The Old Testament is packed with scenes children never forget: a boat full of animals, a sea split in two, a shepherd boy with a sling, a man asleep among lions. They are big stories with big pictures, which is exactly why they work so well as coloring pages.
This guide is for parents, homeschool families and children’s leaders who want Bible story coloring pages for kids that walk through the Old Testament in order. You will get twenty scenes from Creation to Nehemiah with a reference and a one-line takeaway for each, a simple term plan grouped by era, tips for telling the harder stories gently, and a timeline wall project that shows kids how it all fits together.
Quick picks: Old Testament coloring for kids
| Product | Best for | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ark & Star Bible Story Coloring Book for Kids | 20 Old Testament scenes in Bible order, plus 20 from the New | $4.99 | View |
| Safari Animals Coloring Book | Extra animal pages for Noah and Daniel weeks | $3.49 | View |
| Bold Florals Flower Coloring Book | Garden pages for Creation and Eden | $3.49 | View |
The Old Testament in twenty scenes
You do not need every story to give a child the shape of the Old Testament. These twenty scenes cover the big arc, from God making the world to His people rebuilding Jerusalem. Each one makes a strong coloring page.
| # | Scene | Read | One-line takeaway |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | God makes everything | Genesis 1 | God made the world and called it good. |
| 2 | The Garden of Eden | Genesis 2 | God gave people a home and walked with them. |
| 3 | Noah’s big boat | Genesis 6 to 9 | God keeps His promises. |
| 4 | Abraham counts the stars | Genesis 15 | God’s plans are bigger than we can count. |
| 5 | Jacob’s ladder dream | Genesis 28 | God is with us even far from home. |
| 6 | Joseph’s colorful coat | Genesis 37 | God was with Joseph through hard times. |
| 7 | Baby Moses in a basket | Exodus 2 | God protects the small and helpless. |
| 8 | Crossing the Red Sea | Exodus 14 | God makes a way where there is no way. |
| 9 | The Ten Commandments | Exodus 20 | God shows us how to live well. |
| 10 | The walls of Jericho | Joshua 6 | Trusting God works better than our own plans. |
| 11 | Gideon and the fleece | Judges 6 | God is patient with our questions. |
| 12 | Ruth gathers grain | Ruth 2 | Kindness and loyalty matter to God. |
| 13 | Samuel hears God call | 1 Samuel 3 | God speaks to children too. |
| 14 | David and Goliath | 1 Samuel 17 | Brave because God is with us. |
| 15 | David the shepherd boy | 1 Samuel 16 | God looks at the heart. |
| 16 | Elijah and the ravens | 1 Kings 17 | God provides what we need. |
| 17 | Jonah and the big fish | Jonah 1 to 3 | God gives second chances. |
| 18 | Daniel in the lions’ den | Daniel 6 | Keep praying, even when it is hard. |
| 19 | Brave Queen Esther | Esther 4 to 5 | God puts us where we are for a reason. |
| 20 | Nehemiah builds the wall | Nehemiah 2 to 6 | We can do big things together with God. |
Twenty scenes, one a week, covers most of a school year with a few weeks spare for holidays. Or do two a week in summer and finish in ten weeks.
A term plan grouped by era
Kids grasp the Old Testament far better when they see it as one long story rather than a bag of separate tales. Grouping the scenes into five “chapters” helps. Spend four weeks on each.
- Beginnings (scenes 1 to 4): Creation, Eden, Noah, Abraham. God makes the world and starts a family.
- The family grows (scenes 5 to 8): Jacob, Joseph, baby Moses, the Red Sea. God’s people end up in Egypt, then God brings them out.
- Into the land (scenes 9 to 12): The Ten Commandments, Jericho, Gideon, Ruth. God teaches His people and brings them home.
- Kings and prophets (scenes 13 to 16): Samuel, David twice, Elijah. God chooses leaders and speaks through prophets.
- Far from home (scenes 17 to 20): Jonah, Daniel, Esther, Nehemiah. God is still with His people, even in faraway places.
At the start of each chapter, say its name out loud and tape a title card on the wall. By the end, a 7-year-old can tell you that the Red Sea came before Jericho and why. That is real Bible literacy, and it started with crayons. If you homeschool, slot these into your weekly rhythm the same way you would a history unit; our guide on how to plan a homeschool year shows how to fit a Friday Bible block into the term.
A matched set of story pages keeps the whole series in one style, so the wall and the finished book look like they belong together.
Ark & Star Bible Story Coloring Book for Kids
Price: $4.99 | Best for: Old Testament units for ages 3 to 9
The first twenty pages are Old Testament scenes in Bible order, from God Made Everything to Nehemiah Builds the Wall, followed by twenty New Testament stories. Each page names the story, gives the chapter to read and carries a short KJV memory verse. Hard stories are shown at their hopeful moments. It comes as US Letter and A4 PDFs with a story tracker, activity pages and a Sunday School Pack. Print scenes 1 to 4 for your Beginnings month.
Telling the harder stories gently
The Old Testament has a flood, a giant who falls, lions, slavery and war. Young kids need the truth, told at their size. A few principles keep it honest without giving anyone nightmares.
Focus on the hopeful moment
For Noah, color the rainbow and the animals stepping off the ark, not the rising water. For Daniel, color the angel and the calm lions, not the den door slamming shut. The story is still true. You are just pointing the camera at the part that shows God’s care.
Answer what they ask, not more
If a 5-year-old asks, “What happened to the people who were not on the boat?” give a short, honest answer and stop. “They did not listen to God, and they did not survive the flood. God saved Noah’s family because Noah trusted Him.” Then let them keep coloring. Most kids are satisfied. If they ask more, answer more.
Keep David and Goliath about courage
Kids love this story because the small one wins. Keep the focus on David’s trust in God and his five smooth stones. You can skip the details of what happened after Goliath fell until they are older.
Joseph and Jonah: talk about feelings
Joseph was thrown in a pit by his own brothers. Jonah ran away and ended up inside a fish. Both stories carry big feelings: jealousy, fear, regret. While your child colors Joseph’s coat, ask, “How do you think Joseph felt when his brothers were mean?” Kids with siblings usually have a lot to say. Then point to the end of the story, where Joseph forgives them, and let that be the last word.
Noah and Daniel weeks: add more animals
Two Old Testament stories are basically animal stories, and kids know it. Noah’s ark brings every creature on earth into one boat. Daniel spends a night with a den of lions that do nothing at all.
For these weeks, add a few bonus animal pages. On Noah week, give each child a different animal to color, then line the finished pages up two by two along the hallway. On Daniel week, color a lion and ask, “Why do you think the lions did not hurt Daniel?” The answer, Daniel 6:22, is a lovely one for kids: “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths.” For more animal-themed sets, see our roundup of animal coloring pages.
Safari Animals Coloring Book
Price: $3.49 | Best for: Noah and Daniel weeks
Thirty bold and easy pages of lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, rhinos, hippos and more in open grassland scenes. Thick outlines and large shapes suit younger kids, and each design sits on its own page in US Letter and A4 PDFs with a color test page and palette planner. It is not a Bible book, but it makes a great add-on for story weeks. Print the Lion at Sunrise page for Daniel week and the Elephant Family Walk for the line-up to the ark.
Creation and Eden: color a garden
Creation week is a chance to color everything God made. Day three, when God made plants and trees, is a favorite for kids who love flowers. Genesis 1:11 says the earth brought forth grass and “the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind,” which gives you a reason to talk about seeds, apples and sunflowers.
Eden follows naturally. Before the story turns, it is a picture of a perfect garden where people and God walked together. Let kids fill a page with as many flowers as they like. A child who colors twelve different blooms on one page and names each one has understood something about how generous God is.
Bold Florals Flower Coloring Book
Price: $3.49 | Best for: Creation day three and Eden
Thirty simple, joyful flower designs with thick outlines and big petals: a smiling daisy, a rose in bloom, a sunny sunflower, a wildflower meadow, a flower pot garden and more. It is made for adults and kids who like easy pages, and comes as US Letter and A4 PDFs with a color test page and palette planner. Print the Wildflower Meadow for Eden day and let your child add Adam’s animals around the edges.
One page, three ages
Most families have more than one child, and they rarely share an age. The same Old Testament page can work for all of them with a small change in what you ask.
- Ages 3 to 5: Color the picture while you tell the story in five sentences. Ask them to point to the main person. Done.
- Ages 6 to 8: Read the short passage together, then color. Ask them to color the memory verse too and say it once at the end.
- Ages 9 and up: Find the chapter in their own Bible and read it themselves. On the back of the page, write three things that happened in order and one thing the story shows about God.
The older child gets a real reading task, the middle one gets the verse, and the youngest gets a happy ten minutes with crayons. Everyone ends up talking about Joseph or Jericho at dinner.
Build an Old Testament timeline wall
This project turns twenty coloring pages into something kids walk past every day and actually learn from.
- Run a length of string or ribbon along a hallway, about 12 feet long, at a child’s eye level.
- Hang each finished page with a clothes peg, in Bible order, as it is colored.
- Above each page, add a small card with the story name and reference.
- Mark the five eras with colored cards: green for Beginnings, blue for the family growing, yellow for the land, red for kings and prophets, purple for far from home.
- Once a week, walk the line together. Point to a page and ask, “What happened here? What came next?”
By the time the last page goes up, kids can usually walk the whole line and tell the story from Creation to Nehemiah. Watching a 6-year-old do that for a visiting grandparent is a proud moment for everyone.
Questions that work with any Old Testament page
Keep these on a card in your coloring basket. They fit almost any story, and they help kids think rather than just recite.
- Who is the main person on this page? What are they doing?
- How do you think they felt right then?
- What did God do in this story?
- Have you ever felt like this person?
- What happened just before this? What happens next?
The last one is the timeline builder. A child who can say “first the plagues, then the Red Sea” is starting to see the Bible as one story.
Frequently asked questions
Which Old Testament stories are best for preschoolers?
Creation, Noah, baby Moses, Jonah and David the shepherd boy. They are short, have animals or babies and end on a hopeful note.
How do I explain Noah’s flood to a young child?
Keep it short and focus on God keeping Noah’s family safe and the rainbow promise. Answer follow-up questions simply and honestly.
How many Old Testament coloring pages do I need for a year?
Twenty is enough for most families. At one a week, that covers a school term or two with room for holidays and catch-up weeks.
Should I teach the Old Testament in Bible order?
It helps. Kids understand how the stories connect when they hear them in order, and a timeline wall makes the order easy to see.
What age can kids start learning Old Testament stories?
From about 3, with simple retelling and a picture to color. By 7 or 8, most can follow a short reading straight from a children’s Bible.
Your next step
Hang a length of string along your hallway this week and color scene one, God makes everything, on Sunday afternoon. If you want all twenty Old Testament scenes ready to print in order, start with the Ark & Star Bible Story Coloring Book.