, green ribbon and a pale belly is the quickest route to a homemade holiday card. Pair it with our Santa coloring pages and the rest of our Christmas coloring pages for a full December set.
Thick, widely spaced lines make this the easiest sheet on the page. The face marking is drawn as one heart-shaped outline, so there are only a handful of areas to fill and nothing fiddly to stay inside. A small tuft of feathers sticks up on top of the head, which kids like to color a different shade for fun. Hand this one to a preschooler along with a fat crayon.
A tall adult stands on the left with a much smaller penguin tucked in beside it on the right. The adult’s lower body is drawn with a fringe of soft down lines, worth slowing down for with a pencil rather than a marker. Using the same colors on both birds makes them read as a pair, while a lighter gray on the little one shows off the size difference. Snow banks curve behind them if anyone wants a background.
The penguin here is small and sits on top of a rounded snow mound, with a row of peaks rising behind it. Its head and back come printed solid black, so the real coloring work is in the sky and the mountains. That empty upper half is an invitation: a sunset, a night sky with stars, or a flat pale blue all work. Good for a child who would rather color scenery than fuss over a character.
Big glossy eyes with white highlights give this one its kawaii look, and the feather tips on each flipper are drawn as soft scallops. Leave the small highlight shapes inside the eyes uncolored so they still catch the light. Pastels suit this style better than bold primaries, and pink cheeks are a nice touch. It sits alongside our other cute coloring pages in tone: quick to finish, sweet to look at.
A plain standing penguin with a big oval belly and no scenery to speak of. Only a few faint lines suggest the ground, which leaves a lot of blank paper around the bird. That empty space is the point, because kids can draw their own igloo, fish or snowstorm around it. Two or three colors finish the bird itself in a couple of minutes.
One large penguin stands with two small chicks close by, and round dots of falling snow float above them. The adult’s head and back carry a stippled dot texture that stays visible if you color over it lightly with pencil. Three shades of one color, darkest on the parent and palest on the chicks, makes the family group easy to read at a glance. It works nicely as a card about a new baby brother or sister.
Fine hatching runs along this bird’s flippers and back, so it rewards a light hand and a sharp pencil. Behind it, flat water stretches out to a low mountain line, and the horizontal ripple lines are already drawn for you. Try cool gray on the bird, pale blue on the water and a deeper blue for the mountains. Markers will flood the hatching here; pencils will not.
Five penguins stand together on a snow bank with some outlines overlapping. Because the shapes repeat, this sheet doubles as a pattern game: alternate two shades across the group, or give every bird a different colored belly. Where outlines overlap, color the shape that sits on top first so the layers stay clean. A good pick for a child who has outgrown single-character sheets.
Spiky feathers stand straight up from this penguin’s head and above each eye, which gives it a permanently grumpy expression. The crest is the star of the drawing, so give it a bold color and keep the body plain. Feather tips are marked along the bottom edge of each flipper if you want a second shade somewhere. Kids usually reach for this one because it looks like it is having a bad hair day.
One dark eye and a long straight beak make this penguin look like it has just spotted something off to the right. Layered ice lines run across the ground and mountains sit low in the background, so there are three depth zones to color differently. Keep the ice almost white and save the strongest color for the bird so it stands forward. A medium difficulty sheet, comfortable for school age hands.
This chick wears a wide bow across its chest and a ruffled skirt that flares out over its feet, with a small tuft and a round bobble on top of its head. Long lashes over the big eyes match the dressed-up theme. The skirt is divided into scalloped panels, which takes stripes or alternating colors well. Save the brightest shade for the bow so it pops against a pale body.
A plain sheet is draped over this penguin with only its face, its feet and a tiny bow at the neck showing. Most of the drawing is deliberately blank, so kids can add their own pattern to the costume, or leave it white for a classic ghost. A band of orange along the ground reads as Halloween straight away. The wide open shapes make it one of the quicker sheets here.
A heart-shaped balloon floats up and to the left on a thin ribbon tied off with a small knot. The penguin itself is the same big-eyed style as the other kawaii sheets, so it colors up fast. Red or pink for the balloon is the obvious call, though a rainbow one looks great too. Cut the finished bird out and glue it to folded card for a homemade valentine.
This penguin stands on a flat wooden board laid across the snow, dressed in a ribbed hat with a pom-pom and a scarf. Mountain peaks rise on both sides, which gives the scene somewhere to take a cold background color. Brown on the board contrasts nicely against blues and whites everywhere else. The shapes are large and clean, so younger kids can manage it without help.
A larger penguin faces left with its beak tipped up, and a second smaller one stands just behind its right flipper. Both are drawn with soft feather texture around the belly and legs, so light pencil shading suits them better than solid marker. The snow behind is built from long curving lines you can leave white or tint the faintest blue. Shading the two birds slightly differently keeps them from blending together.
The bird takes up only a small part of this sheet. Behind it sits a wide bay with a mountain range along the back, ice shelves at the edges and small stones scattered across the foreground. There is a lot of white paper here, so it suits watercolor or a set of blue and gray pencils more than a handful of crayons. Save it for a child who wants a longer project.
A penguin stands on the flat top of a big block of ice, with cracked facets down the sides and jagged shards around the base. Mountains sit behind it and a waterline runs along the very bottom of the page. Coloring each facet a slightly different blue is what makes this one look three-dimensional. It is among the more detailed sheets in the set.
This penguin stands on a low ridge with a flat sheet of ice stretching away behind it toward a line of mountains. A dotted feather edge runs around the face and down the front, which gives you a natural border between the dark back and the pale belly. Keep the background very light so the bird stays the focus. A steady, medium difficulty sheet with no fiddly extras.
A round penguin in a scarf sits in the doorway of a block-built igloo, with snow piled over the roof. The blocks are clearly separated, so kids can shade each one a slightly different gray for a brick effect. That scarf is the one place a hot color really shows against all the pale ice. There is plenty to fill here, which makes it a good rainy afternoon sheet.
Fir trees frame this penguin on both sides and small dots of snow fall across the sky. The hat is drawn with ribbed lines, so it takes a striped color scheme naturally. Greens on the trees against a pale blue sky give the sheet its winter feel with very little effort. Rolling hills fill the lower background if a child wants more to color.
Legs apart and one flipper swung out, this penguin is caught mid-step rather than standing still. Light hatching over the head suggests darker feathers, so soft gray laid under your black reads better than pressing hard. The ground is drawn as long horizontal lines that look like polished ice once you tint them pale blue. Clean and uncluttered, and fine for any age.
Drawn close up, this penguin fills most of the page in a ribbed beanie and a long scarf with fringed ends. Detailed snowflakes float around it, each one with enough space inside to color separately. The scarf’s stripes are already ruled for you, so alternate two colors and it looks knitted. Reach for this one when someone wants something cozy rather than something quick.
Flippers thrown out wide and both feet clear of the ground, this penguin is drawn mid-hop. The head and back come printed solid black, so the belly and the snow are what is left for you. Small oval marks scattered around it suggest flicked-up snow. A bold, simple design that finishes fast.
A floppy hat with a pom-pom tips over this penguin’s eyes, and a large wrapped box with a full looped bow sits on the snow to its right. Rolling hills run behind, drawn as simple curved lines. The gift box is the biggest single shape on the sheet, which makes it the best place to try wrapping-paper patterns. Red hat and gold ribbon is the classic combination if nobody wants to improvise.
A straightforward standing penguin with two rounded peaks behind it and wavy lines running across the ground. Nothing on this sheet is small or fiddly, which is why it works for a child still building control with a crayon. Those wavy ground lines are the fun part: alternate light blue and white bands and the ice looks like it is rippling. Two colors on the bird and you are done.
Two penguins stand shoulder to shoulder with their beaks open and music notes drifting above their heads. The notes are separate shapes, so they are an easy place for a younger child to add color without worrying about the birds. Their bodies overlap slightly, which is worth pointing out before anyone starts, so the front bird gets colored first. Print two copies and you have a matching pair for a bedroom wall.
Sand, breaking waves and an open beach umbrella put this penguin somewhere much warmer than the rest of the set. Not every penguin lives on ice: the Galapagos penguin is the only penguin found north of the equator (1). Yellow sand, a striped umbrella and a blue sea make this the brightest sheet here. It pairs well with the rest of our beach coloring pages.
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Which Penguin Coloring Page Should You Print First?
Start with Easy Penguin Outline or Simple Penguin Pose for a toddler, and Antarctic Landscape Scene for an older child. Easy Penguin Outline, Simple Penguin Pose and Penguin on Frosty Ground have the thickest lines and the largest shapes, so they suit toddlers and preschoolers. Early school age kids usually want a character with props: Kawaii Penguin Delight, Penguin in a Bow and Ruffled Skirt, Halloween Penguin Ghost and Valentine’s Day Penguin all have costumes to play with.
Older kids and adults who like to shade should go straight to Antarctic Landscape Scene, Iceberg Lookout, Alert Penguin on the Ice and Penguin by the Water. Those four carry fine feather hatching, layered ice and real backgrounds, and they take an hour rather than ten minutes.
Printing for a group? Choose sheets at two difficulty levels so nobody is stuck waiting or struggling. Use cardstock for anyone working with markers or paint, because copy paper buckles and bleeds.
How Do You Color a Penguin So It Looks Real?
Go dark on the back and pale on the front, and put your color into the head, beak and feet rather than the body. Penguins are countershaded, dark above and white below, so leaving the belly nearly blank is the accurate choice, not a lazy one.
Which color you add depends on the bird. Emperor penguins carry yellow and orange markings around the neck and beak, and adults can weigh up to 40 kg at the start of the breeding season (2). They are strong divers too: according to the Australian Antarctic Program, the deepest emperor dive on record reached 565 meters and the longest lasted 22 minutes, while a typical dive runs 3 to 6 minutes. Colony surveys by the same program put group size anywhere from a few hundred pairs to more than 20,000 pairs, which is worth knowing before you color the sheets with several birds on them.
BirdLife International counts 18 penguin species in all, and they do not share one color scheme. So if your child wants a purple penguin, that is a fine answer too.
Activities to Do With Penguin Coloring Pages
The coloring is the start, not the end. Each idea below takes one finished sheet and turns it into something a child can play with or keep, using glue, scissors and whatever is already in the craft drawer.
Build a Shoebox Antarctic Scene
Stand a shoebox on its side and line it with white paper. Color and cut out three or four penguins, glue each one onto cardstock so it stands up, then prop them inside on a floor of cotton balls. Blue cellophane or tissue paper along the bottom makes open water, and the leftover cardstock scraps make convincing icebergs.
Add a Fuzzy Belly
Color the head and back as usual, leave the belly bare, then glue cotton balls or white pom-poms across it. The finished bird has a texture toddlers want to touch, which keeps them with the craft longer than coloring alone does. A glue stick will not hold pom-poms, so use school glue and give it an hour to set.
Make Popsicle Stick Puppets
Cut out the finished penguins and tape a craft stick to the back of each one. Two or three puppets are enough for a show behind the sofa. The singing duo and the group of five give kids a ready-made cast, and a child who will not tell a story about herself will often tell one about a penguin.
Play a Penguin Fact Matching Game
Print two copies of several sheets, color one of each pair, then write a fact from the section above on the back of every card. Lay them face down and play memory. Kids say the fact out loud every time they turn a card, which is exactly why it sticks.
Turn a Sheet Into a Greeting Card
Print the Christmas, Valentine’s or Halloween penguins at half size, color them, and glue each onto folded cardstock. A line of glitter glue along the bottom reads as snow. Write the message inside before you stick the penguin on, because a card with a bumpy front is hard to write on afterwards.
FAQs
Are All Penguins Black and White?
No. Most penguins are dark on the back and white on the front, but many carry a second color on the head, neck or beak. Emperor penguins have yellow and orange markings around the neck and beak. So there is room on these sheets for more than two crayons.
What Supplies Work Best for Coloring Penguins?
Colored pencils are the best all-round choice, because a penguin’s dark back needs even coverage and pencils will not bleed onto the next sheet. Crayons handle the big simple sheets fine, markers need cardstock or a spare page underneath, and watercolor suits the ice scenes if you tape the edges down first. The one extra worth owning here is a white gel pen or a white chalk pencil, which puts highlights back onto snow after everything else is dry.
Do Penguins Only Live on the Ice?
No, penguins live across the southern hemisphere and some of them are tropical. The Galapagos penguin is the only penguin found north of the equator, and African penguins live only in South Africa and Namibia, where they are listed as an endangered species. Point that out on the beach sheet in this set: a warm-weather penguin is a real bird, not a mistake by the artist.
Are These Coloring Pages Free to Print?
Yes, every sheet on this page is free for personal and classroom use. Print as many copies as you need for one child, a homeschool lesson or a full class. Right click or long press the image you want, save it, then print it at full page size. There is no sign-up and no download limit.
How Can I Make the Snow Look Realistic?
Shade the snow instead of leaving it blank. Pale blue or light gray along the underside of each drift and around the base of the penguin’s feet is what gives the snow its shape, because bare white paper reads as flat. Press lightly and build the color over two or three passes rather than one heavy one. On the iceberg and ice block sheets, giving each facet a slightly different value is what makes the ice look solid.
