About this coloring page
We chose this Swimming Plesiosaur design because it strikes a balance most dinosaurs pages miss: detailed enough to feel like a real picture, simple enough that a four-year-old can finish it before the timer runs out and ask for another. The composition is centered with generous margins, which means the page looks great even when a younger artist colors well outside the lines, and the major shapes are big enough to fill in confidently with a single crayon stroke.
For more dinosaurs-themed activities, browse our curated activity guide with pairing ideas for parents and classroom teachers.
This page is sized to fit a 9x12 frame after a quick trim, which makes it a nice little gift project. Color the page, slice off the margins, and pop it in a dollar-store frame for a grandparent. We’ve done this every December and it never gets old. It also scales down beautifully — print four-up on a single sheet, cut them apart, and you have instant mini-cards for thank-you notes, lunchbox surprises, or the little stack of cards that always seems to disappear from the kitchen drawer.
Because this is part of our Dinosaurs collection, it also pairs well with the other pages in the same theme. Print three or four together and you have a ready-made activity packet for a birthday party favor bag, a long flight, or a quiet Sunday afternoon. Kids who finish quickly can flip to the next page; kids who want to take their time on the Swimming Plesiosaur get to do exactly that without feeling rushed.
Coloring this kind of page is a remarkably good wind-down activity before dinner or bedtime. The repetitive motion is calming, the focus is gentle, and the finished result gives kids a small sense of accomplishment to carry into the next part of their day. We’ve found that even reluctant readers will sit through a chapter of a bedtime book if they have a Swimming Plesiosaur page in their lap and a quiet pile of crayons next to them.
Coloring tips
- Tape the page to a window after coloring with markers; the light coming through gives a stained-glass effect kids love.
- Outline each section in marker before filling with crayon for a stained-glass effect.
- Add a tiny pattern (dots, stripes, stars) inside one big area for visual interest without adding any drawing skill.
- Color the background first with a light wash so the Swimming Plesiosaur stands out.
- Try one color family per area — warm colors (red, orange, yellow) for a sunny mood, cool colors (blue, green, purple) for a calm one.
- Layer two crayon colors on top of each other to invent a new shade; reds and yellows make a particularly good dinosaurs-themed orange.
Want printable-friendly paper recommendations? See our quick guide to crayons, markers and printer paper →
Conversation starters
Coloring time is a great moment to talk. Try these prompts while your child is working on their swimming plesiosaur page:
- What would happen next if this picture was the cover of a story?
- If you could give it a name, what would it be?
- Who is this Swimming Plesiosaur’s best friend, and what do they do together?
- Where does this Swimming Plesiosaur live? In a forest, a city, a kitchen, somewhere else?
- If you drew the next page in the story, what would be on it?
Learn a little more
Most characters-themed pages on KidColor pull from the wider world of public-domain illustration, then get redrawn with thicker outlines and simpler shapes so they print cleanly and color easily. The Swimming Plesiosaur design is a friendly, kid-readable take on the subject — perfect as a jumping-off point for a quick conversation, a related picture book at the library, or a short field trip if the season is right. Pair it with one or two other Dinosaurs pages from this site for a longer activity, or use it as a single five-minute warm-up before moving on to something else.
Looking for an extension activity? Pair this page with companion craft kit ideas for a longer rainy-afternoon project.
