About this coloring page
This Parallelogram coloring page lives in the sweet spot between “too plain” and “too busy.” Bold outlines define the major areas while small interior details give older kids something to focus on once the easy spots are filled. We’ve printed our test copies on everything from cheap copy paper to thick cardstock and the design holds up across all of them — even if your home printer is running low on toner, the outlines stay crisp enough to color cleanly.
For more shapes-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.
Many of our educational pages get used as conversation prompts as much as art projects. A Parallelogram is a small invitation to talk — about colors, about the subject, about a story your child wants to invent on the spot. We’ve added a few open-ended questions further down the page that you can use as conversation starters while your child is working, no special prep required.
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
- Layer two crayon colors on top of each other to invent a new shade; reds and yellows make a particularly good shapes-themed orange.
- 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.
- Outline each section in marker before filling with crayon for a stained-glass effect.
- Print two copies and let your child try a realistic version on one and a totally invented color scheme on the other.
- Add a tiny pattern (dots, stripes, stars) inside one big area for visual interest without adding any drawing skill.
- Use the side of a peeled crayon for big areas and the tip for small details — same crayon, two different looks.
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 parallelogram page:
- If you could give it a name, what would it be?
- If you drew the next page in the story, what would be on it?
- What sound does it make? Show me with your face.
- What would happen next if this picture was the cover of a story?
- If this Parallelogram could talk, what is the first thing it would say?
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 Parallelogram 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 Shapes 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.
