Coloring Pages With a Story: Turn an Original Character Into a Draw-and-Tell Activity

Coloring pages become a storytelling activity when the page shows a character your child invented and you ask about the moment it captures. While they color, ask what is happening, what happened just before, and what happens next. Their answers become a three-part story. It works with any coloring page, and best with one made from their own drawing.

By ArtifyTales Team, Nell AI Labs LLC · Published 2026-09-27 · 5 min read

Coloring pages are one of the most searched-for children’s activities online, and for good reason. They are calm, cheap, and almost every child enjoys them. But a coloring page on its own asks a child to do only one thing: stay inside the lines.

With one small change, a coloring page becomes a storytelling activity. Instead of just coloring, your child tells the story of the moment on the page: what’s happening now, what happened just before, and what happens next. It works with any coloring page. It works best when the character on the page is one your child invented.

Before, now, next

1. Choose a page. Any coloring page with a character on it will do. Best of all is one that shows a character your child drew.
2. Ask "What’s happening?" while they color. Don’t wait until they’ve finished. Children often talk more while their hands are busy.
3. Ask "What happened just before?" This makes them invent a cause.
4. Ask "What happens next?" This makes them invent a consequence.
5. Write down the three answers. Read them back as a story: Before… Now… Next…

Questions by age

The color question for older children is worth trying. A child who colors a sky grey "because she’s sad about her lost kite" has made a choice an illustrator would make.

Make a coloring page from your child’s own drawing

A coloring page of a character your child invented is more motivating than any stock picture. You can make one in a few ways:

• Trace it. Put a clean sheet over their drawing on a window and trace the outlines in black pen.
• Photocopy it. A black-and-white copy of a bold marker drawing often works as a coloring page.
• Draw a new scene. Draw their character in a new situation, such as on a boat or in space, as simple outlines, and let them color and tell what’s happening.

A worked example

Here is an illustrative example of the kind of story a first grader might tell about a coloring page, not a real child’s work. The page shows a round creature holding an umbrella.

Before: Pom was walking to the shop and it started raining. Now: Pom has a big umbrella, but it’s upside down, and it’s filling with rain. Next: Pom floats away in the umbrella like a boat and sails to the shop.

The upside-down umbrella isn’t on the coloring page. It was invented to make the story work, and when your child does that, it’s the creative part to notice.

Where ArtifyTales fits

ArtifyColor turns any page of your child’s ArtifyTales story into a coloring page, featuring their own character, to fill in on screen or print at home. It starts with their drawing, which becomes a character with a name and personality and then appears in an illustrated story.

The before-now-next questions work especially well here, because the story already has pages either side of the one being colored. Ask your child to tell what happens without looking, then check against the story. If they tell it differently, that might be a better version. For more off-screen ideas, see creative screen-time activities that begin with offline art.

Drawings, voices and privacy

A child’s drawing and voice are personal. Read how ArtifyTales handles children’s drawings and voices before uploading anything.

Frequently asked questions

Are coloring pages good for kids?

Coloring is a calm, hands-on activity that gives children practice with fine motor control, choosing colors and concentrating on a task. Adding a storytelling question turns it from a quiet activity into a creative one, because the child decides what the picture means.

What is a draw-and-tell activity?

A draw-and-tell activity pairs making a picture with telling a story about it. The child draws or colors, and an adult asks questions that help them turn the picture into a sequence of events. It is a common early-literacy activity because children can often tell far more than they can write.

Can I make coloring pages from my child’s own drawing?

Yes. You can trace the outline of their drawing onto a new sheet, photocopy it in black and white, or use an app that turns a picture into line art. ArtifyColor turns pages of your child’s ArtifyTales story, featuring their own character, into coloring pages to fill in on screen or print.

What questions should I ask while my child colors?

Start with “What’s happening in this picture?” Then ask “What happened just before?” and “What happens next?” For older children, add “How does the character feel, and how can you show that with color?” Three questions are enough for one page.

How do I adapt this for kindergarten?

Keep it spoken. Ask one question at a time and write down their answers yourself. For kindergarteners, the story can be three sentences: before, now and next. Reading those sentences back to them is part of the fun.

Are printable coloring pages or on-screen coloring better?

Printed pages give more fine-motor practice and keep the activity off screen. On-screen coloring is tidy and easy to undo. Many families use both: on screen when travelling, on paper at the kitchen table.

Try three questions on the next coloring page

"What’s happening? What happened before? What happens next?" That’s all it takes. See how ArtifyTales can turn a child’s drawing into an animated story, or read our parent’s guide to better screen time.

For more ideas by age, see our creative activities by child-development stage.