There is roughly a 93 percent chance I am currently stepping on a sharp plastic dinosaur. This morning I handed my youngest a blank paper, which was, let’s say, not the most obvious solution.
Or rather, it was a total failure because he explicitly wanted the guy with three horns. So I had our designers drop everything and create these free triceratops coloring pages.
You’d think drawing prehistoric reptiles would be straightforward. It is absolutely counter-intuitive when you’re trying to make them look authentic but not overly terrifying for a toddler.
Honestly just download these printable triceratops coloring pages. Your kids will love them, and you might actually drink your coffee hot for once.
Featured Triceratops Coloring Pages
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Highlighted Triceratops Coloring Pages
Grazing Beside a Quiet Watering Hole at Dawn
This one is very calm. A lone triceratops is eating near a peaceful river while the sun comes up. It feels almost relaxing to look at.
My middle child loves coloring the water blue and the mountains purple. It is a great color page of a triceratops for practicing landscape shading.
Grazing Undisturbed as a Pterosaur Circles Above
There is a volcano smoking in the background here. The triceratops is minding its own business while a pterodactyl flies over.
Kids always ask about the flying dinosaur. These triceratops coloring sheets are perfect for sneaking in a little prehistoric history lesson.
Herd Forming a Defensive Circle Around Their Young
Honestly I love the protective nature of this scene. Four huge adults are standing guard with three tiny babies tucked safely inside. It shows how they actually survived in a harsh world.
We worked hard on the facial expressions of the adults. They look ready to defend their little ones from anything.
Herd Kicking Up Dust While Crossing a Dry Plain
Movement is tricky to capture on paper. But you can really see the dust flying as this herd marches across the dry dirt.
A teacher told me this specific sheet is great for group activities. I recommend using earthy browns and oranges for the dust clouds.
Locked Horn-to-Horn in a Fierce Shoving Match
Sometimes dinosaurs just fight. Two massive beasts pushing against each other with their horns locked tight. My boys fight exactly like this over the TV remote.
It is a very action-packed color page of a triceratops. The detailed scales on their backs take some patience to color.
Lowering Its Horns Before Charging at a Rival
You can feel the tension before the big charge here. The triceratops is leaning down heavy with its front legs planted wide.
There is a lot of open space in the sky on this page. It leaves room for kids to draw their own clouds or maybe a flying meteor.
Nudging a Stubborn Calf Forward With Its Snout
Parenting never changes. The big adult is gently pushing a very grumpy looking baby forward.
I have definitely been that tired mom trying to get a toddler out the door. These free triceratops coloring pages hit a little close to home. The plants in the foreground frame them perfectly.
Outlined Sharply Against a Blazing Orange Sunset
A classic dinosaur profile with a giant sun sinking behind the palm trees. We wanted it to feel like the end of a long prehistoric day.
The palm tree leaves are fun to trace with a dark green marker. Then fill the sky with bright yellow and red crayons.
Tips for Coloring Triceratops
1. Don’t Just Use Green
People always think dinosaurs have to be green. Science says they might have been colorful or striped.
Let your kids use purple or pink. When I print these printable triceratops coloring pages for my kids they use every color in the box. It makes the frills look so much cooler.
2. Blending the Horns
The three horns are the most important part of the triceratops. They shouldn’t be bright white. Horns get dirty and scratched up.
Show your child how to lightly color the horns yellow. Then rub a little brown or grey near the base. It looks way more realistic.
3. Textured Dinosaur Skin
Triceratops had bumpy skin like a rhinoceros. Crayons are actually better than markers for making texture. If you press hard then soft, it looks bumpy.
I usually tell my students to draw tiny little circles over the body. It takes a while. But the end result is totally worth the effort.
4. The Giant Frill
That huge shield on the back of their head is called a frill. Some scientists think it was used to attract mates with bright colors.
This is where you can get really creative. Use contrasting colors like orange and blue on the frill. It makes the whole dinosaur pop right off the page.
5. Shading the Dust
Several of our sheets show dirt kicking up. Solid coloring makes dust look like a rock. You have to color it lightly.
Take a tissue and rub the crayon on the paper to smudge it. It gives a really neat smoky effect. These triceratops coloring sheets are great for trying new techniques.
6. Making the Sky Interesting
A blank white sky is boring. But coloring a whole sky blue takes forever and hurts little hands. I have a trick for this.
Draw clouds with a light blue crayon and just color the edges. Or do a sunset with horizontal stripes of orange and yellow. It fills the space quickly.
7. Coloring the Volcanoes
Volcanoes in the background need to look hot and dangerous. Start with a dark brown or black for the mountain itself. Leave the top white for the smoke.
Then add bright red and yellow streaks sliding down the sides. I think it adds a lot of drama to the background. Kids love coloring lava.
8. Grounding the Dinosaur
You don’t want your triceratops floating in thin air. They are heavy creatures. They need a shadow under their feet.
Take a dark grey or brown and color a flat oval right under the dinosaur. It immediately makes the picture look heavier. It is a simple trick but it works every time.