Little
Ages 3–5
Very thick lines and a few big areas. Easy for small hands.
Hippo Coloring Pages
A hippo is a friendly giant to color: a huge round body, a very wide mouth and tiny ears on top of a big head. The little page, for ages three to five, has very thick outlines and a few big shapes with no background. The kids page, for six to eight, has thick lines, and the detailed page, for nine to twelve, has finer lines and more areas to color. Print one now, or color it on screen first.
Choose a level and print
The same drawing in three levels. Print it from the page or download a PDF.
Kids
Ages 6–8
Thick lines and a simple background to color.
Detailed
Ages 9–12
Finer lines, more areas and patterns for older children.
Color online
Choose a color, then tap an area of the picture to fill it. When you are happy, save it as an image or print it.
Coloring online needs JavaScript. You can still print the pages above.
Real colors to try
These are the natural colors of this animal. Use them, or pick your own.
- grey-brown
- soft pink
- charcoal
- muddy brown
- river blue
- reed green
Hippo facts for kids
- Hippos live in Africa, in rivers and lakes, and spend most of the day resting in the water to stay cool.
- A hippo's eyes, ears and nostrils sit high on its head, so it can see, hear and breathe while most of its body is under the water.
- Hippos leave the water in the evening and walk to nearby grass to eat.
- A hippo can open its mouth very wide, and a yawn shows off its huge teeth.
- The word hippopotamus comes from Greek and means river horse.
How to use this coloring page
- Ages 3 to 5: the little level has very thick outlines and a few big shapes, so fat crayons work well for filling the hippo's big round body.
- Ages 6 to 8 can use the kids level, and ages 9 to 12 the detailed level, with colored pencils for the finer lines.
- At home or in class, print a few copies so children can try realistic grey-brown on one hippo and wild colors on another.
- Print at 100% on A4 or Letter. A hippo has wide areas to fill, so thicker paper holds up better under markers or paint.
Pip's idea
Turn the hippo into a patchwork animal: color each part of its big body in a different pattern, such as dots, zigzags and waves, then color the cheeks pink.
Questions and answers
- What colors should I use for a hippo?
- Real hippos are grey-brown. Soft pink on the cheeks or tummy looks sweet, and you can use any other colors you like too.
- Is the little hippo page too easy for a six-year-old?
- It can be. The little level has very thick outlines and a few big shapes, made for ages 3 to 5. A six-year-old will enjoy the kids level with thick lines, and the detailed level suits ages 9 to 12.
- Can we color the hippo on a screen first?
- Yes. Open the page, tap an area of the hippo to fill it with a color, then print or save your picture.
