Observing & Problem-Solving Coloring Pages

Coloring page story

One crisp morning, a panic swept through the workshop. The "Final Sparkle," the magical dust that made every toy shimmer before it was packed, was gone! The big jar that was always full was now completely empty.

"No sparkle? Christmas will be drab!" wailed Grizelda, the head of the painting department.

All the elves scurried around, searching under benches and in cupboards. But Pip wasn't searching. Because he couldn't make toys, he often spent his time just watching. And he’d noticed something no one else had. For days, he’d seen a tiny, shimmering trail leading from the sparkle jar, under a loose floorboard, and out of the workshop.

While everyone else was in a tizzy, Pip followed the faint, glittery path. It led him out into the snow, past the reindeer stables, and to a tiny hole at the base of a great fir tree.

He peeked inside. There, curled up and fast asleep, was a family of arctic shrews. And their nest? It was woven with bits of moss, stray reindeer fur, and… it was completely covered in the Final Sparkle! It shimmered and glowed with a warm, magical light, making their little home the coziest place you ever did see.

Pip didn't have the heart to disturb them or take their sparkle. What do you think he did?

He tiptoed back to the workshop. He didn't tell everyone where the sparkle was. Instead, he went to his own corner. He remembered how he made the rocking horse shine. He gathered soft cloths and shiny pebbles. He showed the other elves how to polish the wooden toys with a special beeswax mixture until they gleamed. He showed them how to crush shiny, clear quartz into a fine, non-magical (but very glittery!) dust for the painted toys.

The toys didn't have the magic sparkle, but they shone with a different kind of beauty—a beauty made from hard work and care. Santa declared they looked even lovelier. Pip knew the shrews were sleeping soundly in their sparkling nest, and he had solved a problem not with magic, but with clever thinking.

Coloring page Age Appropriateness

This scene is perfect for 6-8 year olds. The composition is simple, with a clear focal point. The 'sparkle' stars offer a fun opportunity for detailed coloring without being too complex, and the cute, sleeping animals are highly appealing to this age group.

Coloring Page Coloring Instructions

Let's be quiet like Pip so we don't wake the sleeping shrews! You can color the big fir tree a deep forest green or a warm brown. The snow on the ground can be left white, or you could add a little light blue for shadows. The best part is the nest! You can use your brightest, most sparkly colors for all the little stars and dots. Maybe yellow, gold, and silver to make it truly magical! What color will you make the cute, sleeping shrews?

Coloring Page Printing Tips

To make the 'sparkle' stand out, consider printing on high-quality paper. After coloring, an adult could even help add a little craft glitter with some glue to the star shapes for a fun, multi-media project. Ensure your printer settings are on 'best' to get those crisp star outlines.

Recommended Tools

Glitter crayons would be absolutely perfect for this page! They add sparkle right as you color. Fine-tipped colored pencils are also great for getting inside all the little star shapes. Crayons will work wonderfully for the larger areas like the tree and snow.