Happy Mistake Fun Coloring Pages for Ages 3-5

Coloring page story

Squeaky the squirrel was always in a hurry. He zipped and zoomed, his mind always on the next nut to find or the next branch to climb. Squeaky wanted to paint a picture of his favorite oak tree. His paint-by-number set showed a big tree under a bright blue sky. The number for the sky was 4, a lovely sky-blue. The number for the juicy acorns was 7, a yummy orange. "Easy peasy!" Squeaky chittered, grabbing his brush. He was so excited to get to the acorns that he didn’t look closely at the numbers. He dipped his brush in a pot and started painting the sky. Swish, swoosh, up and down! "Done!" he squeaked. But when he looked, the sky wasn't blue at all. It was orange! Bright, pumpkin-patch orange! "Oh, whiskers!" he cried. "I used the acorn paint for the sky!" He had painted a number 7 sky instead of a number 4 sky. He felt silly and flustered. An orange sky looked all wrong. He was about to crumple the paper when his friend, Hoot the Owl, landed on the branch beside him. "My, my, Squeaky," Hoot blinked his big eyes. "You've painted a beautiful sunset." Squeaky looked again. The orange sky behind the brown tree did look like the end of the day, when the sun says goodnight. It was warm and cozy. "I... I did?" he asked. "You certainly did," said Hoot. "It makes me feel sleepy and peaceful." Squeaky realized his mistake had made something beautiful after all. He smiled and painted the most beautiful, sky-blue acorns anyone had ever seen.

Coloring page Age Appropriateness

The design is ideal for children aged 3-5. The characters are cute and easily recognizable animals. The main elements—the branch, the animals, and the tree in the painting—are drawn as large, simple shapes with bold outlines, which helps young children practice their coloring and stay within the lines.

Coloring Page Coloring Instructions

Look, Squeaky and Hoot are admiring a painting! Squeaky made a mistake and painted the sky orange, but it looked like a beautiful sunset. Can you color in the sunset sky? You could use orange, red, and yellow! And what color will you make the tree? The acorns in the story were silly and blue, but you can make them any color you want! Have fun making this picture cozy and warm.

Coloring Page Printing Tips

This page prints well on standard printer paper. For a special project, use slightly thicker paper (like 24 lb) which prevents markers from bleeding through. Always select 'Fit to Page' in your print settings to ensure the entire image is captured.

Recommended Tools

Broad-tip washable markers are excellent for covering the large 'sky' area in the painting. Chunky crayons are perfect for the tree trunk and animals. This page offers a great chance to practice using different tools for different-sized areas.