Santa Coloring Pages for Kids: How to Colour Santa and Draw Him in 6 Easy Steps
Printable coloring pages of Santa are usually the first thing a child asks for in December – and no wonder: the red coat, the white beard and the big sack of presents are easy to recognise and fun to fill. But not every Santa page suits a three-year-old. Here is what to look for, how to colour Santa so he really looks like Santa, and a simple way to draw him together in six steps.
What makes a good Santa colouring page for ages 3–7?
- Bold outlines: thick black lines show little hands where one area ends and the next begins.
- Few, large shapes: a coat, a hat, a beard, a sack – not dozens of tiny details. Small children want to finish a page, not give up halfway.
- A friendly face: a smiling Santa with round cheeks is cosier than a realistic one, especially for the youngest.
- Something to discover: a sleigh, a reindeer or presents with bows give older children more to colour and talk about.
How to colour Santa: a little colour guide
Coat and hat: a bright red works best; a second, darker red along one side gives Santa a round, warm look. Fur trim, beard and pompom: leave them paper-white and draw a thin light blue or grey line along the edge – white crayon on white paper hardly shows. Belt and boots: black, with a yellow or golden buckle. Face: a soft peach or light brown, with pink cheeks and a red nose. The sack: brown, beige or even a patterned fabric – children love drawing patches on it. Older children can add snowflakes in the background with a white gel pen or a blue pencil.
Draw a simple Santa in 6 easy steps
Drawing Santa yourself is a lovely follow-up to a colouring page. Use a pencil first, so mistakes can be rubbed out, and go over the lines with a black felt-tip at the end.
- The face: draw a circle in the upper half of the page.
- The hat: on top of the circle draw a triangle leaning to one side, with a wide band across the bottom and a small circle at the tip for the pompom.
- The beard: under the face draw a big wavy cloud shape – like a fluffy U. Add a small moustache above it.
- The body: draw a large rounded shape under the beard, like an upside-down bowl, with a belt across the middle and a square buckle.
- Arms and boots: two short sausages for the arms with round mittens, and two half-ovals for the boots at the bottom.
- The details: two dot eyes, a round nose, rosy cheeks and a white fur trim along the coat. Done – now colour him in!
Three- and four-year-olds can do steps 1–3 with a grown-up drawing the rest; five- to seven-year-olds usually manage the whole Santa on their own after one try.
Ideas for using your Santa page
- A Christmas Eve welcome: put the coloured Santa next to the plate of cookies and milk – a little sign for the visitor.
- A card for Grandpa: fold a piece of card, glue the Santa on the front and let your child write their name inside.
- Compare two Santas: colour the same page twice, once in classic red and once in your child's favourite colours. Which Santa would they like to meet?
Printable Santa coloring pages: get one free
Santa Claus with his sack is one of the four pages in our free Christmas colouring sample – with bold outlines and the caption “Santa Claus” in big hollow letters. Enter your email on the sample page and the download links appear right there – no checkout, no payment. If your child wants more, the full book adds Santa's sleigh, his elf, his house at the North Pole and cookies for Santa. For more ideas for every age, read our guide to Christmas colouring pages for kids.
Illustrations created with AI assistance. The files are for your own family, or for your own class or group if you are a teacher.