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Colouring has made a serious comeback lately.
Adults are now turning to colouring in books in their search for mindful activities that quiet their busy minds. As they colour themselves, parents are starting to recognise the value of colouring beyond keeping kids busy during school holidays.
Colouring is the perfect way to keep children away from screens and engaged in developmental play.
Unfortunately, in our high-tech world, the humble colouring book has been forced to compete with a range of super stimulating toys, so finding colouring toys that will keep your child engaged is essential. Gone are the days of googling 'cat pictures to colour' or 'dog colouring' and printing out the first option. Today the work is done for you with a huge range of entertaining and affordable books that are sure to keep your little one occupied. Our list features a range of colouring options, from simple kids colouring sheets and books full of mindful colouring for kids, to more high tech options that will give any iPad a run for its money.
Colouring can help develop your child's hand-eye coordination, creativity and imagination. Children can begin to colour at any age but parents should make sure that there are no choking hazards in the materials they are using.
If you need more inspiration for toys that will get your child away from screens and engaged in healthy, educational play, read our recommendations on great slime kits and sand toys that every child will love.
Our Top Choice
Crayola Light Up Tracing Pad
The all time colouring favourites, Crayola, have done a great job making toys that keep colouring relevant and competitive with even the most high tech children's toys. This light up tracing pad is our favourite colouring toy. It is backlit with bright LED lights and includes ten designs that will develop your child's tracing and colouring skills. The fun never stops with this toy because once your child has created the ten designs included, you can download hundreds of images online for them to trace. This is the colouring toy that keeps on giving and will be great for keeping your child entertained on long car rides. Plus, the tracing pad can double as a hard surface for when your child wants to colour or draw freely.
- Price: £20
- Age: 3+
- 3 x AA batteries required (not included)
Best For Educational Play
Colour Me: Dinosaurs
This super cute 96 page animal colouring book is perfect for dinosaur fans and engaging your little one in fun, educational play. As they colour, your child will learn about dinosaurs and prehistoric insects, fish and mammals. This super simple colouring book is perfect to have on hand when you need a screen-free option for entertaining your child.
- Price: £4
- 96 page colouring book
Best All In One Colouring Toy
Crayola Inspirational Art Case
Budding artists will have everything they need to bring their ideas to life with this amazing art case from Crayola. The set includes 64 crayons, 40 washable markers, 20 coloured pencils and 15 pieces of paper. Packed together in a neat carry case with compartments for every tool, this colouring toy can travel with your little artists everywhere they go and is sure to keep them busy for hours.
- Price: £20
- Age: 3+
Best For Families On A Budget
Disney Classics Colouring Book
This Disney colouring book has 30 pages of fun that will let your child bring their favourite Disney characters to life. For just one pound fifty, this is one of the most affordable kids' colouring books, perfect for families on a budget looking for a toy that is sure to keep their little Disney prince or princess entertained for hours.
- Price: £1.50
- 30 page colouring book
Best For Mess Free Fun
Crayola Colour Wonder Peppa Pig
Crayola has done it again and this time we're thanking them for this mess free colouring book that protects walls all over the world from stray textas and crayons. This book has 18 pages of fun with five wonder markers that only show up on the wonder pages. 'Peppa Pig' lovers will have loads of fun colouring in their favourite character and you'll be able to relax knowing there'll be no surprise colour streaks on your child's bedroom wall.
- Price: £6.99
- Age: 3+
Best For Creative Children
Chad Valley Be U Colour Your Own Bags
This toy gives your child the opportunity to colour and create something they can use every day. Your child will have a ball creating their own unique colour design for three different objects and we're sure it'll become their new favourite accessory. The set includes four markers and a backpack, bag and pencil case to give your child hours of fun.
- Price: £10
- Age: 7+
Best For The Whole Family
Melissa & Doug Jumbo Colouring Pad, Animals
This big animal book from Melissa & Doug has over 50 jumbo pages featuring different animal designs. Your child will have a blast colouring on this extra large pad and the tear out pages mean multiple children can colour at once, perfect for group play or colouring as a family. This book is a great chance to explore mindfulness colouring for kids with your family.
- Price: £4.99
- Age: 3+
Best For Marvel Lovers
Marvel Super Hero Book
This Marvel colouring book is great for older children who are learning to master colouring in between the lines. The book features 90 detailed colouring pages of your child's favourite Marvel characters. Your child will be busy for hours as they bring their heroes to life through colour.
- Price: £9.99
- 90 page colouring book
Best For Long Car Rides
Orchard Toys Farmyard Sticker Book
This super cute farmyard book is one of the bestselling Amazon colouring books for kids. The pictures are bold, making them perfect for younger kids who need clear lines. The book also includes a set of cute stickers that make it easy to encourage your child as they colour their masterpiece. The book has traceable letters so your child can practice writing and get familiar with different animals. This book is the perfect travel companion to keep your kids occupied on long journeys in fun, educational play.
- Price: £3
- Age: 3+
Best For Children With Big Imaginations
Silly Bear Unicorn Colour Book
This is the perfect book for unicorn and rainbow lovers or children with big imaginations who want to bring the world of make believe to life. The book is A4 and includes 50 different designs featuring cute unicorns on detailed backgrounds. Your child can let their creativity run wild with this cute book and they can practice their pencil grip and hand-eye coordination in preparation for the school years ahead.
Kidadl Best Buys selects the top parent-recommended products across the web for families of all ages. If you liked our list of children's colouring books and toys, you might find more ideas in our list of great kids' backpacks and garden toys.
- Price: £3.99
- Age: 4-8 years

Written By
Hannah Bowyer
Hannah is a lover of all things fitness, she is a qualified personal trainer and is currently training to be a yoga instructor. She is also knowledgeable about mindfulness and meditation and is passionate about helping people find their best selves. Hannah has travelled extensively and has spent the last four years working and living in many different countries across Asia and the Americas and loves writing about her travels. At any moment you might catch her running for a plane or a PB!
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