These 25 free dragonfly coloring pages for kids follow Dash the dragonfly from a tiny nymph under the water to a big dragonfly racing home with Mama under the moon. Every page is free to download and print, or to color right in your browser, with no sign-up needed.
Meet Dash, a tiny dragonfly nymph under the pond. In this pretend pond adventure, Dash grows from a little nymph into a big dragonfly through 25 coloring pages. Dash grows through this book by size, by his wings, and by his abdomen: he starts as a small nymph with no wings, then two tiny wing buds become visible on his back, then he slowly pulls free from his old skin with soft folded wings, and at last he spreads four big wings in the sun. His Mama appears twice in our story, at her visit on page 13 and at the race home under the moon on page 25. Real adult dragonflies do not visit or care for their young, so Mama is a storybook character, not real dragonfly life. Lulu the butterfly waves hello on one page. Dash looks the same on every page of this book: two enormous black eyes, each with one white dot, a gentle closed smile, blush ovals, a segmented abdomen, and no antennae. His Mama has eyelashes, and Dash does not.
Pick a page below to jump straight to it, or scroll through the whole book in order, nymph to big dragonfly. 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 Dash the dragonfly coloring page
Find a page fast: pick a scene, check its stage and difficulty, then tap the title to jump to it.
| Page | Scene | Stage | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Waking Under the Water | Waking Under the Water | Nymph | Simple |
| 2. Swimming Between the Pondweed | Swimming Between the Pondweed | Nymph | Simple |
| 3. Catching a Water Insect | Catching a Water Insect | Nymph | Simple |
| 4. Watching a Fish Glide Past | Watching a Fish Glide Past | Nymph | Medium |
| 5. Hiding Under a Stone | Hiding Under a Stone | Nymph | Simple |
| 6. Growing Bigger Every Day | Growing Bigger Every Day | Nymph | Simple |
| 7. Two Tiny Wing Buds | Two Tiny Wing Buds | Nymph | Simple |
| 8. Racing the Water Beetle | Racing the Water Beetle | Nymph | Medium |
| 9. Climbing Up the Reed | Climbing Up the Reed | Emerging | Simple |
| 10. Resting on a Lily Pad | Resting on a Lily Pad | Emerging | Simple |
| 11. Wing Buds Growing Too | Wing Buds Growing Too | Emerging | Simple |
| 12. Watching the Butterflies Dance | Watching the Butterflies Dance | Emerging | Simple |
| 13. Mama Zooms Down to Visit | Mama Zooms Down to Visit | Emerging | Medium |
| 14. Climbing Almost to the Top | Climbing Almost to the Top | Emerging | Simple |
| 15. Waiting While His Body Changes | Waiting While His Body Changes | Emerging | Simple |
| 16. Climbing Out of the Water | Climbing Out of the Water | Emerging | Simple |
| 17. Popping Out with Folded Wings | Popping Out with Folded Wings | Emerging | Medium |
| 18. Spreading Four Big Wings | Spreading Four Big Wings | Adult | Simple |
| 19. Counting Six Lily Pads | Counting Six Lily Pads | Adult | Simple |
| 20. Waving to Lulu | Waving to Lulu | Adult | Medium |
| 21. Counting Five Butterflies | Counting Five Butterflies | Adult | Simple |
| 22. Hovers, Darts and Loops | Hovers, Darts and Loops | Adult | Simple |
| 23. Counting Four Frogs | Counting Four Frogs | Adult | Medium |
| 24. Counting Six Stars | Counting Six Stars | Adult | Simple |
| 25. Racing Home Under the Moon | Racing Home Under the Moon | Adult | Medium |
How to use these dragonfly coloring pages
Jump to a part of the book: Nymph Dash (pages 1–8) · Emerging Dash (9–17) · Adult Dash (18–25)
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, from Dash as a tiny nymph to Dash as a big dragonfly.
Simple pages have large open shapes and few details. Medium pages have a second character beside Dash.
Nymph Dash (Pages 1–8): Under the Water
Dash starts as a tiny nymph under the water: waking under the water, swimming between the tall pondweed, catching a little water insect for lunch, watching a round fish glide past, hiding under a stone while rain ripples fall, growing bigger, two tiny wing buds becoming visible on his back, and racing the little water beetle in a game of pretend.
1. Waking Under the Water
“Dash the tiny nymph wakes under the water.” Dash the tiny nymph wakes under the water, a little nymph facing forward with a big round head, two huge black eyes, a closed smile, and blush ovals. His segmented abdomen curls to the right, four bubbles float above him, and pondweed grows at both bottom corners. He has no wings yet and no antennae.
Difficulty: Simple (one nymph waking up). Try this: Say good morning to Dash, then color the bubbles light blue.
2. Swimming Between the Pondweed
“Dash swims slowly between the tall pondweed.” Dash swims slowly between the tall pondweed, moving to the left in side profile with a long segmented abdomen tapering behind him and six legs. Five bubbles float at the left, and three pondweed stems grow around him. He has no wing buds yet.
Difficulty: Simple (one nymph swimming). Try this: Swim like Dash, then color the pondweed green.
3. Catching a Water Insect
“Dash catches a little water insect for lunch.” Dash faces left toward a big green leaf, with a small plant growing at the right. He has six legs, and three bubbles float above him. In our story, Dash catches a little water insect for lunch: real dragonfly nymphs are hunters that catch tiny water creatures, never plants, so this page is a storybook moment.
Difficulty: Simple (one nymph catching a water insect). Try this: Catch like Dash, then color the water blue.
4. Watching a Fish Glide Past
“Dash watches a round fish glide past him.” Dash watches a round fish glide past him, facing forward while the fish swims at the right with a round body, a tail fin, a dot eye, and a smile. Three bubbles float above the fish, and a pondweed stem grows at the left.
Difficulty: Medium (one nymph and one fish). Try this: Find the round fish, then color it orange.
5. Hiding Under a Stone
“Dash hides under a stone when rain ripples fall.” In our story, Dash hides under a stone while rain ripples spread above him. He is tucked under a big oval stone with his head at the right end, and three rain ripple rings spread above the stone, with a wavy waterline along the bottom. He has six legs and no wings yet. The rain is just the weather: it does not make Dash hide.
Difficulty: Simple (one nymph under a stone). Try this: Hide like Dash, then color the stone gray.
6. Growing Bigger Every Day
“Dash grows bigger, and his tail grows longer.” Dash grows bigger, and his long segmented abdomen grows longer, a bigger nymph facing left with his abdomen sweeping to the right and six legs. Three bubbles float at the right, and pondweed grows at both bottom corners. He has no wing buds yet.
Difficulty: Simple (one bigger nymph). Try this: Grow like Dash, then compare him with page 1.
7. Two Tiny Wing Buds
“Two tiny wing buds sprout on Dash’s back.” Two tiny wing buds become visible on Dash’s back, one small cluster of two rounded bumps behind his head. Three bubbles float above him, a tall pondweed stem grows at the right, and he has six legs. These are the first wing buds in the book: they grow a little at a time as he develops.
Difficulty: Simple (one nymph with wing buds). Try this: Find the two tiny wing buds on Dash’s back.
8. Racing the Water Beetle
“Dash races his friend the little water beetle.” Dash races his friend the little water beetle, swimming to the right with his wing buds on his back while the beetle swims beside him, a small oval body with dot eyes, a smile, and six legs. Three bubbles float at the left, and a pondweed stem grows at the bottom. In our story, the race is a game of pretend: real dragonfly nymphs are hunters that live alone, so a water beetle would be prey, not a racing friend.
Difficulty: Medium (one nymph and one beetle). Try this: Race like Dash, then color the beetle brown.
Emerging Dash (Pages 9–17): Climbing the Reed
Then, in our story, Dash climbs out of the water: climbing a little way up the reed, resting on a lily pad in the sunshine, growing stronger with his wing buds growing too, watching the butterflies dance above the water, a visit from Mama, climbing higher, waiting quietly while his body changes, climbing out and holding the reed tightly, and pulling free with soft new folded wings beside his empty husk.
9. Climbing Up the Reed
“Dash climbs a little way up the reed.” Dash climbs a little way up the reed, holding the tall stem with his legs while the sun shines at the top right. Three bubbles float below the waterline at the bottom, and his wing buds show on his back. This is the first step of his climb out of the water.
Difficulty: Simple (one nymph climbing a reed). Try this: Climb like Dash, then color the sun yellow.
10. Resting on a Lily Pad
“Dash rests on a lily pad in the sunshine.” Dash rests on a lily pad in the sunshine, facing forward with his wing buds on his back, standing on a big oval pad with a notch. The sun shines at the top right, and two ripple rings spread at the bottom right. In our story, this is a storybook rest: a real nymph lives underwater, so a nymph resting in the sunshine on a lily pad is pretend, not real nymph life.
Difficulty: Simple (one nymph on a lily pad). Try this: Rest like Dash, then color the lily pad green.
11. Wing Buds Growing Too
“Dash grows stronger and his wing buds grow too.” Dash grows stronger and his wing buds grow too, standing on a big oval lily pad with a notch, his two wing buds bigger now. A tall reed grows at the left, and three bubbles float at the bottom left.
Difficulty: Simple (one nymph with bigger wing buds). Try this: Find Dash’s bigger wing buds, then color the lily pad green.
12. Watching the Butterflies Dance
“Dash watches the butterflies dance above the water.” Dash watches the butterflies dance above the water, standing on a lily pad and looking up at two plain butterflies, one at the top left and one at the top right. A reed grows at the right, and his wing buds show on his back. In our story, the butterflies dance for fun: they are just flying, not dancing a real dance.
Difficulty: Simple (one nymph and two butterflies). Try this: Watch the butterflies, then color their wings any color you like.
13. Mama Zooms Down to Visit
“Mama dragonfly zooms down to visit Dash.” Mama dragonfly zooms down to visit Dash. Mama is at the top with four big wings, long eyelashes, and a long segmented abdomen, and Dash is below on a lily pad, small, with his wing buds and no eyelashes. A cattail grows at the right. In our story, Mama flies down to see Dash: real dragonfly mothers do not visit their nymphs, so this is a storybook visit, not real dragonfly life.
Difficulty: Medium (two dragonflies, Mama larger). Try this: Find Mama, then find Dash. Who is bigger?
14. Climbing Almost to the Top
“Dash climbs higher, almost to the reed’s top.” Dash climbs higher, almost to the reed’s top, holding the tall stem as it runs off the top of the page. The sun shines at the top right, his wing buds show on his back, and ripples spread at the waterline below.
Difficulty: Simple (one nymph climbing high). Try this: Climb like Dash, then color the sun yellow.
15. Waiting While His Body Changes
“Dash waits quietly while his body changes.” Dash waits quietly while his body changes, clinging to the reed under a crescent moon at the top left. His wing buds show on his back, long leaves grow at the left, and ripples spread at the bottom. Night is when his body changes, and Dash waits.
Difficulty: Simple (one nymph waiting at night). Try this: Wait like Dash, then color the moon pale yellow.
16. Climbing Out of the Water
“Dash climbs out and holds the reed tightly.” Dash climbs out and holds the reed tightly, gripping the tall stem with both front legs while his wing buds show on his back. The sun shines at the top right, and ripples spread at the waterline below.
Difficulty: Simple (one nymph climbing out). Try this: Hold on tight like Dash, then color the reed green.
17. Popping Out with Folded Wings
“Dash pops out with soft new folded wings!” Dash pulls free with soft, crumpled wings that will unfold and dry, a young dragonfly now, with four soft folded wings lying flat along his body as he clings to the reed. Below him, his empty nymph husk clings to the reed too, a segmented shell with legs and a short curled tail, and no face. In our story, pulling free is quick, but a real dragonfly takes an hour or more to pull slowly out of its old skin, and its wings unfold and dry before it can fly. The empty skin is called an exuvia: a real one keeps the shape of the eyes, legs, and wings, and stays on the reed, so this drawing is a simple version of one.
Difficulty: Medium (one young dragonfly and one empty husk). Try this: Find the empty husk below Dash. What is missing from it?
Adult Dash (Pages 18–25): Flying in the Sun
At last, in our story, Dash is a flying dragonfly: spreading four big wings in the sun, counting six lily pads on the pond, waving to Lulu over the flowers, counting five butterflies, hovering, darting and looping over the water in a game of pretend, counting four frogs singing on the bank in our story, counting six stars twinkling over the pond, and racing home with Mama under the moon in a game of pretend.
18. Spreading Four Big Wings
“Dash spreads four big wings in the sun.” Dash spreads four big wings in the sun, flying now, with two upper wings and two lower wings, each a closed teardrop with panel lines inside, and a long segmented abdomen. The sun shines at the top right, three clouds float above, and grass grows at the waterline below.
Difficulty: Simple (one adult dragonfly flying). Try this: Spread your arms like Dash, then color his wings pale blue.
19. Counting Six Lily Pads
“Dash counts six lily pads on the pond.” Dash counts six lily pads on the pond, flying to the right above six lily pads, two at the top, two in the middle, and two at the bottom, each with a notch and ripple rings. Count the six lily pads floating on the pond. Count each whole lily pad once.
Difficulty: Simple (one adult dragonfly and six lily pads). Try this: Count the six lily pads, one by one.
20. Waving to Lulu
“Dash zooms over the flowers and waves to Lulu.” Dash zooms over the flowers and waves to Lulu, flying with one segmented arm raised in a wave, a mitten hand at the end. Lulu the butterfly flies at the top right with ball-tip antennae, one round spot on each upper wing, one heart on each lower wing, and no eyelashes. A row of flowers grows at the bottom. In our story, waving is a friendly hello: real dragonflies do not wave, but Dash waves to his friend.
Difficulty: Medium (one dragonfly and one butterfly). Try this: Wave like Dash, then color the flowers pink.
21. Counting Five Butterflies
“Dash counts five butterflies dancing beside him.” Dash counts five butterflies dancing beside him, flying with five plain butterflies around him, one at the top left, one at the top right, one at the left, one at the right, and one at the bottom. Can you find and count all five butterflies? Count them one by one: five butterflies. The butterflies are plain, with no spots and no hearts.
Difficulty: Simple (one adult dragonfly and five butterflies). Try this: Count the five butterflies, one by one.
22. Hovers, Darts and Loops
“Dash hovers, darts and loops over the water.” Dash hovers, darts and loops over the water, flying to the right with one continuous dotted trail making two loops behind him. Ripple rings spread on the water below. In our story, hovering, darting, and looping are how Dash flies: real dragonflies can hover, dart, turn sharply, and even fly backwards.
Difficulty: Simple (one adult dragonfly looping). Try this: Follow the dotted trail with your finger, then color the water blue.
23. Counting Four Frogs
“Dash counts four frogs singing on the bank.” Dash counts four frogs singing on the bank, flying above four frogs sitting in a row on the bank, each with blush ovals and nostril dots and an open singing smile. Count the four frogs sitting on the bank from left to right. Count them one by one: four frogs. In our story, the frogs sing: real frogs call and croak, which is how they sing.
Difficulty: Medium (one adult dragonfly and four frogs). Try this: Count the four frogs, one by one.
24. Counting Six Stars
“Dash counts six stars twinkling over the pond.” Dash counts six stars twinkling over the pond, flying at night under six 5-pointed stars and one crescent moon, with small dotted fireflies scattered around. How many five-pointed stars? Count only the six stars, not the moon or the tiny firefly dots. The moon is a crescent, never a full moon. The little dots are fireflies, not stars, so do not count them.
Difficulty: Simple (one adult dragonfly under six stars and a crescent moon). Try this: Count the six five-pointed stars, not the moon or the firefly dots.
25. Racing Home Under the Moon
“Dash and Mama race home under the moon.” Dash and Mama race home under the moon. Mama is on the left, clearly larger, with long eyelashes and four big wings, and Dash is at the top right, smaller, with no eyelashes and four big wings. A big crescent moon shines at the top right with three stars, and one lily pad floats at the bottom left. In our story, racing home is a game of pretend: real dragonflies fly in the daytime and rest still at night, so a race under the moon is a bedtime ending, not real dragonfly life.
Difficulty: Medium (two dragonflies racing home). Try this: Race home like Dash and Mama, then color the moon pale yellow.
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.
Dash’ colors
Dash looks the same on every page, and his colors stay the same too:
- Teal-blue body.
- Darker blue rings on his abdomen.
- Clear pale-blue wings.
- Huge black eyes with one white dot each.
- Pink blush ovals.
- Gentle closed smile.
- Mama looks much like Dash, only larger, with long eyelashes.
Dash is a teal-blue dragonfly, so his body is teal-blue with darker blue rings on his abdomen, and his wings are clear pale blue. His eyes are huge and black with one white dot each, and his cheeks have pink blush ovals. Dash’s antennae were left off as a design choice: that is part of his cartoon look, not real dragonfly anatomy. Real dragonflies have two tiny antennae, and they come in green, red, orange, black, and many other colors, so your child can color Dash any color they like. Real dragonfly eyes are made of thousands of tiny lenses, not one white dot, and real dragonfly wings are lacy, with hundreds of fine veins: Dash’s one white dot and his simple teardrop wings are part of his cartoon look too. Mama’s eyelashes are a storybook way to tell her apart from Dash, and Mama is drawn larger than Dash for the same reason, so you can tell them apart at a glance. Dash’s mouth is a gentle closed smile on every page. Dash grows from a tiny nymph into a big dragonfly, but he is the same Dash on every page.
Those are Dash’s colors in the book. Your child can follow them, or choose any colors they like.
Dragonfly fun facts for curious kids
- Young dragonflies, called nymphs, live underwater. Depending on the species, they may spend months or years underwater before they fly.
- A dragonfly nymph can shoot water out of its rear end to jet quickly through the water.
- When a nymph is ready, it climbs out of the water onto a plant or reed. Its old skin splits and the adult slowly pulls itself free (the empty skin is called an exuvia).
- Ancient relatives of today’s dragonflies were flying about 300 million years ago, long before dinosaurs.
- A dragonfly’s huge compound eyes help it see in almost every direction around it (nearly 360°).
- Dragonflies are agile flyers. They can hover, dart, turn quickly, and even fly backwards.
Creative ways to enjoy Dash’ dragonfly coloring pages
- Count while you color: count the six lily pads on page 19, the five butterflies on page 21, the four frogs on page 23, and the six stars on page 24. That is counting practice with groups of four, five, and six.
- Compare the first and last page: look at Dash on page 1, a tiny nymph waking under the water, then at Dash on page 25, a big dragonfly racing home with Mama under the moon.
- Make a pond pair: color page 10, Dash resting on a lily pad, and page 19, Dash counting six lily pads, and put them side by side.
- Make a night scene: color page 24, Dash counting six stars under the night sky, in deep blues and yellows.
- Tell the day back: ask your child to retell Dash’s growth using the finished pages, from a tiny nymph under the water to a big dragonfly racing home.
Dragonfly coloring pages: questions
Are these dragonfly 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 a second character to color.
Who is Dash?
Dash is a tiny dragonfly nymph who grows into a big dragonfly across the 25 pages. He has two enormous black eyes, each with one white dot, a gentle closed smile, blush ovals, and a segmented abdomen. His Mama appears on pages 13 and 25, as a storybook character: real adult dragonflies do not visit or care for their young. Lulu the butterfly appears on page 20.
Which pages include counting?
Several pages are built for counting: page 19 has six lily pads, page 21 has five butterflies, page 23 has four frogs, and page 24 has six stars. That is counting practice with groups of four, five, and six. Point to each one and count out loud as you color it. On page 24, count only the six five-pointed stars, not the moon or the tiny firefly dots.
More bug books to color
Dash is one of our bug books. See the bugs and flowers coloring pages for the whole set as it grows. Lulu the butterfly has her own book too: see the butterfly coloring pages. The flowers Dash zooms over have their own book as well: see the flower coloring pages.
