These 25 free dolphin coloring pages for kids bring one cheerful cartoon dolphin to life across the ocean: jumping through hoops, meeting a mermaid, leaping over rainbows, and gathering with friends. Every page is free to download and print, or to color right in your browser, with no sign-up needed.
These dolphin pictures mix ocean-inspired scenes, show-style tricks, and make-believe fun. Some pages show real dolphin behavior, like swimming in groups and leaping out of the water. Some show tricks dolphins learn with trainers. And some are pure pretend, like a dolphin sleeping on a cloud or surfing on a board. The book has no hero name, so we simply call the dolphin “the dolphin” on every page. A little clownfish friend swims along on eleven of the pages. See if you can spot it.
Pick a page below to jump straight to it, or scroll through the whole book in order. You do not need a printer to enjoy these pages: tap Color Online under any picture to color it on your screen.
Choose your favorite dolphin coloring page
Find a page fast: pick a scene, check its theme and difficulty, then tap the title to jump to it.
| Page | Scene | Theme | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Jumping Through a Hoop | Jumping Through a Hoop | Tricks and play | Medium |
| 2. Playing with a Beach Ball | Playing with a Beach Ball | Tricks and play | Simple |
| 3. Surfing a Big Wave | Surfing a Big Wave | Tricks and play | Medium |
| 4. Two Dolphins in a Heart | Two Dolphins in a Heart | Ocean friends | Medium |
| 5. Finding a Treasure Chest | Finding a Treasure Chest | Ocean friends | Medium |
| 6. Meeting a Mermaid | Meeting a Mermaid | Ocean friends | Medium |
| 7. Leaping Over a Rainbow | Leaping Over a Rainbow | Around the shore | Simple |
| 8. Four Dolphins Swimming | Four Dolphins Swimming | Ocean friends | Medium |
| 9. Leaping by the Lighthouse | Leaping by the Lighthouse | Around the shore | Simple |
| 10. Balancing a Starfish | Balancing a Starfish | Gentle moments | Simple |
| 11. Mother and Calf Leaping | Mother and Calf Leaping | Ocean friends | Medium |
| 12. Party Time | Party Time | Around the shore | Medium |
| 13. Sleeping on a Cloud | Sleeping on a Cloud | Gentle moments | Simple |
| 14. Splashing with a Penguin | Splashing with a Penguin | Ocean friends | Medium |
| 15. Crab Riding on Top | Crab Riding on Top | Ocean friends | Medium |
| 16. Three Glowing Fish | Three Glowing Fish | Ocean friends | Medium |
| 17. Blowing Bubble Rings | Blowing Bubble Rings | Tricks and play | Simple |
| 18. Relaxing on the Beach | Relaxing on the Beach | Around the shore | Medium |
| 19. Racing Side by Side | Racing Side by Side | Ocean friends | Medium |
| 20. High-Five with a Trainer | High-Five with a Trainer | Gentle moments | Medium |
| 21. Swimming with a Sea Turtle | Swimming with a Sea Turtle | Ocean friends | Medium |
| 22. Leaping by the Island | Leaping by the Island | Around the shore | Simple |
| 23. Inside a Giant Bubble | Inside a Giant Bubble | Tricks and play | Simple |
| 24. Jumping in the Pool | Jumping in the Pool | Tricks and play | Medium |
| 25. Five Dolphins Together | Five Dolphins Together | Ocean friends | Medium |
How to use these dolphin coloring pages
Jump to a part of the book: Tricks and play (pages 1–3, 17, 23–24) · Ocean friends (4–6, 8, 11, 14–16, 19, 21, 25) · Around the shore (7, 9, 12, 18, 22) · Gentle moments (10, 13, 20)
Choose a picture below, then tap Download to print it or Color Online to color it in your browser. The pages run in book order.
Simple pages have large open shapes and few details. Medium pages have more objects and smaller spaces. The difficulty rating is my own guide for this book, not a fixed age level.
Tricks and play (Pages 1–3, 17, 23–24)
The dolphin shows off its tricks, plays with toys, and blows bubble rings. Some of these are tricks dolphins learn with trainers, and some are pure make-believe.
1. Jumping Through a Hoop
The dolphin jumps through a striped hoop hanging from a rope, with a little clownfish swimming below. This is a trick dolphins learn with trainers in aquariums: wild dolphins do not jump through hoops.
Difficulty: Medium (one dolphin, a hoop on a rope, and a clownfish). Try this: Pretend you are jumping through the hoop, then color the hoop red and white.
2. Playing with a Beach Ball
The dolphin holds a big beach ball with its flippers, tossing it up in the air. In the cartoon the dolphin plays with the ball like a toy. Real dolphins push floating objects with their bodies, but their flippers are rigid and cannot grip or hold a ball, so this is pretend play.
Difficulty: Simple (one dolphin and one beach ball). Try this: Find the beach ball, then color it in bright stripes.
3. Surfing a Big Wave
The dolphin stands on a surfboard on a big wave, riding it to shore. A little crab sits at the bottom right. Real dolphins ride waves by body-surfing, and they never stand on surfboards, so this is make-believe.
Difficulty: Medium (one dolphin, a surfboard, and a big wave). Try this: Color the wave blue, then color the surfboard yellow.
17. Blowing Bubble Rings
The dolphin blows three bubble rings into the water. Some dolphins blow bubble rings when they play, making perfect rings that float and wobble. Count all three bubble rings.
Difficulty: Simple (one dolphin and three bubble rings). Try this: Count all three bubble rings, one by one.
23. Inside a Giant Bubble
The dolphin curls up inside one giant bubble, floating in the water. A dolphin could never fit inside a real bubble, so this is magical pretend play. Imagine the dolphin blowing a bubble so big it could climb inside.
Difficulty: Simple (one dolphin inside one giant bubble). Try this: Color the bubble light blue, then color the dolphin darker blue.
24. Jumping in the Pool
The dolphin jumps out of a swimming pool, with a tiled edge, a water slide and a ladder, and a beach ball floating nearby. This is an aquarium and waterpark setting, not the dolphin’s home in the wild ocean. Imagine the dolphin showing off at a water show.
Difficulty: Medium (one dolphin, a pool, a slide, and a beach ball). Try this: Find the beach ball, then color the slide yellow.
Ocean friends (Pages 4–6, 8, 11, 14–16, 19, 21, 25)
The dolphin meets other ocean animals and gathers with its own kind. Some meetings are real, and some are pretend.
4. Two Dolphins in a Heart
Two dolphins face each other, their bodies curving into a heart shape. Dolphins swim together and touch flippers, but their bodies do not bend into a heart shape, so this picture is pretend. It is a sweet picture about dolphins swimming close together.
Difficulty: Medium (two dolphins in a heart shape). Try this: Color the heart shape pink, then color the dolphins blue.
5. Finding a Treasure Chest
The dolphin looks at an open treasure chest full of coins, gems and a pearl necklace, with a clownfish swimming nearby. Dolphins are curious and investigate things underwater, but a treasure chest full of coins is make-believe. Imagine the dolphin found a pirate’s treasure.
Difficulty: Medium (one dolphin, a treasure chest, and a clownfish). Try this: Find the pearl necklace, then color the gold coins yellow.
6. Meeting a Mermaid
The dolphin waves at a mermaid with a starfish clip in her hair, and a clownfish swims nearby. Mermaids are make-believe, so this is a fairy-tale picture. Imagine the dolphin made a new friend under the sea.
Difficulty: Medium (one dolphin, a mermaid, and a clownfish). Try this: Color the mermaid’s tail green, then color the dolphin blue.
8. Four Dolphins Swimming
Four dolphins swim together in a diagonal line, with a clownfish swimming nearby. Wild dolphins often swim in tight, organized groups like this, to save energy and stay together. Count all four dolphins.
Difficulty: Medium (four dolphins in a line). Try this: Count all four dolphins, one by one.
11. Mother and Calf Leaping
A big dolphin and a little calf leap together out of the water, with a clownfish swimming nearby. A baby dolphin is called a calf, and a calf stays close to the big dolphins around it for several years. The big dolphin and the little calf leap side by side.
Difficulty: Medium (two dolphins leaping together). Try this: Find the little calf, then find the big dolphin. Which one is bigger?
14. Splashing with a Penguin
The dolphin splashes with a penguin at the surface of the water, and the penguin faces left. Dolphins and penguins live in different parts of the ocean, so this is an imaginary friendship, not a meeting that happens in the wild.
Difficulty: Medium (one dolphin, one penguin, and splashes). Try this: Color the penguin black and white, then color the dolphin blue.
15. Crab Riding on Top
A smiling crab rides on top of the dolphin’s head, holding on tight. This is silly pretend play: a real crab would never ride a dolphin. The dolphin looks cheerful, with its mouth open in a big cartoon smile.
Difficulty: Medium (one dolphin and one crab). Try this: Find the crab on top, then color it red.
16. Three Glowing Fish
The dolphin swims toward three striped fish, each with a stalk and a glowing ball above its head. These are pretend fish, like those of deep-sea anglerfish, which really do have glowing lures. Anglerfish live in deep, dark water, far below where bottlenose dolphins swim, so this is a fantasy picture. Count all three fish.
Difficulty: Medium (one dolphin and three glowing fish). Try this: Count all three fish, then color their glowing balls yellow.
19. Racing Side by Side
Two dolphins race side by side through the water, with a clownfish swimming nearby. They look as if they are having a race. Dolphins swim fast and chase each other when they play, so this is a playful picture of real dolphin behavior.
Difficulty: Medium (two dolphins racing). Try this: Which dolphin is in front? Color the faster one blue.
21. Swimming with a Sea Turtle
The dolphin swims above a big sea turtle, with a clownfish swimming nearby. Dolphins and sea turtles can share the same warm ocean waters, so this is a real possible meeting. The turtle swims slowly below, and the dolphin glides above it.
Difficulty: Medium (one dolphin, one sea turtle, and a clownfish). Try this: Color the turtle green, then color the dolphin blue.
25. Five Dolphins Together
Five dolphins gather together in the water, two big ones at the top, one in the middle, and two small ones at the bottom, with a clownfish at the bottom center. Dolphins often swim together in groups called pods. Count all five dolphins.
Difficulty: Medium (five dolphins grouped together). Try this: Count all five dolphins, one by one.
Around the shore (Pages 7, 9, 12, 18, 22)
The dolphin leaps near the shore, over rainbows and islands, and takes a pretend break on the beach.
7. Leaping Over a Rainbow
The dolphin leaps high over a rainbow above the waves, with three clouds in the sky and a clownfish below. Dolphins really do leap high out of the water, but crossing a rainbow is fantasy. Count all three clouds.
Difficulty: Simple (one dolphin, a rainbow, and three clouds). Try this: Count all three clouds, then color the rainbow.
9. Leaping by the Lighthouse
The dolphin leaps high by a striped lighthouse, with two seagulls in the sky, two clouds, and a clownfish below. Leaping is real dolphin behavior, and lighthouses stand on the shore where coastal dolphins swim. Count both seagulls.
Difficulty: Simple (one dolphin, a lighthouse, and two seagulls). Try this: Count both seagulls, then color the lighthouse red and white.
12. Party Time
The dolphin wears a party hat and floats among five balloons, with streamers and a clownfish nearby. Dolphins do not wear hats or have parties, so this is a pretend birthday party. Count all five balloons, three on one side and two on the other.
Difficulty: Medium (one dolphin, five balloons, and streamers). Try this: Count all five balloons, three on one side and two on the other.
18. Relaxing on the Beach
The dolphin lounges on a beach deck chair under an umbrella, wearing sunglasses, with a clownfish swimming nearby. Dolphins do not use chairs or wear sunglasses, so this is a summer vacation pretend picture. Imagine the dolphin taking a break on the beach.
Difficulty: Medium (one dolphin, a beach chair, and an umbrella). Try this: Color the umbrella yellow, then color the sunglasses black.
22. Leaping by the Island
The dolphin leaps high by a small island with two palm trees. Bottlenose dolphins live in warm, coastal waters near islands like this, and leaping is real dolphin behavior. Count both palm trees.
Difficulty: Simple (one dolphin, one island, and two palm trees). Try this: Count both palm trees, then color the island green.
Gentle moments (Pages 10, 13, 20)
Three quiet pages: a silly trick, a sleepy cloud, and a high-five with a trainer.
10. Balancing a Starfish
The dolphin balances a smiling starfish on its nose, like a circus trick. Balancing objects is something dolphins can learn with trainers, but balancing a live starfish is pretend play. This is a gentle, silly picture.
Difficulty: Simple (one dolphin and one starfish). Try this: Color the starfish orange, then color the dolphin blue.
13. Sleeping on a Cloud
The dolphin sleeps on a soft cloud, with its eyes closed and a gentle closed smile, and a smiling star nearby. This is make-believe: real dolphins rest in the water, not on clouds. This is the only page where the dolphin’s mouth is closed and its eyes are closed.
Difficulty: Simple (one sleeping dolphin and one cloud). Try this: Shh! The dolphin is sleeping. Color the cloud white.
20. High-Five with a Trainer
The dolphin gives a high-five to a girl trainer, who kneels at the edge of the water in a wetsuit and cap, with a ponytail. Touching a trainer’s hand is something a dolphin can learn with a trainer. It is a trained trick, not something wild dolphins do.
Difficulty: Medium (one dolphin and one trainer). Try this: Color the trainer’s wetsuit blue, then color the dolphin blue too.
How to download, print, or color online
Download: tap the Download button under any picture to save the clean image file, then print it from your device on plain paper.
Color Online: tap the Color Online button under any picture to open it in the coloring tool in your browser. Pick a color, then tap inside a shape to fill it. The black outlines stay put, and you do not need a printer at all.
Both options are free, and neither one needs a sign-up.
The dolphin’s colors
The dolphin looks the same on every page, and its colors stay the same too:
- Light-blue back.
- White belly.
- Big round dark eyes with white highlights.
- Open mouth with a pink tongue, on every page except the sleeping page.
- Curved dorsal fin.
- Two flippers.
- Broad tail flukes.
The cartoon dolphin has a light-blue back and a white belly. Real bottlenose dolphins are usually gray above and paler underneath. Our cartoon dolphin uses a brighter light-blue color for a fun, friendly look. Our cartoon dolphin has a big, happy-looking smile! Real dolphins have a naturally curved mouth, which can make them look like they are smiling. In real life, a dolphin’s tongue sits flat inside its mouth to swallow fish whole, so the pink tongue you see here is cartoon shorthand for a cheerful face. The dolphin’s flippers are not hands, and its tail flukes are flat and horizontal, not up and down like a fish’s tail.
Those are the dolphin’s colors in the book. Your child can follow them, or choose any colors they like. The dolphin is the same dolphin on every page, from the hoop jump on page 1 to the five dolphins together on page 25.
Dolphin fun facts for curious kids
- Dolphins are mammals, not fish. They breathe air through a blowhole on top of their head, so they must come to the surface to breathe.
- Dolphins communicate with sounds, including whistles and clicks. To help find food, they send out clicks and listen for the echoes that bounce back. This is called echolocation.
- Dolphins often swim together in groups called pods. They play, travel and sometimes work together to find food. Some dolphins form close friendships and special family bonds.
- A baby dolphin is called a calf. A bottlenose dolphin calf usually stays close to its mother for several years and learns from her.
- Dolphins are fast swimmers! Bottlenose dolphins usually swim at slower speeds, but they can swim much faster for a short burst. They can also leap high out of the water!
- Dolphins sleep in a special way! One half of their brain rests while the other half stays awake. Then they switch sides. This helps them keep breathing and stay aware of what is happening around them.
Creative ways to enjoy these dolphin coloring pages
- Count while you color: count the four dolphins on page 8, the five balloons on page 12, the three glowing fish on page 16, the three bubble rings on page 17, and the five dolphins on page 25.
- Spot the clownfish: a little clownfish swims along on eleven pages. Find it on every page it visits.
- Sort real from pretend: ask your child which pages show real dolphin behavior, which show tricks dolphins learn with trainers, and which are pure make-believe.
- Make a beach scene: color page 18, the dolphin relaxing on the beach, and page 22, the dolphin leaping by the island, and put them side by side.
- Tell the day back: ask your child to retell the dolphin’s day using the finished pages, from the hoop jump to the five dolphins together.
Dolphin coloring pages: questions
Are these dolphin coloring pages free?
Yes. All 25 pages are free to download or color online, with no sign-up needed.
Do I need to sign up to download a page?
No. Tap Download under any picture to save the clean image file. No account, no email.
Can I color the pages online?
Yes. Tap Color Online under any picture to open it in the coloring tool in your browser. No printer needed.
Do I need a printer?
No. Every page can be colored online. If you do want to print, download the image and print it from your device.
What ages are these pages for?
Ages 3 to 8. Simple pages suit the youngest colorers, and Medium pages give older kids more to color.
Does the dolphin have a name?
No. The book does not name the dolphin, so the article simply calls it “the dolphin” on every page. It is one cheerful cartoon dolphin, and a little clownfish friend swims along on eleven pages.
Which pages include counting?
Several pages are built for counting: page 8 has four dolphins, page 12 has five balloons, page 16 has three glowing fish, page 17 has three bubble rings, page 25 has five dolphins, page 7 has three clouds, page 9 has two seagulls, and page 22 has two palm trees. Point to each one and count out loud as you color it.
More ocean books to color
The dolphin is our first ocean book. See the ocean coloring pages for the whole set as it grows.
