Reindeer Coloring Page

About this coloring page

A reindeer standing in snow with a bell collar and simple antlers. The antlers are drawn as a few thick branches rather than a tangle, which is the difference between a page a child finishes and one they give up on: real antlers have dozens of points and would be miserable to color. The body is one large shape, the collar is a narrow band that takes a bright color, and the bell is the one small circle worth saving for last. Brown is the honest answer and a red nose is the expected joke, and both are fine. Worth mentioning while a child colors: the antlers on this drawing would in real life almost certainly belong to a female, for reasons that surprise most adults too. Printed at A4 the antlers reach close to the top edge, so print with a margin rather than borderless if the picture is going to be trimmed or pinned up. The body is the largest single area and fills quickly, which makes this a reasonable page for a child who has already abandoned something more complicated earlier in the afternoon.

Color suggestions

• Warm brown body, cream belly
• Gold bell on a red collar
• Pale blue snow shadows
• A red nose, if you must

Did you know?

• Reindeer are the only deer where both sexes grow antlers. Males shed theirs in early winter and females keep theirs until spring, which means any antlered reindeer pulling a sleigh in December is female.
• Reindeer eyes change color with the seasons. The reflective layer behind the retina is gold in summer and deep blue in winter, which scatters more light inside the eye and helps them see through months of Arctic darkness.