fall coloring page partly colored in with pencils

Fall Coloring Pages – 32 Animals Getting Ready for Winter

ByMatthew Matthysen Posted on Coloring Pages

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Fall is the season when everything outside seems to be getting ready for something. Cranes gather on stubble fields, swallows line up on a wire, a pika piles hay for the winter ahead, and maple leaves turn red and orange. These 32 coloring pages follow all of it, from monarch butterflies setting off for Mexico to harvest days around the world. Grab your pencils, markers, or paints, pick a sheet, and spend a quiet afternoon with the changing season.

Table of Contents

 
 

All 32 Fall Coloring Pages

All 32 fall coloring pages are free and printable. Click any picture to open the PDF, then print it on standard A4 paper. The range runs from very easy sheets with big, simple shapes for small hands to detailed scenes and patterns for older kids and adults who like to take their time.

 
 

Migrating Birds, Winter Stores

 

Dancing Cranes at Sunset

Two dancing cranes with raised wings, a chick, a round sun and low bushes
Two tall cranes dance with wings spread wide and beaks pointed to the sky, while a small chick stands nearby. Behind them a large round sun sits over low, scalloped bushes and a gently curved field. The layered wing feathers are fairly detailed, but the sun and ground are large and open.

 

Swallows on a Wire

Nine swallows perched on a wire and two flying swallows below two clouds
Nine swallows sit in a tight row on a sagging wire, all with forked tails and heads turned the same way, while two more swoop in above with wings raised. Two outlined clouds fill the corners. The repeated birds are small but clearly separated, so it suits steady hands.

 

Children Tagging a Monarch Butterfly

Girl and boy with a net tagging a monarch butterfly, bushes and hill behind
A girl in a collared dress holds a monarch butterfly in her cupped hands while a boy in shorts, with a long-handled net over his shoulder, gently pinches a tag onto its wing. Low scalloped bushes and a curved hill sit behind them. The wings have dotted borders and large cells. The faces and clothing are big and open, so they suit younger colorers.

 

Young Hawk Watchers with a Park Ranger

Three children with binoculars and a ranger with a clipboard sit on rocks watching five hawks
Three children and a park ranger in a flat-brimmed hat sit on boulders below two rounded hills, watching five hawks soar past a round sun. One child looks through binoculars, one points upward, and the ranger holds a clipboard. The hawks’ scalloped wing feathers take the most patience, while the rocks and hills stay open.

 

Waxwings Feeding on Rowan Berries

Four waxwings on a rowan branch with berry clusters, leaves, a round sun and clouds
Four crested waxwings perch on a diagonal rowan branch, and one passes a berry to the next bird’s open beak. Three berry clusters with small star-shaped dots hang below, with pointed leaves, a round sun and two clouds behind. The berries are the fiddly part, while the birds’ smooth bodies leave large open areas.

 

Pika with Grass Bundle on a Rock

Pika on a rock holding grass and two flowers in its mouth, with a haypile and boulder beside it
A round-eared pika sits on a rocky ledge with a bundle of grass blades and two five-petal flowers in its mouth. A woven haypile lies at the right, tucked under a large boulder. Pikas really do dry grass into hay piles to survive the winter.

 

Woodpeckers at an Acorn Granary Tree

Two woodpeckers on a tree trunk full of oval holes with acorns, plus two clouds
Two crested woodpeckers cling to a broken tree trunk, each pressing an acorn into an oval hole with its pointed beak. About twenty more acorns sit in holes down the bark, with two small cloud outlines at the base. Acorn woodpeckers really do store nuts this way, and the repeated acorns suit patient coloring.

 
 

Small Fall Wonders

 

Smiling Maple Samara Seeds

Cartoon maple seed pair with smiling faces, motion swirls, a long stem and two clouds
A winged maple seed pair spins through the air, each wing with a happy face of two eyes and an open mouth. Curved motion lines sweep around them, two cloud outlines sit at the top, and a long stem rises from the joined seed. Maple samaras really do twirl like tiny helicopters as they fall.

 

Open Milkweed Pod with Drifting Seeds

Open milkweed pod with oval seeds, silky tufts, leaves and three floating seeds
A split milkweed pod stands on a leafy stem, its opening packed with oval seeds that each carry a fan of silky threads. Three more seeds drift off to the upper right, with two soft cloud outlines at the bottom. The fine thread lines call for a sharp pencil, while the broad pod and leaves are easy to fill.

 

Fuzzy Woolly Bear Caterpillar

Smiling fuzzy caterpillar with six segments, a rock, a bush and pebbles
A smiling woolly bear caterpillar crawls toward the viewer, its body made of six bristly segments with scalloped, fluffy edges. It has big shiny eyes and small rounded feet, and it walks past a rock and a cloud-shaped bush, with three oval pebbles on the ground.

 

Robin with a Rose Hip on a Branch

Robin holding a rose hip in its beak, sitting on a branch with leaves, three rose hips, a cloud and a sun
A round robin with big shiny eyes perches on a leafy branch and holds a rose hip in its beak. Three more rose hips hang from thin stems below, a sun circle and a cloud fill the upper corners, and the wing has layered feathers. The bold, open shapes of the chest and berries are easy to fill.

 

Heron Standing in Still Water

Heron on one leg in water with ripples, reflection and clouds
A grey heron stands on one leg in shallow water, its long beak pointing right and a head plume trailing behind. Layered wing feathers, ripple rings around the leg and an upside-down reflection fill the lower half, with two cloud banks on the horizon. The reflection and the wing feathers are the finer areas, while the clouds and the water are open and easy to color.

 

Frosted Kale Plant with Snowflakes

Ruffled leafy plant with curly frosted edges on a snowy hill, with three snowflakes
A tall, branching plant with seven big ruffled leaves, each with a curly scalloped edge that looks like frost, stands on a low snowy hill. Three six-armed snowflakes float in the upper corners and sides, and every leaf has a central vein with thin side veins. The curly leaf edges are fine, small work, while the wide leaf centers are open and easy to fill.

 
 

Harvest and Customs Worldwide

 

Cranberry Harvest in a Flooded Bog

Three cranberry harvesters in waders with a floating boom, a rake and many round berries on the water
Three workers in caps and waders stand waist-deep in water. Two of them guide a long floating boom, while a bearded man at the back pulls a wide rake through the berries. Hundreds of small round cranberries crowd the lower right, and a cloud-shaped treeline sits on the horizon. The berry mass is dense, fiddly work, while the big shirts and waders are open and easy to fill.

 

Alpine Cattle Drive with Flower Crown Cow

Three bell-wearing cows, one with a flower crown, a girl with braids and a bearded man on a mountain path
Three cows with big brass bells walk down a mountain path, led by one wearing a tall crown of daisy-like flowers and ribbons. A girl in a dirndl with braids and a bearded man in a feathered hat and suspenders walk beside them, each holding a staff. The flower crown and the embroidered collar are the finest details.

 

Grandmother and Boy Hanging Persimmons

Smiling grandmother hanging persimmon strings under a roof beam, boy holding a basket of persimmons
Under the eaves of a wooden house, a smiling grandmother in an apron ties a string of persimmons to a beam. Four strings hang in a row, and a boy holds a woven basket of five more fruits. The basket weave is the finest detail, while the apron and the persimmons are large, open shapes.

 

Olive Harvest Under a Twisting Tree

Woman on a ladder picking olives and a girl filling a crate beside a twisted olive tree
A woman in a headscarf and apron stands on a wooden stepladder and rakes olives from a branch. A girl with a ponytail kneels below and fills a slatted crate from the scattered olives on the ground. The old olive tree has a spiraling trunk and leafy branches heavy with fruit. Rolling hills sit in the background. The twisted trunk is a good place to try layered browns and grays.

 

Mooncake Feast Under a Rabbit Lantern

Grandfather and girl eating mooncakes at a round table with pomelo, rabbit lantern and full moon
A laughing grandfather in glasses and a ponytailed girl with a hair bow sit at a round table, each holding a flower-stamped mooncake. A plate of two more mooncakes and a pomelo with cut wedges sit on the table, and a rabbit-shaped lantern with a tassel hangs beneath a large full moon. The faces and the small petal patterns on the mooncakes are the finest details.

 

Chestnut Roaster with Two Children

Chestnut vendor stirring a roasting drum on a cart, with two children holding cones, a lamp post and trees
A mustached vendor in a flat cap and scarf stirs a drum of roasting chestnuts on a wheeled cart, with a curl of steam rising beside him. A boy and a girl in bobble hats each hold a paper cone of chestnuts, and a street lamp and park trees stand behind. The drum has a row of round vent holes, and the wheel has fine spokes.

 

Children Digging Potatoes at a Bonfire

Boy with pitchfork, girl with potato basket and grandmother at a bonfire in a potato field
A boy in rolled-up trousers and boots pushes a pitchfork into the soil while a ponytailed girl in dungarees places a potato in a wire basket. Behind them, a grandmother in an apron pokes a bonfire of dried potato vines, and a dozen or so dotted potatoes lie in the loose earth. The wire basket’s grid of crossing lines is the fiddliest part.

 
 

Garden and Street Winterized

 

Children Planting Tulip Bulbs with a Bird

Girl and boy kneeling in a garden bed planting bulbs, with a small bird and a fence behind
Kneeling side by side at a garden bed, a ponytailed girl in dungarees lowers a bulb into a hole while a spiky-haired boy pats the soil. Three more bulbs sit in small mounds of earth, and a songbird perches at the bed’s edge near a picket fence. The large, open shapes make this an easy sheet to color.

 

Leaf Vacuum Truck and Street Worker

Worker with suction hose and leaf pile beside a tanker truck, two waving children, and a house
A worker in a cap and reflective-striped overalls guides a ribbed suction hose over a pile of fallen leaves, beside a tanker truck with a round fill cap on top. On the sidewalk, a waving boy and girl stand in front of a house with a four-pane window. The ribbed hose has many small segments, so it takes patience.

 

Children Hanging Pinecone Bird Feeders

Boy and girl hanging two bead-covered bird feeders from a tree branch with a small bird perched nearby
A tousle-haired boy and a girl with pigtails tie two string-hung feeders to a leafy branch, while a small chickadee perches on the string beside the boy’s feeder. Both feeders are clusters of round seed beads, and the children wear hooded jackets and sturdy boots. The bird’s striped wing feathers suit a few contrasting shades.

 

Grandfather and Boy Shelling Beans

Grandfather and boy shelling beans into a bowl, with pods and a tray of flower heads
At a kitchen table, a bespectacled grandfather with a mustache and a grinning boy split open bean pods over a big bowl of beans. Loose beans and a pile of long pods lie on the table, and a tray of five round flower heads sits at the right. A clay jar and a window with rolling hills fill the background.

 

Smiling Soup Pot with Carrot, Leek and Potato

Smiling soup pot with a carrot, leek and potato peeking out and a ladle beside it
A grinning cooking pot with rosy cheeks and two side handles holds a carrot, a leek and a spotted potato, each with a happy face and little hands gripping the rim. A long ladle leans against the right side of the pot. Big, open shapes make this an easy sheet for small hands.

 
 

Outings in Fall Light

 

Boy Painting a Tree at an Easel

Boy on a stool painting a tree on an easel with a palette, stone balustrade and big tree behind
Seen from behind, a smiling boy sits on a round stool and paints a tree onto a canvas, holding a brush and a palette with five paint wells. The real tree with its scalloped crown stands beyond a stone balustrade with vase-shaped posts. Wide, open shapes keep this sheet easy to color.

 

Covered Bridge with Children Dropping Maple Leaves

Boy and girl dropping maple leaves from a covered bridge above a river with stones
Two smiling children, a boy with spiky hair and a girl with a ponytail, lean out of the side windows of a wooden covered bridge and let two maple leaves flutter down. Stone abutments, round boulders and a winding river fill the foreground. The vertical board siding and open timber braces suit careful, narrow strokes, while the river and boulders leave wide areas to fill.

 

Family on a Mountain Chairlift

Family of three on a chairlift above wooded hills, a stream and a small village with two chairs behind
A man and a woman in pom-pom hats and scarves share a chairlift seat with a small girl, all smiling and pointing out over the valley. Two more chairs follow on the cable behind them, and below are rolling wooded hills, a winding stream and a tiny village with a church spire. The scarf, the knit hats and the bushy treetops give the sheet plenty of small areas for patterns.

 

Log Cabin with Buck and Rowboat

Log cabin with stone chimney, buck, birch trees, wooden dock and rowboat on a lake
A log cabin with a stone chimney, a hanging lantern and a plank door sits on a lakeshore, while a buck with branching antlers stands among birch trees. A wooden dock with four posts leads to a moored rowboat. The round log ends and the stone chimney offer good spots for texture.

 
 

Fall Patterns

 

Day and Night Equinox Tree

Tree split into day and night with sun, moon, bird, squirrel, owl, fawn and fox
One big tree is split down the middle. The left half has a sun, leafy branches, a songbird and a squirrel holding an acorn. The right half has bare branches, a crescent moon, five stars and an owl. A spotted fawn stands beneath the day side and a fox sits beneath the night side. The leaf-covered half takes many small strokes, and the bare half leaves open spaces.

 

Rows of Acorns, Samaras, Chestnuts and Walnuts

Rows of acorns, maple seeds, chestnuts, walnuts and hazelnuts with two oak leaves
Five horizontal rows of autumn seeds fill the page: five acorns under two oak leaves, four maple samaras, three spiky horse chestnut husks, three walnuts and five hazelnuts in leafy cups. The acorn caps have a scale pattern, while the walnuts have wavy shell ridges.

 

Autumn Patchwork Quilt of Eight Squares

Quilt of eight squares with a crane, rose hips, pine cone, pika, persimmon, bridge, mooncake and chestnut
Eight stitched quilt squares in two columns, each holding one autumn motif: a crane before a round sun, a rose hip sprig, a pine cone, a pika, a persimmon, a curved-roof bridge, a flower-patterned mooncake and an open chestnut husk. Dashed stitching lines run along every patch edge. Each square can take its own palette, and the pine cone’s overlapping scales suit a gradient of browns.

 
 

Fall Facts for Kids

 

Why Is It Called Fall, and When Does It Start?

Astronomers say fall begins at the equinox around September 22 or 23. On that day, daylight and night are almost the same length, and you can see it in the equinox sheet in this collection. Meteorologists keep it simpler and count September, October, and November as the fall months.

The American word “fall” is a short form of “fall of the leaf,” which describes exactly what the trees do this time of year. In British English the season is usually called “autumn.”

 

Why Leaves Change Color

All summer, leaves are green because of chlorophyll. In fall the tree breaks that green pigment down, and the yellow and orange pigments that were hiding in the leaf all along finally show. Red is different. Some leaves, maple leaves for example, make new red pigment only in fall.

Larches are the conifers that join in. They turn golden yellow and drop their needles, which makes them a surprise among all the evergreens.

Plants also send their seeds out into the world. Maple seeds spin down like tiny helicopters, and milkweed seeds drift away on white fluffy hairs, so new plants can start in new places.

 

Journeys, Hay Piles, and Harvests

Many animals leave. Barn swallows travel all the way from Europe to southern Africa. Common cranes stop in flocks of tens of thousands on harvested fields, where they eat leftover corn kernels. Monarch butterflies fly from Canada and the United States to the mountains of Mexico, up to about 4,000 kilometers. The monarchs that make this trip live for many months, while their summer ancestors lived only a few weeks.

Other animals stay and stock up. The pika does not hibernate. It lives through the winter on its haypile. Acorn woodpeckers fill storage trees with thousands of acorns. The woolly bear caterpillar spends the winter as a caterpillar and can even freeze solid. The old story says its brown band predicts how harsh the winter will be, but that is a charming folk belief and has never been proven.

People harvest, too. Cranberries are one of the few fruits native to North America, and they are picked from flooded bogs. In Japan, peeled persimmons dry under the eaves. Around the Mediterranean, the olive harvest begins in October. In the Alps, cattle come down from the mountain pastures wearing decorations. Families celebrate the Chinese Moon Festival by sitting together under the full moon and sharing mooncakes, and in many European cities the air smells of roasted chestnuts. Farmers have also long burned dry potato vines in field fires.

Fall is also planting time. Tulip and daffodil bulbs need a cold spell in the soil, or they will not bloom in spring. Frost even helps kale, which turns starch into sugar in the cold and tastes sweeter.

 
 

Before You Start Coloring

Plain printer paper works fine for pencils and most markers. If you plan to use acrylic paint, print on thicker paper, about 160 gsm or heavier, because thin paper curls under wet paint. Acrylics dry quickly, so cover the large areas first and add the lines and details last.

Print each sheet at 100 percent on A4 and turn off any “fit to page” setting that shrinks the image. If your printer cuts off the edges, choose “actual size” in the print dialog. Select “draft” or “economy” mode for children who like to print several copies.

Which sheet for which age? Preschoolers and beginners will do best with the very easy sheets, which have big shapes and thick lines. Children in early elementary school can try the animal and harvest scenes. Older kids, teens, and adults will enjoy the detailed landscapes and the pattern pages, which reward patience and a sharp pencil.

 
 

Things to Make With Your Finished Pages

  • A fall garland. Cut out your colored leaves, birds, and butterflies, punch a hole in each, and string them across a window or doorway.
  • A migration map. Tape a cranes sheet, a swallows sheet, and a monarch sheet onto a big paper map and draw their routes between them.
  • Handmade cards. Fold a finished page in half and add a message for a grandparent or a friend who lives far away.
  • A fall wall gallery. Mount your favorite pages on colored paper and hang them in a row for a seasonal display at home or in the classroom.

 
 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Are these fall coloring pages really free?

Yes. Click a picture, open the PDF, and print it as often as you like for personal use at home.

 

What age are these pages for?

There is something for nearly everyone. The very easy sheets suit toddlers and preschoolers who are just starting out, while the detailed scenes and patterns are made for older children, teens, and adults.

 

Which colors are correct for fall animals and plants?

Maple leaves are red and orange, and larches turn golden yellow. Oaks are brown, cranberries are deep red, and persimmons are orange. Olives range from green to blackish purple. A monarch butterfly is orange with black veins, and a waxwing is grayish brown with a yellow tip on its tail. A robin has an orange-red breast. Cranes are gray with a red spot on the head, and a young crane has an all-brown head. A pika is grayish brown, and an acorn woodpecker is black and white with a red cap. The cartoon-style pages can be any color you like.

 

Can I use the pages in a classroom?

Absolutely. Teachers can print as many copies as they need for a class, a library hour, or a fall project. The migration and harvest scenes pair well with a science or geography lesson.

 

Do I need special crayons or paper?

No. Crayons, colored pencils, and markers all work on plain paper. Watercolors and acrylics look better on thicker paper.

 

What if my printout is cut off?

The sheets are made for A4. If you print on US Letter paper, choose the “fit to page” or “actual size” option in your print dialog and check the preview before you print.

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