Baby Jesus in the Manger Coloring Page
Drawn for Childhood Bible Stories · Free for home & Sunday school use · Updated September 2026
The simplest sheet in our Christmas set, and the one toddlers finish. No crowd, no rooftop, no travellers. Just the wooden feeding trough heaped with straw, the baby wrapped in strips of cloth, a lamb leaning its chin on the edge, and one star overhead.
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Print tip:Use Ctrl+P or Cmd+P and select “Fit to page.” Standard 8.5×11 letter paper works best.
The story behind this page
God becomes a baby in a manger in Bethlehem. Shepherds hear the news first, and wise men travel far to find Him.
Story 17 of 23 in our Bible stories in order plan. Up next: Jesus Feeds 5,000 People.
About this scene
Everything sits close to the viewer. The trough runs almost the full width of the page, the straw spills over both ends, and the baby is drawn small and swaddled in the middle of it. A lamb has rested its chin on the wooden edge to look in, which is the detail children point at first.
On the ground beside the trough there is a small oil lamp and a coiled rope, the kind of things that would be lying in a stable. Behind, a low wall of big plain stone blocks and one upright post holding the roof. Above, one star with long rays. That is the entire page, and the emptiness is the point: the angel told the shepherds this exact picture would be the sign.
“This is the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a feeding trough.”
Luke 2:12 (World English Bible)
Coloring ideas for this page
- This is a good first coloring page for a two or three year old. Every shape on it is big and the middle of the sheet is nearly empty.
- Cream or pale gray for the wrapped cloths keeps the baby from disappearing into the white paper.
- Let the straw run off in every direction with quick strokes rather than filling it in solidly.
- The lamb only needs an outline shade around the edges of its wool.
What this page teaches
The sign was an ordinary thing in an ordinary place. God told the shepherds what to look for and it was a baby in a feed box (Luke 2:12). Nothing about it looked like a king. That is worth saying out loud to a child who thinks important people are the ones with the biggest houses.
Questions parents ask
What does swaddled mean?
Wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, the way babies were bundled then and still are in many hospitals now. Luke mentions it twice, which is why the wrapping is drawn clearly on this page.
Which page should we print for a toddler?
This one. It has the fewest shapes of any sheet in our Christmas set, and a child who cannot yet stay inside a line will still finish it looking pleased.
Can we use it as a Christmas card?
Yes. Print it, color it, then fold a sheet of card stock around it and write inside. It makes a better card than a shop-bought one.
