Crafts From Coloring Pages: Cards, Garlands, Lanterns and More

A finished coloring page can become a greeting card, a garland, a lantern, a puzzle or a bookmark in 10 to 40 minutes, with nothing more than scissors, glue and a few sheets of 200 to 250 gsm card. Children from about 2 can help with the simplest crafts, 4 to 6 year olds can do most of the steps, and 7 to 10 year olds can make all twelve below on their own with an adult nearby for the knife, laminator or light. Below: each craft with materials and steps, then ideas by season.

Quick answer: how to turn a coloring page into a craft

1. Print on card, 200 to 250 gsm, so the craft holds its shape.
2. Pick a page with clear, separate shapes. Easy-level pages with thick outlines are the easiest to cut.
3. Color first, cut second. Coloring a cut shape is fiddly and tears the edges.
4. Leave a 2 to 3 mm white edge when cutting, so the outline stays visible.
5. Protect it if it will be handled: laminate, or brush on diluted PVA glue.

Which crafts can you make from coloring pages?

Craft	Age	Time	Good pages
Greeting card	3+	20 min	Flowers, frames, animals
Garland or bunting	3+	30 min	Butterflies, Easter eggs, pumpkins
Paper lantern	5+	30 min	Owl, fox, hedgehog, stars
Bookmark	4+	15 min	Patterns, animals
Gift tags and wrapping paper	3+	15 to 30 min	Gift box, small motifs
Puzzle	4+	20 min	Any full scene
Stick puppets	3+	20 min	Animals, characters
Mobile	6+	40 min	Sea animals, birds
Placemat	2+	20 min	Any page, A4 or Letter
Decorated jar or pencil pot	5+	25 min	Patterns, flowers
Mini book	6+	30 min	Several small pages
Window picture	4+	15 min plus drying	Mandalas, butterflies

1. Greeting card

You need: a colored page, A4 or Letter card folded in half, glue stick. Cut out the colored picture and glue it to the front, or print a frame page and write the message inside it. The floral frame page and hearts frame leave room for a name and a date. For a seasonal version, see making a Christmas card from a coloring page.

2. Garland or bunting

You need: 6 to 10 colored shapes, string or ribbon, tape or a hole punch. Cut out each shape, punch two holes near the top and thread them on, or tape them to the string every 15 cm.

3. Paper lantern

You need: one colored page, tape or glue, a glass jar and a battery tea light. Roll the page into a cylinder around the jar, tape the seam and set the battery light inside. Safety: battery lights are the right choice for children. If an adult uses a real tea light, it goes inside a tall glass jar with the paper on the outside of the glass, never touching the flame, and is never left alone. Never put a flame inside a paper lantern carried by a child.

4. Bookmark

You need: a strip of colored page about 5 by 18 cm, card backing, a laminator or clear contact film, ribbon. Color, glue to card, laminate, trim with a 3 mm clear edge, punch a hole and add a tassel. Our guide on how to laminate and reuse coloring pages covers pouch thickness and cutting.

5. Gift tags and wrapping paper

You need: small colored motifs, a hole punch, string. Cut out each motif, write the name on the back and tie it on. Several colored pages also wrap small presents and books. The gift box page makes a tag that explains itself.

6. Puzzle

You need: a colored full-page scene, glue stick, a sheet of thin card or a cereal box panel. Glue the page flat onto the card, press under a book for an hour, then cut into 6 pieces for a 4 year old, 12 for a 6 year old, or 20 or more for older children.

7. Stick puppets

You need: colored animals or characters, card, craft sticks or straws, tape. Glue each figure to card, cut out and tape a stick to the back. A table on its side makes the theater.

8. Mobile

You need: 5 to 7 shapes colored on both sides, thread, a wooden hoop or two crossed sticks. Hang the shapes at different lengths and adjust until it balances. Sea animals like the octopus or birds work well. Hang mobiles out of reach of babies and toddlers.

9. Placemat

You need: a colored page, a laminator or clear contact film. Laminate the page with a wide clear border and it wipes clean after every meal. The best craft for 2 to 3 year olds, because the coloring is the craft.

10. Decorated jar or pencil pot

You need: a clean jar or tin with smooth edges, a colored page cut to its height, glue or double-sided tape. Wrap the page around, overlap the seam and seal it with diluted PVA glue. Pattern pages and flowers suit this best.

11. Mini book

You need: one A4 or Letter sheet. Fold it into eight panels, cut the middle slit, and fold it into an 8-page booklet. Children color small pictures on each page and add a few words: a story, a trip diary or a book about the pet.

12. Window picture

The simplest way: tape a colored page to the window with the picture facing out, and light shines through thin paper. To make it more translucent, an adult rubs a little baby oil or cooking oil onto the back with a cotton pad, on newspaper, then lets it dry flat for a day. Use normal printer paper for this, not card. Oiled paper burns easily: keep it away from radiators, candles and lanterns. Mandalas like the snowflake mandala and the butterfly page look like stained glass.

Which crafts suit each season?

• Easter and spring: egg garlands from the Easter egg coloring pages, tulip cards from the tulips page, bunny stick puppets. Our Easter coloring and egg hunt guide has more.
• Summer: sea animal mobiles, window pictures and a holiday mini book.
• Autumn: fox, owl and hedgehog lanterns, a pumpkin garland, hung with real chestnuts and acorns. In Germany and nearby countries, children carry lanterns on St Martin's Day, 11 November: a jar lantern with a battery light is a good homemade version.
• Christmas: printable Christmas ornaments to color, cards, gift tags and wrapping paper from the free Christmas pages.
• Birthdays: a birthday cake garland for the party room, a coloring activity for the party, and colored pages to tuck into party favor bags.

What can children do at each age?

Age	Can do alone	Needs an adult for
2 to 3	Coloring big shapes, sticking with a glue stick	All cutting, laminating, punching
4 to 6	Coloring, cutting simple outlines with child scissors, threading	Puzzles, lanterns, laminating
7 to 10	Almost every step, including mobiles and mini books	Laminator, craft knife, any real flame

For the youngest, use easy-level pages, which have thick, bold outlines and big shapes, and precut the pieces. See coloring tools by age for crayons and pencils.

What paper is best for coloring page crafts?

Use 200 to 250 gsm matte card for cards, puppets, tags, garlands, bookmarks and lanterns. It stays flat and does not tear at the punched hole. Use normal 80 to 100 gsm paper for window pictures, wrapping paper, mini books and jar wraps, which need to fold or let light through. See the best paper for coloring pages for printer settings.

Frequently asked

What is the easiest craft to make from a coloring page?

A placemat or a greeting card. The placemat needs only lamination, and the card needs a fold and a glue stick. Both work from age 2 or 3.

Is it safe to use a candle in a paper lantern?

Not for children. Use a battery tea light or an LED lantern stick. If an adult uses a real tea light at home, it goes in a tall glass jar with the paper outside the glass, and is never left unattended. Never combine a flame with oiled window paper.

How many coloring pages do I need for a garland?

About 6 to 10 shapes make a garland 1 to 1.5 meters long. One easy-level page often has two to six shapes, so two or three printed pages are usually enough.

Try it with your own photo

Crafts mean more when the picture is your own: a puppet of the family dog, or a card with the children on the front. Coolorio turns a family photo into a printable coloring page in four detail levels, delivered as a PDF you print at home, and photos are deleted after 7 days. See how it works.