Balloon color by number: 15 free printable sheets

Choose a balloon picture and a comfortable level

These fifteen balloon color-by-number sheets include party balloons, hot air balloons and celebrations. Start with Balloon with a bow, Heart balloons and a present, Star balloon and a wagon, or Teddy bear with a balloon. These four easy pictures use six colors. The four medium scenes add a picnic, a balloon cart and a rabbit birthday party with ten colors. The four detailed sheets use twelve colors in a village, a seaside fair, a garden and a park.

Choose by the size and number of spaces as well as the subject. A picture with fewer colors can still take time when the same number appears in several places. Look at the enlarged preview before printing; each card gives its color and space counts. The three expert sheets contain at least one hundred numbered regions each, with richer scenes and more objects to follow. Work on a small part at a time and take a break whenever needed.

Print the first page and save the answer

Every download is an A4 PDF for 210 × 297 mm paper. Page one contains the numbered worksheet and its color key. Page two contains the matching colored answer and the same key. Select only page one in the print dialog when you want to keep the answer as a surprise. Print in portrait orientation at actual size. Check the smallest numbers before beginning; reducing the page makes them harder to read.

The key is also built into each downloadable PNG and WebP, so it stays with the picture when you save it. PDF keys include written color names in the selected language alongside numbered swatches. For black-and-white printing, read the names and test each pencil on scrap paper. Pencils suit ordinary printer paper; try a marker on a spare sheet first to check whether it shows through.

Follow one number through the picture

Find a number in the key, choose its pencil, then point to a matching number in the drawing before coloring. Fill every area with that number, including separate balloon panels, bows, presents or plants. Move to the next pencil only after checking the whole picture. The same number means the same color within that sheet. Check the key again when you change sheets instead of assuming that yesterday’s colors still apply.

Leave the outside background and unnumbered white spaces white. Open the larger preview if you cannot read a number. Keep the colored answer folded away until you want to check your work, then compare one object at a time. If you used a different color, locate its number in the key and put the intended pencil beside the page before continuing. There is no need to match an exact screen shade.

Try your own balloon palette

On a second copy, replace the color names with your own choices before you start. Keep one color per number so repeated panels remain consistent. Try warm balloons over cool hills, or swap the bow and balloon colors. Compare your result with the original answer and describe which parts changed. For completely free color choices use the related balloon coloring pages; the separate drawing lesson teaches how to construct balloons with a pencil.