Thanksgiving Color by Number

While the turkey roasts, a stack of color by number pages keeps children busy and happy at the kitchen table. Print a different picture for each child and let everyone guess what the others are coloring. The pages also work as place mats: give each guest a picture, a few crayons and a name written in the corner.

In the classroom, the week before the holiday is a good time for a calm activity that still practices numbers. The turkey and the pumpkin pie are the most popular choices, and the color names under each picture help early readers too.

Big squares and clear numbers make these pages comfortable for seniors, and the autumn mandalas offer a quieter project with fewer colors. Coloring together at Thanksgiving gives grandparents and grandchildren something to share; the finished pages look cheerful on the fridge or the activity room wall.

1. Print page 1 of the PDF at 100% (“actual size”). The colors and their names are listed under the picture, so a black and white printer works too.
2. Gather your colors. Colored pencils, crayons or felt-tip pens all work. If you do not have the exact shade, any similar color is fine.
3. Color one number at a time. Fill every 1, then every 2, and so on. It is quicker than hunting for each color and the picture appears gradually.
4. Check with page 2, which shows the finished picture in color.

Press Color online under any picture. The colors appear as numbered circles: pick a number and every space with that number is softly highlighted, so they are easy to find. Tap a space to fill it. If you tap a space with a different number, nothing is lost: the hint tells you which number it needs. Undo takes back the last fill, Save picture keeps your finished page on your device, and when every numbered space is colored, a small celebration appears. It works on computers, tablets and phones, with nothing to install and no sign-up.