Summer Color by Number Printables for Kids

Summer is finally here! While we all love the extra sunshine, outdoor playtime, and relaxed schedules, any parent or teacher knows that the phrase "I'm bored" is bound to pop up eventually.

When you need a quick, screen-free activity to keep your little learners occupied on a rainy day, during a long road trip, or during quiet afternoon time, these 10 free summer color by number printables are exactly what you need.

As a former teacher, I love finding ways to weave learning into fun activities, and color-by-number pages are an incredible tool for early childhood development.

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These free color by number pages are a fun add on, but they won't keep your kiddo busy all summer long. 

There are so many low quality print on demand books available these days that I'm sticking to proven publications like the Summer Brain Quest workbooks and Mad Libs activity books to keep my kiddo busy. 

WHY THESE SUMMER COLOR BY NUMBER SHEETS ARE DIFFERENT

Traditional color by number worksheets write out the color names (like "1 = Blue, 2 = Yellow"). This is great for older kids, but it can be incredibly frustrating for toddlers, preschoolers, and early kindergarteners who are still learning to read.

To help make mom (and teacher!) life easier, each page in this 10-piece summer pack features a visual, color-coded key.

Instead of just writing the word "Red," the number is placed inside a red box. 

This allows pre-readers to independently match the number on the page to the visual color swatch in the key. It builds their confidence, keeps them engaged, and means you don't have to sit and read every color word to them!

THE EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS OF COLOR BY NUMBER PAGES

Coloring is an easy, low-prep way to practice essential developmental skills. Here are just a few of the benefits your kids will get from these summer worksheets:

Number recognition. Repeatedly finding and matching numbers helps solidify number identification.

Fine motor skills and pencil grip. Holding crayons, colored pencils, or markers and coloring within boundaries builds the hand strength and dexterity needed for writing.

Visual discrimination. Kids have to train their eyes to look for specific numbers hidden within a complex picture, which strengthens their visual processing skills.

Persistence and focus. Completing a full color by number sheet takes focus and a little bit of time. Seeing the hidden picture slowly come to life gives kids a wonderful sense of accomplishment!

FUN WAYS TO USE THESE PRINTABLES THIS SUMMER

These worksheets are completely "no-prep." Just print and play! Here are a few great ways to use them over the summer months:

• On a roadtrip
• At a restaurant
• To beat the "summer slide"
• At summer camp or Sunday school

Here's a look at each of the 10 pages included in your set of free color by number sheets:

FREE PRINTABLE COLOR BY NUMBER PAGES FOR SUMMER DOWNLOAD AREA

These free printable color by number sheets are licensed for personal use. This includes single classroom use, use with your summer camp, etc. 

You re not licensed to sell or redistribute the print outs or files to others for use with their children/students. Please refer friends and colleagues to this post to download their own copies. 

I hope you enjoy these free color by number sheets! Make sure to check out the posts below for more free printables for summer: