Mermaid's Treasure Chest Colouring Page

A curly-haired mermaid sits with her tail curled underneath her, one hand raised to show off a single round pearl and the other resting on the lid of an open treasure chest. Her top is made from two scallop shells, and her tail ends in a wide, layered fin with several curved ridge lines running down it. The chest itself is chunky, with a keyhole and lock on the front and plank lines across the wood, and inside it sits a small haul: two shells and three round coins. Off to the side, away from the chest, a five-pointed starfish lies on its own.

This one gives a child a good mix of big and small to work with. The tail, the chest body and the mermaid's hair are all large, forgiving shapes that take colour fast and make the page look finished quickly. Then there are the smaller bits, the pearl, the three coins, the two shells in the chest, that reward a steadier hand and a finer pencil tip. It is an easy page to talk over while colouring: how many coins are in the chest, what colour the pearl should be, whether the starfish matches the sea or stands out from it.

Next to a lot of ocean sheets this one sits in the middle. The big spaces mean nobody gets stuck or frustrated, but the coins, the shell details and the ridged tail fin ask for a bit more care than a page of plain outlines. It suits a child who has coloured a few pages already and is starting to enjoy filling in the smaller shapes, not just the big ones.