Helicopters are one of those things kids can't help staring at - the spinning rotors, the way they hover perfectly still in the air, and the sheer variety of jobs they do make them endlessly fascinating. This collection of 56 helicopter coloring pages captures all of that, from tiny toddler-friendly cartoons to detailed rescue missions and working aircraft. Each page is a free printable PDF available in US Letter and A4 formats, so you can download and print instantly.
There's something here for a wide range of ages. The simpler pages - with big bold outlines and open areas - are ideal for toddlers working on pencil grip and younger preschoolers who just want to get coloring fast. The more detailed pages suit older kids who enjoy taking their time, especially anyone into aviation, emergency vehicles, or imaginative scenarios. If your child loves these, check out our Space Adventures coloring pages and Airplanes coloring pages for more aviation and exploration fun.
The collection covers everything from silly animal pilots and toy helicopters to coastguard rescues, military transports, jungle expeditions, and even a steampunk-style flying machine. There's a lot of variety to work through.
🖍 Coloring Tip:Try coloring rescue and coastguard helicopters in a bold scarlet red with pale yellow details on the searchlight - these are the most common real-world colors for emergency helicopters.
🖍 Coloring Tip:Military helicopters look great in a flat olive green or khaki tan - try using a slightly darker shade for the rotor blades to make them stand out against the body.
🖍 Coloring Tip:For the animal pilot pages, go playful with the aircraft - a sky blue body with a warm orange stripe works well, and don't forget to give the pilot character a fur color that matches the animal.
🖍 Coloring Tip:Coastguard and sea rescue scenes have a natural color story built in - deep navy blue for the water, pale gray for a stormy sky, and a bright signal orange for any life rings or safety equipment in the scene.
🖍 Coloring Tip:For the futuristic and fantasy helicopters - like the steampunk design or the alien planet rescue - try mixing metallic-looking gold or bronze with deep purple or midnight blue for a more imaginative result.
These ideas are simple, affordable, and work just as well at home as they do in a classroom or after-school club. Most of them need nothing more than basic craft supplies you've probably already got.
Build a rescue mission play mat
This one turns a coloring session into an extended play activity. Color and cut out one of the rescue helicopter pages - the mountain rescue or the coastguard helicopter hovering over rough seas both work brilliantly for this. Then draw a simple landscape on a piece of cardboard: mountains, a river, roads, and a landing pad.
Attach the cut-out helicopter to a length of string, tape the string to the top edge of the cardboard, and your child has a helicopter they can fly across the scene to rescue figures or vehicles below. Cotton balls make great clouds.
You'll need:
Printed and colored helicopter page
Large piece of cardboard
String or yarn
Tape
Cotton balls
Small toy figures (optional)
How to do it:
Color and cut out the helicopter shape
Draw a rescue landscape on the cardboard
Attach helicopter to string and tape the string across the top
Add cotton ball clouds and toy figures to complete the scene
A great one to leave set up on a table for imaginative play over several days.
Make a spinning rotor helicopter
This craft is unique to helicopter pages because it uses the rotor shape itself as the moving part. Color the helicopter body from one of the simpler single-helicopter pages. Then cut a separate rotor shape from a piece of card - four blades in a cross - and attach it to the top of the colored helicopter with a brass paper fastener through the center so it actually spins.
Stand the helicopter against a wall or prop it up on a folded card base. Kids love flicking the rotor to watch it spin.
You'll need:
Printed and colored helicopter page
Card or thick paper for the rotor
Brass paper fastener
Scissors
Pencil to pierce the hole
How to do it:
Color the helicopter body and cut it out
Cut a four-blade rotor shape from card
Pierce a small hole in the center of the rotor and the top of the helicopter body
Join them with a brass paper fastener, leaving it loose enough to spin
Use a slightly larger fastener for younger kids so it's easier to flick.
Create a helicopter jobs matching game
This is a great activity for kids who are learning about different jobs and vehicles. Print several different helicopter pages from the collection - the air ambulance, the police helicopter with the searchlight, the coastguard over the sea, the news helicopter above the city, and the logging helicopter. Color each one, then cut them out.
Write or draw simple job cards on index cards or paper squares: "puts out fires," "reports traffic jams," "rescues people at sea," "carries timber," and so on. Kids match the helicopter to its job. It's a brilliant way to turn the collection into a learning activity without it feeling like schoolwork.
You'll need:
Several printed helicopter pages
Index cards or paper squares
Pens or crayons
Scissors
How to do it:
Color and cut out 5-6 different helicopter types
Write a job description on each index card
Mix up the cards and helicopters and challenge kids to match them correctly
For younger children, draw a simple picture on the card instead of writing
Laminate the pieces if you want a set that lasts and can be reused.
Design your own helicopter livery
Real helicopters are painted in specific colors and markings depending on their job - and the collection has enough variety to spark a great conversation about this. Pick one of the more detailed helicopter outlines, like the search and rescue helicopter or the executive civilian model, and challenge your child to design their own custom paint scheme.
They can invent a name for a fictional helicopter service, create a logo for the tail, and choose a color scheme. It's a fun mix of art and imaginative thinking, and the results look great displayed on a wall.
You'll need:
Printed helicopter page
Colored pencils, markers, or crayons
Scrap paper for planning the design
How to do it:
Talk about real helicopter color schemes - red for rescue, green for military, white and blue for news
Let your child sketch a rough color plan on scrap paper first
Color the helicopter with their chosen livery
Add a made-up service name or logo to the tail section
Older kids can research real helicopter companies and try to recreate an actual livery accurately.
Make a hanging helicopter mobile
This works especially well with the collection because there are so many different helicopter types to mix together. Color and cut out four or five helicopters from different pages - try mixing a coastguard, a military transport, a news helicopter, and one of the funny animal pilot designs for a playful contrast.
Tie each one to a different length of string and attach them all to a wooden skewer or a strip of card to hang as a mobile. A great bedroom decoration, and a project kids can genuinely complete themselves with minimal adult help.
You'll need:
4-5 printed and colored helicopter pages
String or thin yarn
Wooden skewer or strip of stiff card
Tape or a hole punch
Scissors
How to do it:
Color and cut out each helicopter
Punch or pierce a small hole in the top of each one
Tie each helicopter to a different length of string
Attach all strings to the skewer or card strip at different points
Hang the mobile from a ceiling hook or curtain rail
Balance the mobile by adjusting the position of the strings before tying them off permanently.
Helicopters can fly sideways, backwards, and can hover completely still - something no fixed-wing aircraft can do. This is possible because the rotor blades are like spinning wings that can be tilted in any direction to control where the aircraft moves.
There are plenty more flying machines and transport themes waiting for you in our full Airplanes coloring pages collection.
Coloring Pages FAQ
Can a club, library group, or kids group use these coloring pages?
Yes - group leaders can print pages for non-commercial educational use.
Do I need to create an account to download or print?
No account needed - just pick a page and print or download it.
What’s the best paper to use?
For crayons and colored pencils, regular printer paper is fine. For markers or paint, thicker paper or cardstock helps reduce bleed-through.
Do you post new coloring pages and categories over time?
Yes - Crafty Josh is updated with new pages and categories on a regular basis.
Are these coloring pages free to print?
Yes - all pages on Crafty Josh are free to download and print for personal use.
