At a Glance
This printable hamster coloring page features a large, simple to color hamster designed for toddlers, preschoolers and kindergarteners. It targets fine motor skills, pencil control, hand-eye coordination and some early creativity - with a simple, inviting design for your little artists.
Crayons out – there’s a very cute hamster waiting to be colored in!
This simple hamster coloring page is exactly what it looks like: one big, cute hamster with nice chunky outlines and plenty of space for little hands to get creative.
Whether it’s pulled out for morning tubs, a little calm-down moment, or a pets and vets unit, this page is a no-prep win. Time to get coloring!
And if your little ones love coloring, you can check out more cool coloring pages here.
What Skills Can Your kids Learn When Coloring?
Now you may not think it, but there’s actually quite a lot of skills that can be practiced and developed when your children are happily coloring away.
This cute animal coloring page can help your children practice and develop their writing skills, such as:
- Hand-eye coordination – to be able to understand what they are seeing and get their hands to go where they want them to go
- Hand and finger strength – the ability to be able to apply enough pressure to make marks on the page and hold the pencil firmly
- Hand dominance – developing and strengthening the skill of one of their hands
- Crossing the mid-line – this is the ability to cross the imaginary line running down the center of your body – it means they won’t have to switch hands if they want to color on the other side of the page
- Pencil grip and control – holding the marker correctly to allow for a full and fluid range of movement
These are all vital skills that will set them up to be brilliant at writing in the future! But let’s not forget:
- Creativity and self-expression – Who says a hamster has to be hamster colored? This is a genuine open-ended invitation to make their own choices. Color selection, decision-making and process over product thinking all happen when children are given the freedom to color as they wish.
- Focus and self-regulation – Staying with a task long enough to complete it, handling a crayon going slightly outside a line without melting down etc.
Coloring pages can also be great for children’s focus when they’re trying their hardest to stay in the lines and I’m sure as anyone out there who’s ever picked up an ‘adult’ coloring book – they can also be a great way to relax and have a moment of calm.
How To Prepare This Simple Hamster Coloring Printable
First you need to download it by clicking on the download box at the bottom of the page.
Not a member yet – what are you waiting for? Become a member and get INSTANT access to all the awesome activities today!
Then print it out.
That’s pretty much it – just need to grab some coloring pencils, pens or crayons and they’re good to go!
Get Even More Out of This Hamster Coloring Page
There’s more you can do with this page than just color it in! Here are some ways to deepen the experience depending on your little learner:
Bingo Daubers or Dot Markers Hand your little ones some dot markers and let them fill in each section with dots. It’s a different fine motor challenge compared to using crayons – controlled pressing rather than dragging. Great for younger kiddos who find coloring with a pencil tiring or too hard.
Color by Instruction Turn the page into a listening and following-directions activity. Call out instructions before children color each section: “Color the ears blue,” “Make the body yellow.” etc. Children color as they go, practicing the ability to follow directions.
Cut It Out After coloring, children can carefully cut out the hamster along the outline – a lovely scissor skills challenge! The colored in hamster can be mounted on a background or used as a puppet if you laminate and attach a popsicle stick.
Phonics Hook – “H is for Hamster” Use this page as the anchor for a /h/ sound lesson. Before or after coloring, brainstorm words that start with the same sound as hamster”. Sound-tap together, then color the hamster while emphasizing the initial sound. This pairs beautifully with the HBF Letter Formation and Coloring Worksheets.
Storytelling Prompt Once the hamster is colored in, it can become a character. Where is this hamster going? Who is it friends with? What did it find today? Prompt a verbal or written story – this works beautifully as a speaking activity at circle time or a writing prompt for kiddos who are ready to put sentences on paper.
However you use this hamster coloring page, I hope your little ones love making it their own!
Enjoy, and let’s nurture those neurons!
