Cactus
Toddler · 2–3A friendly cactus in a little pot. Color the green cactus and the pot! A fun way to talk about deserts and plants that don't need much water. Print it on A4 or US Letter, or color it online with tap-to-fill.
A plant built like a person
The classic cactus shape — a thick column with two arms — is one children find funny, and it is close enough to a stick figure that they immediately give it a personality. Two regions, cactus and pot, both large.
It is also a useful contrast with every other plant page here: no leaves, no flowers, no petals. Just a green shape with spines, which raises the obvious question of how it manages.
Living without much water
A cactus stores water inside its thick stem and has spines instead of leaves, because leaves lose water and spines do not. That is a genuinely good piece of biology for a six-year-old: the plant is shaped the way it is because of where it lives.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does a cactus have spines instead of leaves?
- Leaves lose water into the air; spines do not, and they also keep animals from eating the plant. The cactus stores its water in the thick stem instead.
- What age is this page for?
- Two to five. Two large regions with a distinctive outline that is easy to follow.