Bible Coloring Pages (Free Printable PDFs)

What’s in this Bible coloring collection

You get 25 original Bible coloring pages in one cute, easy style: thick outlines, round shapes and smiling faces, even on the lions. Ten tell Old Testament stories, six tell New Testament ones, and the rest are verse, lesson and symbol pages.

Hi, I’m Niks. The first time I brought coloring sheets to Sunday school, a boy held up his page and asked, “Where is this in the Bible?” I couldn’t name the chapter. So this time every page comes with its reference. The whole set is also one PDF.

Where is each story in the Bible?

Each story page points to one chapter, so you can read the passage aloud while the crayons move. The table runs in Bible order, Genesis to 1 John, which also works as a lesson series.

The other three pages (Bible Story Doodles, the Crosses, Hearts and Doves Pattern and the Cross and Flowers Easy Mandala) aren’t tied to one story. Save them for the quiet minutes after the lesson.

Our favorite Bible coloring pages

Noah’s Ark with a Rainbow

A wooden ark floats under a big rainbow while a giraffe peeks over the roof and a lion cub and an elephant lean over the sides. If you print just one page, make it this one.

Jonah and the Big Friendly Whale

A giant smiling whale with a striped belly spouts water, and a bearded Jonah sits on its back, waving. Nobody here looks worried.

Daniel with Two Friendly Lions

Young Daniel sits cross-legged between two fluffy-maned lions, one asleep and one grinning. That fits the story: in Daniel 6 the lions’ mouths are shut and he walks out unhurt.

Zacchaeus Up in the Sycamore Tree

A smiling, bearded Zacchaeus in a headscarf sits in the fork of a leafy tree and waves both hands. Only 21 spaces, the fewest in the set. My first pick for a two-year-old.

Basket of Five Loaves and Two Fish

A smiling woven basket holds five round loaves, with two smiling fish in front. All that weaving adds up to 146 spaces, the most in the set.

The Armor of God

A crested helmet, a patterned breastplate, a belt with a smiling buckle, a shield with a cross, a short sword and a pair of sandals, in three rows of two. A whole Ephesians 6 lesson on one sheet.

Which Bible coloring page is right for your child?

Go by spaces to color: the fewer the spaces, the younger the child. The style never changes, so that number is the real difference.

Bible coloring pages for preschoolers

The best preschool Bible coloring pages here are the top two rows of that table. Every one has a smiling face and nothing scary.

My trick: tell the story in three short sentences, then ask one question while they color, like “What color should Jonah’s whale be?” Kids remember a story better when they got a say in it.

Bible verse coloring pages

Three pages spell short phrases in bubble letters: Little Lamb with Hearts: Jesus Loves Me, the God Is Love Heart Wreath and Easter Morning Empty Tomb: He Is Risen. “God is love” is from 1 John 4:8 and “he is risen” from Matthew 28:6, worded the same in the King James Version.

The Open Bible with Flowers and a Bookmark has blank pages for this week’s memory verse.

Bible coloring pages for adults

These are easy pages, not detailed ones. Four still suit a quiet evening or prayer time: the Cross and Flowers Easy Mandala (135 spaces), the Lilies of the Field and Butterflies Pattern (91), the God Is Love Heart Wreath (73) and the Crosses, Hearts and Doves Pattern (46).

Pick three or four soft colors, say sage, gold and sky blue, and stick to them. I color the mandala on Sunday evenings with a cup of tea.

How to color Bible pages: 5 tips

1. Use rainbow order

Red goes on the outside of a rainbow, then orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. The same order makes Joseph’s coat look properly “many colored.”

2. Keep sheep fluffy

The Good Shepherd’s lamb, David’s sheep and the Jesus Loves Me lamb are white, like the paper. Shade only their edges in cream or light gray.

3. Give lions a two-tone mane

Golden yellow for the body, orange or light brown for the mane. Try it on Daniel’s lions first.

4. Offer a range of skin tones

These stories took place in the Middle East and Egypt, so warm browns and olive tones fit the people.

5. Match the tool to the child

Chunky crayons for toddlers, colored pencils for the small patterns, markers on heavier paper for bold color.

A little Bible history to share while you color

Facts for the coloring table:

1. The book of Jonah calls the animal a “great fish.” “Whale” comes from Matthew 12:40 in the King James Version.
2. Genesis never says the fruit in Eden was an apple. It just says “fruit.”
3. “Coat of many colors” is King James wording; some newer translations say “ornate robe.”
4. Feeding the 5,000 is the only miracle of Jesus, apart from the resurrection, told in all four Gospels.
5. Zacchaeus climbed the tree because he was too short to see over the crowd (Luke 19:3-4).
6. “Jesus Loves Me” began as a poem by Anna Bartlett Warner in an 1860 novel. William Bradbury added the tune in 1862.

Sunday school and classroom ideas

At a church picnic last spring, the kids colored for a bit, then started swapping pages and telling each other the stories. These ideas came from that afternoon.

• Bible order line. Hand out the story pages and have kids line up in Bible order, using the reference table.
• Bible words. Find and label the ark, manger, harp, reeds, breastplate and sandals.
• Counting. Five loaves plus two fish is seven. How many pairs are on the Two by Two sheet?
• Story sequence. Line up Noah’s Animals Two by Two, Noah’s Ark with a Rainbow and the Dove with an Olive Branch, then retell the flood story.
• A Sunday school coloring book. Staple the all-pages PDF into a book for VBS week, or hand out one story each Sunday.

Our free classroom license covers what you can print.

Printing tips for the best results

• Print the whole set at once. The all-pages PDF is a 25-page Bible coloring book.
• Print in black and white with “Fit to page.” Bible colouring pages on A4 fit fine.
• Use light cardstock for markers. Dark colors won’t bleed through.

How I made and checked these pages

Every one of these Bible coloring pages is an original ColorTheDay design, checked before it went live: bold, closed outlines, simple enough for a preschooler, and a title true to what’s drawn. Twelve pages were remade at least once before they passed. I looked up every Bible reference myself, and the “spaces to color” numbers are counted, not guessed.

Find more faith-based pages in our religious coloring pages, save the manger page for December next to our Christmas coloring pages, or follow the ark animals to our animal coloring pages. Then scroll up, pick your favorite free printable Bible coloring pages and tap Download PDF!