Free Chinese Zodiac Coloring Pages for Kids
Chinese culture has always fascinated me, especially the signs of the zodiac. Download our free printable Chinese zodiac coloring pages for kids and work out which one you are.
Learn more about the Chinese new year with these fun holiday activities for kids.
I have added the most recent years for each of the animals so you can work it out.
The Chinese New Year in 2024 falls on February 10th, but this changes each year depending on the full moon. So it will be sometime between January and February each year.
There are many stories about how the Chinese Zodiac came about, but my favorite is when the Jade Emperor wanted to select 12 animals to be his guards.
He proclaimed that the animals that arrived first would have a better ranking. Therefore the order of zodiac signs that we know now was supposedly the order in which the animals arrived.
We love creating free kids coloring pages, and we either use them as a supplement for a lesson we are studying or to calm the mood! Coloring is a great way for them to refocus and relax, and great for improving fine motor skills.
I think you are also going to love our Chinese New Year word scramble printable.
I have added the order of the Chinese zodiac animals below along with the Chinese zodiac coloring pages for kids.
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Chinese Zodiac Animals Coloring Pages
The kids are going to enjoy coloring in these Chinese New Year images.
These Chinese new year animals coloring pages are free to print but are for personal or classroom use only. Scroll to the bottom of the page to get the pdf file.
Supplies Needed:
- cardstock (printer paper will also work)
- coloring pens, Crayola crayons, or coloring pencils
Instructions:
Print out the coloring pages below, it will print out on 13 full pages. Make sure to check the printer settings.
You can of course print this on normal printer paper, but with all of our crafts, they always look better on cardstock.
This free coloring set includes 13 pages:
The first page is just the cover for the Chinese zodiac animals. I highly recommend getting a copy of the Great Race book it will make a great read aloud.
The year of the rat is the first sign of the zodiac. The sneaky rat who could not swim hopped on the back of the ox who kindly offered to carry him, he then sprinted ahead to win the race.
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The ox came second.
The tiger came in third.
Then hopped the rabbit securing fourth place. I think you will also enjoy our free rabbit handprint template. Plus learn more about the animal with our free life cycle of a rabbit worksheets.
Everyone thought the dragon would win the race as he could fly, but legend has it that he helped some villagers and the rabbit before landing 5th place.
The snake was 6th after wrapping itself around the horse.
Younger children will also enjoy our free Chinese New Year memory game.
The horse came in 7th place after being scared by the sneaky snake.
Soon after, the monkey, the rooster, and the sheep landed onto the shore. Unlike some of the previous animals, these three actually helped each other to get to the finish line.
The rooster found a raft, and the monkey and sheep hopped on. Working hard together through the water currents and the weeds, they reached the shore. The sheep came in 8th place.
The monkey came in ninth place, and the rooster arrived in tenth place. I think you will enjoy our monkey handprint template.
Even though the dog was a great swimmer, it was late. It told the emperor that it needed a bath, and the freshwater from the river was too tempting. So he came in 11th place.
Just as the emperor was about to close the race the lazy little pig arrived in 12th place. The pig felt hungry in the middle of the race, so it stopped, ate something, and then fell asleep.
Download the Free Printable Chinese Zodiac Animals Coloring Sheets
Make sure you choose the correct paper size and click on the shrink to fit button. All of our free printables for kids work better when printed on cardstock (this is the one we use and love.)
I think you will also enjoy our alphabet animals coloring pages.
What is your Chinese zodiac animal, mine is the snake. Let me know in the comments.
Last Updated on 6 July 2023 by homeschoolof1