Christmas Coloring Pages by Numbers

Christmas Color By Number activity | Bilas Das

Coloring by numbers cute Santa Claus | Igdeeva Alena

Coloring page with Christmas tree | ksuklein

Christmas coloring becomes even more fun when there’s a little mystery involved.

With Christmas Coloring Pages by Numbers, children don’t have to decide which color comes next. Instead, they follow the numbered color key and slowly watch a festive picture appear right before their eyes.

One numbered section might become Santa’s bright red coat. Another turns into the deep green branches of a Christmas tree. A few more colors reveal golden bells, glowing fireplace flames, stockings, ornaments, snow, and other cheerful holiday details.

It’s part coloring page, part puzzle, and part Christmas surprise.

So grab the crayons or colored pencils, match the numbers to the colors, and see what festive picture appears. 🎄🔢🖍️

🔢 What Is Christmas Color by Number?

Color-by-number pages divide a picture into numbered spaces.

Each number corresponds to a particular color.

For example:

1 = Red
2 = Green
3 = Yellow
4 = Blue
5 = Brown

Children find the number on the page, check the color key, and fill that section with the matching color.

Little by little, the unfinished picture begins to transform.

A blank shape becomes a Christmas tree.

Santa’s outfit appears.

Ornaments become colorful.

A fireplace begins to glow.

That gradual reveal is one of the most satisfying parts of color-by-number activities.

🎅 Color-by-Number Santa Claus

Santa is practically made for color-by-number pages.

His familiar Christmas colors make him easy for children to recognize as the picture develops.

The numbered spaces might gradually reveal:

A bright red suit
Fluffy white trim
Black boots
Rosy cheeks
A red Santa hat
A big white beard

Children can watch Santa emerge one little section at a time.

Start with all the spaces marked for red.

Then move on to white, black, pink, brown, or whatever colors appear on the page.

By the time the final section is filled, Santa is ready for Christmas Eve.

🎄 Christmas Tree Color by Number

A Christmas tree gives color-by-number pages lots of opportunities for bright holiday colors.

Green sections reveal the branches.

Yellow or gold might create the star.

Then all sorts of colors can appear in the ornaments:

Red
Blue
Purple
Pink
Gold
Silver
Orange

Presents beneath the tree may add even more colors.

One of the fun things about a Christmas tree color-by-number page is seeing the decorations gradually appear among the branches.

At first, the page may look like a collection of strange numbered shapes.

Then suddenly you can see the finished tree taking form.

⭐ Reveal the Star at the Top

The star is often one of the most exciting finishing touches on a Christmas tree.

Look for the number assigned to yellow or gold and fill those sections carefully.

If children want to add something extra after completing the color-by-number activity, they can outline the star with a glitter or metallic pen.

That little bit of sparkle can make it seem as though the star is glowing above the tree.

🔥 Cozy Christmas Fireplace Color by Number

A fireplace scene has all the ingredients for a cozy Christmas coloring activity.

Warm reds, oranges, and yellows can slowly reveal the flames.

Brown might fill the fireplace or mantel.

Red and green can bring the stockings to life.

Add Christmas decorations, greenery, or little presents nearby and the finished page begins to look like the perfect Christmas Eve room.

Fireplace color-by-number pages can be especially fun because warm and cool colors appear together.

Bright flames stand out against green garlands, colorful stockings, and wintry decorations.

🧦 Color the Christmas Stockings

Christmas stockings add another cheerful detail.

Depending on the number key, they might become:

Red and white
Green and red
Blue and white
Multicolored

Once the numbered coloring is complete, children can add their own little details.

Draw a name on each stocking.

Add stripes.

Add dots.

Draw tiny snowflakes.

Maybe one stocking belongs to Santa.

Maybe another belongs to an elf.

And perhaps the smallest one belongs to the family cat.

🔔 Christmas Bell Color by Number

Christmas bells work beautifully with color-by-number activities.

Gold or yellow sections can reveal the bells themselves, while reds and greens create ribbons, holly leaves, and surrounding decorations.

Children can complete all of one number before moving on to the next.

For example:

Find every 1 and color those spaces yellow.

Then find every 2 and use green.

Continue until the entire bell picture appears.

It’s almost like solving a colorful Christmas puzzle.

🎨 How to Use a Color-by-Number Page

Color-by-number activities are wonderfully straightforward.

First, look at the color key.

Find the number you want to begin with.

Choose the matching crayon or pencil.

Then locate all—or just some—of those numbered spaces.

Color them carefully.

Move on to the next number.

You can work in numerical order:

1, 2, 3, 4…

Or choose whichever color you feel like using next.

There’s no need to finish every section of one number before moving on.

The important thing is matching the numbers correctly and enjoying the picture as it develops.

🔍 Find All of One Number

Some children enjoy turning the activity into a number hunt.

Choose one number—perhaps 3.

Search the entire page for every 3 you can find.

Color those spaces.

Then choose another number.

This adds a little search-and-find challenge to the coloring activity.

Children may become so focused on finding every matching number that they barely notice they’re practicing number recognition at the same time.

🧠 Practice Number Recognition

Color-by-number pages can be particularly useful for children who are still becoming comfortable recognizing printed numbers.

They repeatedly:

Find a number
Identify it
Check the key
Match it with a color

Because the numbers appear inside a fun Christmas picture rather than on a plain worksheet, the practice can feel much more like play.

A child who isn’t enthusiastic about number exercises may be considerably more interested when Santa, presents, bells, and Christmas trees are involved.

🌈 Practice Matching Colors

Children also practice matching each number with the correct color.

If number 2 means green, every section marked 2 should receive that color.

That requires paying attention to the key and remembering what each number represents.

For younger children, keep the crayons they need beside the page.

You can even create a little lineup:

1 — Red crayon

2 — Green crayon

3 — Yellow crayon

and so on.

This makes it easier to check the correct color without searching through the whole crayon box each time.

✋ Fine-Motor Practice With a Christmas Twist

Coloring small sections also gives little hands plenty of practice controlling crayons and pencils.

Children have to guide the coloring tool into differently shaped spaces and stop when they reach the outline.

Some areas may be large and easy.

Others require a little more care.

There’s no need for perfect coloring.

If a crayon wanders across a line, the Christmas picture will still turn out just fine.

👧 Color by Number for Younger Kids

For younger children, simpler pages usually work best.

Look for:

Fewer numbers
Larger coloring spaces
Simple pictures
A small color palette

A page using four or five colors can be much easier for a beginner than one requiring ten different pencils.

Young children may also prefer familiar Christmas subjects such as Santa, a Christmas tree, stockings, or bells.

Recognizing the picture gives them another reason to keep going until it’s finished.

🧒 Color by Number for Older Kids

Older children may enjoy more detailed pages with:

Smaller sections
More numbers
Additional colors
Intricate ornaments
Detailed backgrounds

The basic idea stays the same, but the increased number of spaces creates a bigger puzzle.

Detailed color-by-number pages can take considerably longer to finish, making them a nice quiet activity during Christmas break.

🖍️ Best Supplies for Christmas Color by Number

You don’t need special supplies.

Crayons are a great choice for younger children because they’re easy to grip and work well in larger spaces.

Colored pencils are particularly helpful when the numbered sections are smaller.

Markers create bright, bold colors, although fine-tip markers work best for detailed pages.

You might also keep a few:

Metallic pens
Glitter pens
Gel pens

nearby for optional decorations after the official color-by-number picture is finished.

Just make sure the main numbered sections are completed first.

Then the extra Christmas decorating can begin.

🎨 Organize the Colors Before Starting

One simple trick can make the activity much easier.

Before coloring, look at the key and pull out only the colors needed for that page.

If the key uses red, green, yellow, blue, brown, and black, place those six colors beside the picture.

Put the rest away temporarily.

Now children don’t need to search through dozens of crayons every time they see a new number.

It also makes color matching much quicker.

✅ Check Off Each Color

For pages with several numbers, children can keep track of their progress.

Finish all the sections marked 1.

Then put a tiny check beside number 1 on the color key.

Move to number 2.

Continue until every number is checked.

The page becomes a little Christmas coloring checklist.

And when every number is finished, the mystery picture is complete.

🎁 Christmas Presents by Number

Gift boxes are ideal for color-by-number activities because every present can reveal a different combination.

One box might become red with a green ribbon.

Another could be blue with a yellow bow.

Another might use pink, purple, or orange.

As the numbered sections fill in, the pile beneath the Christmas tree becomes brighter and brighter.

Children can imagine what might be inside each package.

Maybe Santa has delivered:

Toys
Books
Games
Art supplies
Stuffed animals
Christmas surprises

❄️ Color a Winter Background

Some Christmas color-by-number pictures include wintry backgrounds.

Numbers may gradually reveal:

Blue skies
White snow
Green trees
Brown houses
Colorful Christmas decorations

After the numbered part is finished, children can add extra snowflakes in any empty spaces.

Pale blue or lavender can also be used to create gentle shadows in snowy areas.

🌟 Finish the Page With Extra Decorations

Following the number key doesn’t mean creativity has to stop once all the numbers are covered.

After the official picture is complete, add your own details.

Try drawing:

Stars
Snowflakes
Christmas lights
Candy canes
Presents
Holly
Bows
Tiny ornaments

You can also outline selected areas with glitter or metallic pens.

Think of the color-by-number key as the first step.

The finishing touches are entirely up to you.

🎄 Make the Christmas Tree Sparkle

Once the numbered Christmas tree is complete, add little highlights.

Use metallic gold on the star.

Add silver to ornament tops.

Place tiny dots of glitter along the garland.

Draw extra Christmas lights.

The original number key creates the basic design, while the added details make the picture uniquely yours.

🎅 Add a Background Around Santa

If Santa appears by himself on the page, add an entire Christmas Eve scene around him.

Draw:

Snow
A sleigh
Reindeer
Presents
A chimney
Stars
A Christmas tree

Perhaps Santa has just arrived at the North Pole.

Or maybe he’s halfway through his Christmas Eve deliveries.

🔢 Turn Coloring Into a Number Game

You can make the activity even more playful by asking simple questions.

Can you find a number 4?

How many number 2 spaces can you see?

Which color belongs to number 5?

What number means red?

These quick questions turn the coloring page into a casual number game.

There’s no need to make it feel like a test.

Keep it light and let the Christmas picture remain the main attraction.

🎲 Roll a Number

For an extra twist, use a die.

Roll it.

If you roll a 4, color some spaces marked 4.

Roll again.

This works especially well on pages using six numbers or fewer.

If a number has already been completed, just roll again.

Suddenly the order of the coloring is completely random.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Make It a Family Christmas Activity

Color-by-number pages can work well for family coloring time.

Younger children can choose simple designs while older kids work on more detailed pictures.

Parents can join in too.

Put Christmas music on in the background, bring out the coloring supplies, and gather around the table.

Add hot chocolate and Christmas cookies if you like.

It doesn’t need to become a big planned activity.

Sometimes twenty quiet minutes of coloring together is plenty.

🎄 Use Them at a Christmas Party

Christmas color-by-number pages can make an easy party activity for children.

Set up a small table with:

Printed coloring pages
Crayons
Colored pencils
Pencil sharpeners

Make sure each page has the colors needed for its number key.

Children can choose a design and color whenever they want a quieter break from the party.

🏫 Christmas Classroom Activity

These pages can also fit naturally into December classroom activities.

They combine a familiar coloring task with number and color matching.

Use them during:

Quiet work time
Indoor recess
Christmas activity stations
Early finisher time
Holiday parties

Finished pictures can then be displayed together on a Christmas bulletin board.

❄️ Save Them for a Snow Day

A snowy day at home is a perfect time to bring out a Christmas color-by-number page.

Choose a cozy spot.

Bring out the crayons.

Put on Christmas music or a favorite holiday movie.

Then see which picture appears as all those little numbered spaces fill with color.

It’s easy, quiet, and doesn’t require a complicated craft setup.

🎅 Christmas Eve Quiet Time

Christmas Eve can be incredibly exciting for children.

That can also make quiet moments somewhat difficult to find.

A color-by-number activity gives busy hands something focused to do while waiting for the evening celebrations.

Santa pages are especially appropriate.

Kids can color Santa while imagining what he might be doing at that exact moment.

Is he loading the sleigh?

Feeding the reindeer?

Checking his list?

Maybe he’s already on his way.

🖼️ Display the Finished Pictures

When every number has been colored, show off the finished artwork.

You could:

Hang it on the refrigerator
Add it to a Christmas art wall
Display it in a classroom
Give it to grandparents
Add it to a scrapbook
Frame a favorite picture

Children often enjoy seeing their work become part of the Christmas decorations.

💌 Turn Finished Pictures Into Cards

Some completed color-by-number designs can be turned into homemade Christmas cards.

Color the picture.

Cut out the finished design if appropriate.

Glue it onto folded cardstock.

Then add a simple message:

Merry Christmas!

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas!

Wishing You a Merry & Bright Christmas!

Grandparents, teachers, friends, and neighbors may especially enjoy receiving artwork created by a child.

🎀 Make Christmas Decorations

Finished pictures can also become simple paper decorations.

Depending on the design, cut out:

Christmas trees
Bells
Santa
Presents
Ornaments

Attach ribbon or string and hang them around the house or classroom.

Several finished designs can be joined together to make a Christmas garland.

🧩 Part Coloring Page, Part Puzzle

The best thing about color-by-number pages is that they offer a little more than ordinary coloring.

There’s something satisfying about seeing an image slowly reveal itself.

At first, you see numbers.

Then patches of red and green appear.

Next comes yellow.

Then blue.

Suddenly the shapes begin to make sense.

Santa appears.

The Christmas tree is decorated.

The bells are shining.

The fireplace is glowing.

And the page that began as a jumble of numbered spaces has turned into a complete Christmas picture.

❤️ A Simple Christmas Activity With a Little Extra Fun

Christmas doesn’t need to be filled with complicated crafts to feel special.

Sometimes all you need is a box of crayons, a festive picture, and a few numbers to follow.

Start with number 1.

Find the correct color.

Fill in the spaces.