These adorable free mini summer coloring books are a perfect seasonal creative surprise for kids to make and color over summer break.
Oh my goodness…I’ve been sitting on a little secret for a few weeks now, and I am SO, SO excited to finally be able to share some news! We are thrilled to announce that we’re new contributors to the amazingly creative kid-spiration site hello, Wonderful – and we’ve just shared our first free printable there – mini summer coloring books.
(Update: though our printable summer coloring books are no longer available at the hello, Wonderful site, we’ve made them available to download here – just keep scrolling for the link in the supply list!).
These DIY mini summer coloring books have nine illustrated little pages designed to be colored in or drawn on, nine different book cover options, and a sheet of blank mini pages.
They’re the perfect size to pack up for a road trip or take to a restaurant and would make the *most* fun summer party favors or activities. A classic lazy summer day boredom buster.
For more engaging summer art projects, try our scrap supply pool art, scrape-painted surfboards, or design a set of wild wearable summer sunglasses. Or visit our collection of over 100 outdoor summer play activities!
To make your own mini summer coloring books you’ll need:
BASIC SUPPLIES:
- A few sheets of 8.5×11 heavy cardstock
- Our free printable mini summer doodle books
- Scissors or paper cutter
- Coloring supplies!
OPTIONAL SUPPLIES:
- Color cardstock, construction paper, or tracing paper for additional pages
- A sheet of acetate or plastic sheet protector to make front/back covers or dry-erase pages
- A hole punch (I used a 1/8″ hole punch – one size smaller than standard)
- A blunt needle and embroidery floss, ribbon, hinged snap ring, etc. to bind your mini book
How to Make a Mini Summer Coloring Book for Kids – DIY Instructions:
Download and print our free mini summer coloring pages.
Print the desired coloring pages on heavy cardstock (choose the borderless printing option).
Cut the mini pages apart and punch holes for binding (optional).
Cut apart the mini book pages with scissors or a paper cutter. Use a hole punch to make your hole/s for binding (you can skip this step if you want to keep your mini coloring pages loose).
There are many different ways you can put these little coloring books together, but for our little coloring book set pictured here, I used a 1/8″ hole punch to make two little holes on the left-hand side of each page. You could make one hole for a hinged snap ring or ribbon instead!
Bind your mini summer coloring books.
Using a blunt, kid-safe needle, thread the embroidery floss through each punched hole a few times and tie it off at the back to create the binding. If you’d rather not use a needle, simply thread a piece of ribbon through and knot or tie in a bow.
Swap out the embroidery floss for a small hinged snap ring instead to save a bit of time and make the process easier. Another benefit of the snap ring is that you can keep adding pages as your coloring book fills up!
When we shared these with Agnes, the founder and mastermind creative mom behind hello, Wonderful, she told us her daughter had even made an extra to give to a friend who was moving away – I mean, heart. melting.
They’re also extremely versatile! No time to bind into a book? No problem! Print out the pages, cut them apart, and throw them into a bag with some crayons for easy entertainment anywhere!
30 Summer Drawing Prompt Ideas for Kids
Do your little ones need some drawing ideas to get them started as they fill in their mini coloring books? Whether you are cooling off indoors or basking in the warmth of the great outdoors, these summer doodle prompts are sure to spur your kids’ imagination. From whimsical scenes at the beach to magical creatures and adventurous escapades, there’s no end to the creative opportunities…!
- Draw what you’d pack for a summer picnic
- Design your own tropical island
- Draw a family day out at the beach
- Draw a treasure map that leads to a summer prize
- Create your own underwater scene
- Draw the tastiest ice cream sundae ever imagined
- Draw a city made entirely of sandcastles
- Draw a view from a floating hot air balloon
- Draw a path through a cool, shady forest
- Design a magical garden with plants that grow candy
- Draw a parade of animals in sunglasses
- Sketch an alien visiting your favorite summer destination
- Design the perfect treehouse to escape the summer heat
- Draw your dream summer camp, complete with activities
- Sketch a fun water balloon fight
- Draw a fantastical creature that only comes out in summer
- Draw a bustling summer carnival or county fair
- Design a new swimsuit for your favorite character
- Draw a scene from a summer market
- Draw a family of mermaids and mermen lounging on rocks
- Design the most exciting waterslide you can imagine
- Draw your favorite summer memories as a comic strip
- Sketch a superhero whose power is controlling the summer weather
- Design an ice cream truck that serves magical treats
- Design your dream summer vacation home
- Draw a summer night sky
- Design your own summer kite
- Design a cool summer outfit for yourself
- Sketch a scene or map from your dream summer road trip
- Draw a summer-themed parade marching down your town’s main street
More Free Printable Mini Coloring Books for Kids
Ready for some MORE good news…? These were so popular we expanded our collection! For more free printable coloring books, visit our mini Halloween coloring books, Thanksgiving mini coloring books, and DIY paint with water ’80s mini coloring book too!
More Free Printable Summer Kids Activities
Looking for more printable summer fun? Download our free printable bug hunt, free printable beach scavenger hunt, free printable nature scavenger hunt, or free printable leaf activity kit for outdoor adventures!
These are so cute! I really wanted to make them for an end of the year project for my daughter’s class but the link to download them on hello, wonderful doesn’t work anymore.
Hi Laura! I’ve emailed you the printable and will update the post to include a new download link! Thanks for visiting and happy doodling!
I would love have to this printable!
Hi Sara – the link in our supply list should take you to this page: https://barleyandbirch.com/shop/printable-mini-summer-coloring-book/ – to download it for free just enter “0” and hit “add to cart”/”proceed to checkout” to access the download.