Starfish
Toddler · 2–3A smiling starfish with five chunky arms covered in little dots, resting on the seabed. It is about as simple as a coloring page gets — one bold star shape — which makes it ideal for a first attempt, and a lovely one for counting: five arms, every time. The dots give somewhere to go afterward for children who want to keep working. Coloring a starfish is a natural way to talk about rock pools and beaches, about counting to five, and about how a starfish can regrow an arm it loses. Print it, or color it online with the paint bucket.
Five arms from a centre
A starfish is the clearest example of radial symmetry in this category — five identical arms radiating from a middle, the same however you turn it. Rotating the finished page and finding that it still looks right is a good demonstration for a six-year-old.
The arms are broad and the surface is bumpy, which makes it a forgiving page with an obvious texture to attempt.
Growing arms back
A starfish that loses an arm regrows it, and in some species the lost arm can grow a whole new animal. They also have no brain, and move on hundreds of tiny tube feet underneath. Very little about a starfish works the way children expect an animal to work.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a starfish regrow an arm?
- Yes, and in some species the severed arm can regenerate into an entire new starfish if part of the central disc goes with it.
- What age is this page for?
- Two to six. Five broad arms, very forgiving, with a texture older children can try.
