Why do ducklings line up and follow their mother everywhere she goes? Soon after hatching, they learn to follow the first moving thing they see, and you'll spot those wobbly little lines all through our 80 duck coloring pages. Each one is a free printable you can download as a PDF in US Letter or A4.
Toddlers and preschoolers will love the simple pages, with fluffy ducklings, a duck floating on the pond and a duck tipped tail-up to feed, all drawn with extra-thick outlines for small hands. Older kids can take their time over busier scenes, like a family of ducks on a winding river or a police officer stopping traffic so ducklings can cross.
You'll meet some fun breeds too, from tall, upright runner ducks to plump Pekins and crested ducks with pom-pom heads. If your child enjoys these, take a look at our Chicken coloring pages and Easter coloring pages too.
These ideas use simple things you probably have at home, like a paper plate, a sponge and some craft sticks. They're easy for little ones to manage and work just as well in a preschool classroom.
Make a paper plate duck pond
A paper plate makes a perfect round pond. Color the duck floating on a pond and a few ducklings, then cut them out and give them their own watery home.
Kids can move the ducks around and tell a story as they go.
You'll need:
A paper plate
Blue paint or crayons
Colored duck and duckling pages
Green paper for lily pads
Glue and scissors
How to do it:
Color or paint the middle of the plate blue for the pond.
Cut a few lily pads from green paper and glue them on.
Color and cut out the ducks.
Glue some ducks down and leave a couple loose to swim around.
Add a few paper reeds around the edge to finish the scene.
Follow the duckling line
Ducklings follow their mother in a neat line, just like on the page with the mother duck leading her ducklings. Turn that idea into a counting and ordering game.
It's simple number practice with a cute twist.
You'll need:
The mother duck and ducklings page
Five to ten extra duckling cut-outs
A marker
A long strip of paper
How to do it:
Color the mother duck and place her at the start of the paper strip.
Color the ducklings and write a number on each one.
Mix them up and ask your child to line them up in order behind their mother.
Glue them down once every duckling is in the right place.
Older kids can try counting by twos or lining them up backwards.
Float a duck boat
Ducks are made for floating, so give a colored duck its own little raft. A kitchen sponge stays on top of the water, making it perfect for bath time or a tub of water outside.
It's a fun way to talk about why some things float.
You'll need:
A small colored duck cut-out
Clear packing tape
A kitchen sponge
A craft stick
How to do it:
Cover both sides of the duck with clear tape to keep it dry.
Tape the duck to the top of a craft stick.
Push the stick into the middle of the sponge.
Float it in the bath or a bowl of water and give it a gentle push.
Make a few and hold a duck race across the tub.
Make a tail-up flip card
Dabbling ducks tip upside down to reach food underwater, with only their tails and feet sticking up. Use the duck floating on the pond and the duck tipping tail-up to make a card that flips between the two.
Kids love turning it over and watching the duck dive.
You'll need:
The floating duck page
The tail-up duck page
Cardstock
Glue and scissors
How to do it:
Color both ducks and cut them out.
Glue the floating duck on one side of a piece of cardstock.
Glue the tail-up duck upside down on the back.
Flip the card from top to bottom to make the duck tip up and down.
Say "dabble, dabble" every time it flips for extra giggles.
Make a rainy day puddle picture
Ducks love the rain, and the duckling splashing in a puddle is a great page to brighten up with paint. Watercolor raindrops and puddles make it look really splashy.
It's a cheerful activity for a gray afternoon indoors.
You'll need:
The splashing duckling page
Watercolor paints
A paintbrush
A cup of water
How to do it:
Color the duckling with crayons first and press firmly.
Paint over the puddle and sky with watery blue paint.
Watch the crayon lines show through the paint.
Dot on a few extra raindrops with the tip of the brush.
Hang it by a window and wait for a real rainy day to match.
Ducks can stand on ice without their feet freezing. The blood flowing to their feet passes close to warm blood coming back, which keeps their toes from getting too cold.
There's lots more to discover around the farm. Head back to our Farm Animals coloring pages for horses, cows, pigs, chickens and sheep.
Words to know about Ducks
Ducks have some unusual words that go with them, so here are a few to learn as you color.
Drake - a grown-up male duck, often with brighter, shinier feathers than the female.
Dabbling - when a duck tips forward in the water to reach food below the surface.
Preening - when a duck cleans and tidies its feathers with its bill.
Down - the soft, fluffy feathers that keep ducklings and ducks warm.
Webbed feet - feet with skin between the toes that help a duck paddle through water.
Imprinting - when a baby bird learns to follow the first moving thing it sees.
Raft - the name for a group of ducks floating together on the water.
Coloring Pages FAQ
Are these printables free for home printing?
Yes - they’re free to download and print for personal use at home.
Do I need special paper for markers or paint?
Not required, but thicker paper or cardstock helps reduce bleed-through when using markers or paint.
Can I use these printables for homeschool lessons or daycare?
Yes - they’re fine for non-commercial educational use in homeschool, classrooms, clubs, and similar settings.
Can I print right away without signing in?
Yes - just choose a page and print or download it.
Can I sell prints made from these coloring pages?
No - selling printed copies isn’t allowed; they’re for personal and educational use only.
