Noah’s Ark Coloring Pages

Free Noah’s Ark coloring pages: 17 printable PDF designs illustrating the Genesis story of Noah, the ark, and the animals aboard it. Every page can be downloaded as a PDF to print or colored online in the browser.

The story is told in Genesis chapters 6 through 9. God instructs Noah to build a large ark to save his family and pairs of animals from a flood sent because of widespread wickedness on earth. The Bible gives the ark’s dimensions as 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high, roughly 450 by 75 by 45 feet using an 18-inch cubit, with three decks and a door in the side. Genesis describes two of every kind of animal boarding, male and female, with seven pairs of animals traditionally considered clean. After the flood, Noah sends out a dove that returns with an olive leaf, a sign that the water has receded, and the story closes with a rainbow, described in Genesis 9 as the sign of God’s covenant never to destroy the earth with a flood again.

This collection follows that sequence: the ark under construction, the animals boarding two by two, the flood itself, and the dove and rainbow at the story’s close. The flood narrative also appears in the Hebrew Bible and, as the story of Nuh, in the Quran, though this set is organized on the site under Christian and Bible pages.

What Is Inside This Collection

The 17 pages are divided into four groups that follow the order of the story: building the ark, the animals boarding, the flood at sea, and the dove and rainbow.

Building the Ark

A small group of pages shows the ark under construction or in simple outline form, including a version designed for preschoolers. The Bible describes the ark as having three decks and a single door in the side, details that give these early pages a lot of straight lines and repeated plank shapes to work with. These work well as the opening page of a coloring book that follows the story in sequence.

Animals Boarding the Ark

The largest group shows Noah leading or gathering animals at the ark’s entrance, some in detailed scenes and some in a simpler cartoon style. Genesis describes lions, elephants, and countless other species arriving in pairs, and this group is where that variety shows up most, with several pages featuring three or more animal species in a single scene. Because the same species often reappears across several pages, keeping each animal’s colors consistent from page to page makes the set read as one continuous story rather than unrelated pictures.

The Flood at Sea

Several pages show the ark afloat, with and without visible animals on deck. These pages are the best fit for a stormy, muted palette, since they represent the middle of the story rather than its resolution.

The Dove and the Rainbow

The final group covers the story’s close: a dove released to search for land, the dove returning with an olive leaf, and the rainbow that follows. These pages suit a brighter, clearer palette than the flood scenes, marking the shift from danger to safety.

What Noah’s Ark Coloring Pages Do

Fine motor development. Structured coloring is one of the activities the American Academy of Pediatrics associates with fine motor skill growth in children ages 2 through 7, and a detailed scene like the ark’s rows of animals gives a child plenty of small, contained shapes to practice staying inside.

Story sequencing. Because the collection follows the story in order, from building the ark to the animals boarding, the flood, and the rainbow, children can use the pages to retell the sequence of events in their own words. This skill supports both reading comprehension and classroom storytelling.

Anxiety reduction through focus. Coloring’s link to lower anxiety has research behind it: a 2005 study in the Art Therapy Journal found structured coloring sessions produced measurably lower anxiety than unstructured drawing, a distinction worth knowing when the goal is to calm a child down rather than occupy their hands.

Counting and pairing practice. Scenes with animals boarding two by two give young children an early, visual counting exercise, matching each animal to its pair before or while coloring.

How to Color Noah’s Ark Coloring Pages Well

• Noah and his family’s robes: use earthy tones such as Brick Red, Burnt Sienna, or Raw Umber, keeping them muted rather than bright so the animals and ark stay the visual focus.
• The ark itself: color the wood hull in Raw Sienna or Brown, with a darker Sepia or Burnt Umber for the plank lines and door, so the wood grain reads instead of one flat color.
• Paired animals: give each species a consistent color across every page it appears on, Yellow, Orange, and Brown for giraffes, Gray for elephants, Goldenrod for lions, so the same animal is recognizable from page to page.
• The dove and olive leaf: keep the dove White or a very pale Gray, and color the olive leaf in its beak with a true Green rather than Yellow Green, since the leaf is the visual payoff of that page.
• The rainbow: use the full spectrum in order, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Violet, rather than a handful of favorite colors, since the seven-color arc is the point of the page.
• Flood and sky: contrast a stormy Gray or Blue Gray sky on the flood pages with a clear Sky Blue or Cerulean on the rainbow and dry-land pages, so the palette itself carries the before-and-after story.

5 Creative Craft Ideas With Noah’s Ark Coloring Pages

1. Ark Standee. Color the ark page, glue it to cardboard or a cereal box, and cut around the outline to make a standing figure for a shelf or desk.

2. Animal Pairs Matching Cards. Color two copies of a few animal pages, cut them into cards, and use them for a simple matching game that reinforces the two-by-two motif.

3. Rainbow Promise Greeting Card. Color the rainbow page, fold a piece of cardstock in half, and glue the design to the front of a card to give to a friend or family member.

4. Ark Diorama. Color several ark and animal pages, cut them out, and arrange them inside a shoebox with a strip of blue paper for the sea to build a small scene.

5. Story Sequence Garland. Color four pages in story order, building the ark, animals boarding, the flood, and the rainbow, punch a hole in each, and string them along ribbon to display the story in sequence.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Noah’s Ark coloring pages?

A free set of 17 printable PDFs and online coloring sheets illustrating the Genesis story of Noah, the ark, its animals, and the rainbow that follows the flood.

What is the story of Noah’s Ark?

In Genesis 6 through 9, God instructs Noah to build a large ark to save his family and pairs of animals from a flood sent because of widespread wickedness on earth.

How big was the ark, and what animals were aboard?

The Bible gives its dimensions as 300 by 50 by 30 cubits, roughly 450 by 75 by 45 feet, with three decks holding two of every kind of animal and seven pairs of some animals traditionally considered clean.

What does the dove with the olive leaf mean?

Noah sent out a dove to check for dry land, and its return with an olive leaf showed the floodwaters had receded enough for plants to grow again.

What does the rainbow represent in the story?

The rainbow marks God’s covenant with Noah in Genesis 9, a promise that a flood would never again destroy all life on earth.

Is Noah’s Ark only a Christian story?

No. The flood narrative appears in the Hebrew Bible and, as the story of Nuh, in the Quran, though this collection is organized on the site under Christian and Bible pages.

Are Noah’s Ark coloring pages suitable for young children?

Yes. Several pages use simple outlines designed for preschoolers, while more detailed ark and animal scenes suit older kids and Sunday school classes.

What other Bible stories have coloring pages on this site?

The Christian and Bible collection also includes Bible Book, Passover, Palm Sunday, and Good Friday coloring pages, covering other stories and observances from both testaments.

Start Coloring

Download any page by clicking the design. No account, email, or payment is required. Pages print directly from the browser at full resolution or open in the online coloring tool for screen use. Share finished pages on Facebook or Pinterest with the share buttons at the top of each design page.