Skip to Main Content

How to Create a Giant Coloring Page for Your Kid

How to Create a Giant Coloring Page for Your Kid
Credit: Michelle Woo

This summer, I’ve been looking for kid projects that have some mileage in them—stuff that can be worked on over the course of days or weeks. I landed on an activity that’s easy, requires few supplies and makes me feel like a wizard: I blew up a coloring page.

Specifically, I uploaded a coloring page file on Staples.com and had it enlarged as a 3-by-4-foot engineering print. These are the large black-and-white prints typically used for engineering or architectural plans. For about $7, we now have a mural on our wall, ready to be colored in by my 6-year-old daughter, or whoever else feels like picking up some crayons.

The coloring page I chose is designed by PicCandle on Etsy. I wanted a print that had a good amount of detail, but not Where’s Waldo-level intricacy. Last night, the kid started working on it, and then I jumped in at one point, too. Coloring really is relaxing.

To make a supersized coloring page of your own, here’s what to do:

  • Choose a high-resolution coloring page. There are lots of free or low-cost PDF downloads online. If you have a very young child, you might choose a simple illustration, but for older kids with more patience, you can look into mandalas or other designs from adult coloring books.

  • Create your engineering print. Staples, FedEx and Parabo all allow you to upload your design on their sites for printing. You can resize your print on your own with Preview or an online image resizer, or use the printer’s “fit content to paper” option, if it has one. It’s okay if there’s some white space along the borders.

  • Tape your massive coloring page on a wall or lay it across a table or the floor, and then let your kid go at it. It’s a fun activity for play dates and parties, too. In the end, you have a giant work of art.