Free Purim coloring pages: 39 printable PDF designs of masks, hamantaschen cookies, gift baskets, and holiday greetings tied to the Jewish holiday of Purim. Every page can be downloaded as a PDF to print or colored online in the browser.
Purim commemorates the story told in the Book of Esther, set in the ancient Persian Empire under King Ahasuerus. Esther, a Jewish woman who becomes queen while concealing her identity, and her cousin Mordecai, who refuses to bow to the king’s adviser Haman, are the story’s central figures. When Haman plots to have all Jews in the empire killed, Esther risks her position to reveal her identity and plead with the king, and the plot is reversed. The holiday’s name comes from the Hebrew word for “lots,” referring to the lots Haman cast to choose a date for his planned massacre. Purim falls on the 14th of Adar in the Hebrew calendar, a date that shifts on the Gregorian calendar from year to year, usually landing in late February or March.
Purim traditions include a public reading of the Book of Esther, using noisemakers to drown out Haman’s name each time it is read, giving mishloach manot, gift baskets of food shared with friends, donating to those in need, and eating hamantaschen, triangular cookies said to represent Haman’s hat. Costumes and masks are also central to the holiday, echoing the story’s theme of hidden identity, since Esther conceals her heritage for much of the narrative. This collection reflects all of that: masks, hamantaschen, gift baskets, and festive Purim greetings.
What Is Inside This Collection
The 39 pages are divided into four groups: masks and costumes, food and gift baskets, celebration scenes, and general greetings and symbols.
Masks and Costumes
A small group of pages focuses on the Purim mask itself, the holiday’s clearest visual symbol of hidden identity. These pages work well colored and cut out to wear, since a mask page is meant to become a physical object rather than stay flat on the page. Because masks are one of the few Purim symbols with a real-world use beyond decoration, this is a natural group to prioritize if the coloring session is tied to an actual Purim celebration rather than a general classroom activity.
Hamantaschen and Mishloach Manot
Several pages show the holiday’s signature food traditions: the triangular hamantaschen cookie and the mishloach manot gift basket exchanged between friends and family. These pages pair naturally with a real hamantaschen-baking activity or a craft version of a gift basket, and they double as a simple visual explanation of two Purim customs that a child might otherwise only hear described in words.
Clowns, Kids, and Celebration Scenes
A group of livelier pages shows funny clowns, children celebrating, and festive Purim scenes, including one page featuring the Sesame Street character Grover in a Purim setting. These pages capture the costume-party, carnival-like energy that Purim is known for alongside its more symbolic pages, and they work well as a lighter option after coloring one of the more detailed mask or food pages.
Greetings, Symbols, and General Purim Pages
The largest group covers general “Happy Purim” greetings, banners, stickers, and symbol pages, along with a page referencing freedom from the Persian Empire, tied directly to the holiday’s origin story. These pages are the simplest in the set and work well for younger children or as a quick activity between other Purim crafts.
What Purim Coloring Pages Do
Fine motor development. The American Academy of Pediatrics identifies structured coloring as a support for fine motor control in children ages 2 through 7, and the small triangular shapes on the hamantaschen pages and the cutout lines on the mask pages both call for careful, controlled coloring.
Cultural and religious literacy. For classrooms and interfaith families, coloring a hamantaschen or a mishloach manot basket gives children a concrete entry point into a holiday they may only otherwise encounter as a name on a calendar, without requiring a full retelling of the Book of Esther to start the conversation.
Anxiety reduction through focus. A 2005 study in the Art Therapy Journal found that structured coloring sessions produced measurably lower anxiety than unstructured drawing. This benefit applies to a festive, high-energy holiday like Purim just as much as to a quieter subject.
Symbol recognition. Repeated Purim symbols, the triangular hamantaschen shape, the mask, and the gift basket appear across many pages, giving children practice in recognizing and reproducing the same handful of shapes in different contexts.
How to Color Purim Coloring Pages Well
- Hamantaschen cookies: use Golden Brown or Tan for the pastry, with a Raspberry or Apricot filling showing through the center opening, since real hamantaschen are typically filled with fruit preserves, poppy seed, or chocolate.
- Masks: use jewel tones, Royal Purple, Turquoise Blue, or Gold, and add glitter-style dot patterns around the eyes, since Purim masks are traditionally festive and ornate rather than plain.
- Mishloach Manot baskets: color the basket itself in a natural Tan or Brown wicker tone, then fill it with a mix of bright colors for the wrapped treats inside so the contents stand out against the basket.
- Clown and costume pages: lean into bold, mismatched colors, Scarlet, Turquoise Blue, and Yellow together, since a Purim clown or costume page is meant to look playful rather than coordinated.
- Greeting and banner pages: keep the lettering in one strong color, Royal Purple or Scarlet works well, and use Gold sparingly for border accents rather than filling the whole background.
5 Creative Craft Ideas With Purim Coloring Pages
1. Wearable Purim Mask. Color a mask page, cut it out, and attach a craft stick or elastic string to wear it during a Purim celebration.
2. Mishloach Manot Gift Bag. Color a basket or hamantaschen page, cut it out, and glue it onto a small paper bag used to hold a real mishloach manot gift for a friend.
3. Purim Greeting Card. Color one of the greeting or banner pages, fold a piece of cardstock in half, and glue the design to the front of a card to send to family or friends.
4. Paper Hamantaschen. Color a hamantaschen page, cut it out, and fold the corners inward to make a paper triangle that can hold small candies or notes.
5. Purim Symbol Poster. Color a mask, a hamantaschen, and a mishloach manot basket, arrange them on a poster, and label each one to explain what it represents in the Purim story.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Purim coloring pages?
A free set of 39 printable PDFs and online coloring sheets featuring masks, hamantaschen, gift baskets, and greetings tied to the Jewish holiday of Purim.
What is the story behind Purim?
Purim commemorates the Book of Esther, in which Esther, a Jewish queen in ancient Persia, reveals her identity to stop a plot by the king’s adviser Haman to have the Jewish people killed.
When is Purim celebrated?
Purim falls on the 14th of Adar in the Hebrew calendar, a date that shifts on the Gregorian calendar each year, usually landing in late February or March.
Why do people wear masks and costumes on Purim?
Costumes reflect the story’s theme of hidden identity, since Esther conceals her Jewish heritage for much of the narrative before revealing it to save her people.
What is hamantaschen?
A triangular filled cookie traditionally eaten on Purim, often said to represent the hat worn by the story’s villain, Haman.
What is mishloach manot?
Gift baskets of food and treats that friends and family exchange with each other as part of the Purim holiday.
Is the Grover page tied to Sesame Street?
It is a recognizable Sesame Street character shown in a Purim setting, included here as a holiday design rather than an official Sesame Workshop product.
Are Purim coloring pages suitable for young children?
Yes. The simpler greeting and symbol pages suit young children, while the mask and food-themed pages work well for older kids and classroom activities.
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.
