About this coloring page
We chose this Number 1 design because it strikes a balance most numbers 0–20 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 numbers 0–20-themed activities, browse our curated activity guide with pairing ideas for parents and classroom teachers.
The design works in a single black-and-white pass on any home or classroom printer. If you want to save toner, use draft mode — the outlines are thick enough to survive economy printing without losing definition. Younger kids tend to do best when you tear or cut the page along the bottom edge so the sheet is square and easier to rotate. Older kids will happily work on the full landscape sheet, and a few will even ask for two copies so they can try a different color scheme on each.
This page fits naturally into preschool counting, kindergarten math, place-value introductions. Parents tell us they keep a small folder of printed sheets in the car for restaurant waits and waiting rooms; teachers stash them in their sub-plans folder for the days a lesson runs short. The Number 1 design works in either context because it doesn’t require any setup conversation — kids see it, recognize it, and start coloring without needing the activity explained.
Once it’s done, hang it on the fridge, mail it to a grandparent, or stack it in a binder of finished art. Coloring time is one of the few low-stakes ways small kids get to make creative decisions on their own — celebrating the result, even quietly, makes the next page that much more inviting. We try to keep at least three or four finished pages visible somewhere in the house at all times, and we rotate them weekly so nobody’s art ever feels old.
Coloring tips
- Outline each section in marker before filling with crayon for a stained-glass effect.
- Tape the page to a window after coloring with markers; the light coming through gives a stained-glass effect kids love.
- If your child is younger than five, tear the sheet in half and let them work on one piece at a time so the page feels finishable.
- 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 numbers 0–20-themed orange.
- Print two copies and let your child try a realistic version on one and a totally invented color scheme on the other.
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 number 1 page:
- Where does this Number 1 live? In a forest, a city, a kitchen, somewhere else?
- If you could give it a name, what would it be?
- What sound does it make? Show me with your face.
- Pick the part of the page you like best — what makes that part the best?
- Who is this Number 1’s best friend, and what do they do together?
Learn a little more
Most educational-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 Number 1 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 Numbers 0–20 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.
