Magic Beanstalk Colouring Page

This page is one giant beanstalk growing straight up the middle of the sheet, its stem curling into a spiral at the very top like a fern frond. Partway up, the stalk has a simple face drawn onto it, two round eyes and a curved smile, so the plant itself feels like a character rather than just scenery. Five large leaves branch off in different directions, each with a few vein lines down the middle, and two long bean pods hang underneath two of the leaves. The stalk sits in a mound of ground at the bottom, and three small sparkle shapes float in the empty space around the plant.

Almost everything here is a big, closed shape, so a child can colour the stalk one colour, work leaf by leaf in green or whatever they fancy, and give the bean pods their own shade without the crayon straying outside the lines. The vein lines inside the leaves are the only fiddly bit, and they are easy to skip if small hands are not ready for them. It is a nice one for talking about up and down, and for counting the leaves and pods together before starting. The face gives a natural reason to pick a colour for the beanstalk's cheeks or eyes if your child wants to give him a personality.

Because the shapes are large and there is no fine background detail beyond the sparkles, this sits on the easy end for preschoolers. It suits a child who is just getting comfortable keeping crayon inside a line, and it also works for an older four or five year old who wants to add detail to the leaf veins and sparkles. There is nothing here that needs a steady hand, so it is a good choice when you want a low-stress sheet that gets finished in one sitting.