10 best-selling kids’ and adult coloring books for as little as $4
Keep everyone entertained with these calming diversions.
Credit:
Kids Publishing / Cindy Elsharouni
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There’s a lot going on right now. Whether this statement resonates you on a personal level—learning how to navigate the trials and tribulations of working from home for an extended period of time)—or a societal one (the, uh, global coronavirus pandemic), chances are good that something in your life right now is making you feel a little more stressed than usual.
If your yoga routines, Disney+ binges, and family game nights haven’t quite quashed that feeling of unsettledness, you may want to try a coloring book. Kids and adults alike can delight in grabbing some colored pencils, crayons, or markers and coloring inside the lines—or outside the lines, if that’s more your jam. Consider these selections, including and inspired by the best sellers trending right now.
1. For toddlers: A way to keep the littlest ones busy
Kids can learn the basics in a fun way with this beginners' coloring book.
If you have a toddler aged 1 to 3 in the house, help them build an understanding of skills such as reading, color identification, and counting with this beginners’ coloring book. The book contains over 100 illustrations of familiar objects like strawberries, airplanes, and letters, all with bold, clear lines to make coloring easier.
2. For ages 3 to 8: A book that shows girls how to live up to their fullest potential
This coloring book empowers kids to bust gender stereotypes.
Offer your kids ages 3 to 8 a relaxing pastime with a side of feminism with this option. Each of the book’s 22 pages features female scientists, astronauts, and doctors, as well as fun designs including unicorns, rainbows, cats, and butterflies. It's an inspiring way to encourage girls' interest in science while quashing stereotypes.
Get I Am Confident, Brave, and Beautiful: A Coloring Book for Girls on Amazon for $6
3. For ages 4 to 8: Unicorn-only content
Unicorn and rainbow-loving kids will tear through these coloring books.
Kids love this best-selling unicorn-centric coloring book, which is aimed towards those ages 4 to 8 and puts all the focus on those mystical, single-horned horses. Each of the book’s 50 designs contains a combination of unicorns, clouds, rainbows, and stars, which makes filling it in a good way to get kids outside the confines of the house and yard (mentally, at least). For the kid who can't get enough mythical, magical creatures, consider this similar option, aimed at the same age range, containing equally dreamy images to keep kids occupied.
- Get the Unicorn Coloring Book for ages 4 to 8 on Amazon for $4.99
- Get the Unicorn Coloring Book from Walmart for $8.15
4. For ages 4 to 8: Under-the-sea enchantment
Get under the sea—well, in your imagination—with these mermaid coloring books.
If watching The Little Mermaid with your kids one more time will make you feel like a poor, unfortunate soul, hand your under-the-sea-obsessed little ones one of these mermaid coloring books instead. They contain 40 or 50 ocean-themed designs and give kids ages 4 to 8 something fun to do while you take a break from being part of their world.
- Get the Mermaid Coloring Book on Amazon for $3.99
- Get the Mermaid Coloring Book from Walmart for $5.98
5. For ages 3 and up: Activities for the avid Disney fans
Disney Princess fanatics won't be able to get enough of these coloring and activity books.
That spring break trip to Disney World is off the table this year. But you can capture some of the magic of a Magic Kingdom visit with a Disney Princess coloring book, which contains ready-to-fill drawings of Elsa, Ariel, Pocahontas, Mulan, and more. For kids who enjoy more than just coloring, there's also this Disney Princess activity book, which contains three sticker sheets, two full-size posters, and 288 easy-to-pull-out pages, so you can display your child's masterpieces with ease (and yours, too, if you’re permitted to snag that Olaf page you were eyeing).
- Get the Disney Princess Coloring Book for Kids on Amazon for $5.99
- Get the Disney Princess Coloring and Activity Book from Target for $7.99
6. For adults: Patterns to help yourself relax
These intricate designs allow for a lot of creativity.
Let yourself tune out and unwind with this coloring book by artist Jade Summer, full of elaborate, detailed designs of flowers, animals, paisley patterns, and more. Each page follows a similar kaleidoscopic theme, but they’re all different enough from each other for you to feel like you’re filling in something new each time. If you whip through that one, try this other pattern-focused coloring book, which has many similar—but not too similar—designs.
- Get 100 Amazing Patterns: An Adult Coloring Book with Fun, Easy, and Relaxing Coloring Pages from Amazon for $9.99
- Get the Relaxing Adult Coloring Book from Walmart for $8.15
7. For adults: A way to get joy from coloring
Embrace the inherent messiness of coloring and painting, just like Bob Ross would have wanted.
Few things relieve stress better than watching an episode of The Joy of Painting, hosted by legendary artist and TV personality Bob Ross. You can experience the joy of painting—well, coloring—yourself with the official Bob Ross coloring book, which contains the outlines of the artist’s own paintings, plus tips on how to fill them in (though “happy little accidents” are always welcome). For an extra soothing effect, play a vintage Bob Ross video as you color in the pages.
Get the Official Bob Ross Coloring Book from Walmart for $8.18
8. For adults: Detailed designs to get lost in
Lose yourself in these intricate patterns.
This best-selling adult color book is full of enchanting designs of mandalas, animals, flowers, and more. It contains intricate drawings with plenty of blank spaces for you to get creative with color coordination and shading, but enough uniformity to ensure it looks good when you finish, no matter how you decide to fill it out.
Get Adult Coloring Book: Stress Relieving Designs on Amazon for $6.40
9. For adults: Something with an NSFW kick
We suspect this coloring book goes nicely with a glass of wine.
Well, the title says it all. For the times when you need a little more, ahem, encouragement—and the platitudes you’d give your kids won’t quite cut it—this grownups-only coloring book should do the trick. It contains several inspirational phrases, including “You Can Do This Sh*t!” and “Make Life Your B*tch," that you can color in to give yourself a chuckle.
Get the You Are F*ckng Awesome Coloring Book from Amazon for $8.15
10. For adults: Mandalas for extra relaxation
Coloring in mandalas is a great way to zone out.
A mandala is a circular design that represents the universe in Hinduism and Buddhism. These coloring books each contain 100 different mandala patterns, all containing intricate geometric patterns. This makes it fun—and easy—to zone out while you color them in, whether you do so during a dull conference call or while you’re having a quiet solo night.