Let’s be honest, summer can be equal parts you say “yay, sunshine!” and then “I’m bored, what now?” Especially when you’ve got restless kids or you need a screen-free moment for yourself.
That’s where summer coloring pages come in , they’re free, easy to print, and oddly therapeutic for both kids and adults.
But wait. Not just any coloring pages.
I’ve dug through digital stacks of PDFs, community forums, and niche art blogs (yep, even the weird ones) to compile this list of 25 creative, free summer coloring pages.
And to keep things interesting, I’ve thrown in some behind-the-scenes stories, printable hacks, and unexpected ways to use these pages.
Let’s walk into the world of sun, sand, crayons, and calmness.
Also see: 11 Summer Art Projects for Kids (Quick and Easy)
1. Ice Cream Cone Doodle Challenge
One printable. Infinite flavor combos. I designed this one myself years ago during a summer camp , it’s a basic cone outline, but the scoops are blank blobs.
The idea? Kids (or you) invent wild ice cream flavors: rainbow pickles, chocolate sushi, glitter mango. We once had a “cheeseburger ripple” without any regrets.
You can laminate a copy and use dry-erase markers. Boom it becomes reusable.
2. Summer Zen Mandalas
Forget boring symmetry. These mandalas sneak in subtle beach objects , starfish, flip-flops, waves, within the circular patterns. Great for adults who like the calming repetition, but also want something thematic.
3. Color-By-Feeling Beach Scene
This one’s a hit with emotionally tuned-in kids. The beach scene is marked with “Happy,” “Relaxed,” “Excited,” etc. Instead of numbers, you assign colors to each feeling. It’s surprisingly therapeutic , especially after a meltdown or a sibling squabble.
4. Retro Sunglasses Customizer
One printable. Dozens of design ideas. Draw funky lens reflections, sunsets, aliens, text messages, etc. Then color the frames. It became a mini design challenge when I gave it to a group of 12-year-olds. They got weird. I loved it.
5. Giant Watermelon Slice (With Patterns to Fill)
Instead of flat color blocks, this one has empty patterns inside each fruit section, waves, swirls, triangles. Great for fine motor skills and very satisfying to fill in slowly.
6. Underwater Maze You Can Color
This isn’t just coloring, it’s interactive. Kids trace the maze while coloring sea creatures, treasure chests, and swaying coral. I once printed this for a dentist’s waiting room. Calmed the whole vibe instantly.
7. Botanical Garden Line Art
Ideal for grown-ups (or serious young artists). Inspired by linework from vintage garden books. These are full-page, delicately drawn flowers, herbs, and plants you’d see on a summer walk, lavender, daisies, lemon balm.
8. Summer Bucket List Color Page
Not just to color , but to fill. Each bucket is labeled with a mini goal: “Try a new fruit,” “Make sidewalk chalk art,” “Read under a tree.” Color them in as you complete each one. We use this every summer. It becomes a memory board by August.
9. Build-A-Sandcastle Printable
Cut, color, and assemble your own castle. Kids love coloring the different towers, doors, and flags. It’s sneaky fine motor practice. Bonus points if you make one with real sand glued on.
10. Firefly Catching Night Scene
Dark blue gradients, glowing bugs, and a sleepy porch scene. Perfect for winding down before bedtime. My niece fell asleep coloring this once, high praise.
11. “What’s in Your Beach Bag?” Page
A mix of doodles and fill-in-the-blanks. Some items are drawn (sunscreen, snorkel), some are outlines with prompts like “Your must-have snack” or “Something weird you found.” A fun conversation starter for car rides.
12. Colorable Postcards
Print on cardstock, color, and actually send them. These are little rectangular designs with prompts like “Summer Greetings From…” or “Wish You Were Here.” I’ve mailed these from local parks, they spark smiles.
13. Butterflies in Bloom
A classic summer vibe with a twist, the butterflies have patterns borrowed from real species (Monarch, Swallowtail) but also some fantasy ones. Coloring them is oddly addicting.
14. Camping Scene Night + Day
Split into two panels: one for daylight hiking and one for stargazing. Coloring the contrast between sunny greens and night blues is a treat, and kids learn how to use different palettes for moods.
15. Picnic Table Food Fiesta
This one’s chaotic deliciousness. Sandwiches, spilled lemonade, watermelon slices, ants, juice boxes, popsicles. Color it neatly or go wild, I’ve seen kids outline the food in gold gel pens. No rules.
16. Fantasy Garden Coloring Page
A blend of real flowers and whimsical ones (like cotton candy blossoms or spiral leaf plants). Adults can add texture with colored pencils or watercolor wash.
17. Rainy Day Summer Scene
Because not all days are sunny. This one shows someone reading indoors with storm clouds outside. It hits differently. Sometimes, we forget that cozy counts as summer too.
18. Summer Fashion Outfit Page
Paper-doll-style. You color the outfits, shoes, and accessories. Bonus if you cut them out and play mix-and-match.
19. Solar System in Summer
A fun mix of science and sunshine. Planets, a smiling sun, and facts you can color around. I once had a kid color Saturn like a beach ball. It weirdly worked.
20. “I Spy” Summer Edition
Hidden object coloring with a twist. Find and color everything: 4 sunglasses, 5 popsicles, 1 crab with a hat. Works for quiet time or sneaky learning.
21. Nature Mandala Maker
A big blank circle in the center. Around it? Prompts like “Add 3 leaves,” “Draw a pebble,” “Add something yellow.” You co-create the mandala while coloring. Pure mindfulness.
22. DIY Summer Journal Cover
Printable page with “My Summer Journal” in the middle. Kids color it and glue it to a notebook. Suddenly, that $20 blank sketchpad looks custom.
23. Doodle Your Summer Dream House
One of the best creative prompts I ever used in a workshop. What would your summer house look like? A treehouse? A houseboat with popsicle wallpaper? Kids love going wild here.
24. Festivals & Fireworks Night Scene
A page filled with fireworks, Ferris wheels, and food stalls. Use neon pens or metallic markers on this one. We once used black paper and white outlines , reversed coloring can be a game-changer.
25. Your Own Coloring Page (Template)
This last one’s blank. Sort of. It’s a simple bordered page with the title: “Design Your Own Summer Coloring Page.”
Let the kid (or adult) draw, doodle, and then color their own imagination. Meta, right?
Final Thoughts
- Print on good paper. Basic copy paper is fine, but if you want zero bleed-through with markers, grab 160gsm+ sheets.
- Make a DIY coloring book. Print 10–12 favorites, punch holes, use binder rings. Done.
- Keep a folder in your car. Bored at the café? Waiting in line? Boom. Surprise coloring page moment.
- Reuse creatively. Laminate pages. Use watercolor over inkjet. Cut pages into bookmarks. It’s not just about “staying inside the lines.”
Coloring doesn’t have to be filler time. When done right, it becomes a small ritual , a way to focus, slow down, and bring imagination into the real world, one stroke at a time.
So go ahead, print a few. Maybe share one with a neighbor kid. Or just color quietly at night while the fan hums and the world feels still.
Because summer isn’t just for doing.
It’s also for coloring.
Thanks for reading!