National Coloring Book Day is celebrated on August 2 in the United States. It’s a fun excuse to color, and it lands right in the middle of summer, when kids often need a fresh activity.
Ways to celebrate at home
- Family coloring hour. Everyone colors together, grown-ups too. See color with your kids.
- New book. Surprise your child with a new coloring book.
- Coloring picnic. Take books and crayons to the park.
- Show and tell. Share favorite pages at dinner.
Coloring challenges
- Three colors only. Use just three colors on a page.
- Opposite day. Color everything in unexpected colors.
- Speed and slow. Color one page fast, one page as slowly and carefully as you can.
- Finish it. Finish a half-colored page from the past.
Classrooms and libraries
If school is in session or summer programs are running:
- Host a coloring party
- Set up a display of student pages
- Start a coloring club. See library coloring club.
Book ideas
- Trace Then Color: Cool Stuff for a mix of themes
- Trace Then Color: Crusty Goobers for silly kids
- Trace Then Color: Unicorn Animals for magical kids
Summer link
Coloring Book Day is a nice midpoint in the summer. See summer coloring plan.
Share your child’s page on social media with a coloring day hashtag, if you’re comfortable sharing.
Questions parents ask
When is National Coloring Book Day?
August 2.
Is it an official holiday?
It’s an unofficial awareness day, celebrated for fun.
What’s a good gift for the day?
A new coloring book and a fresh box of crayons or pencils.
About Kevin Coulston
Kevin Coulston is a cartoonist and member of the National Cartoonists Society who has written and illustrated more than 100 drawing, tracing and coloring books for kids, including the Trace Then Color series. Meet Kevin or browse all his books on FirstArtBooks.com.
