15 Free Maya Angelou Coloring Pages for Young Readers and Writers
A book on a high shelf. A notebook full of scribbles. A hairbrush held like a microphone. These Maya Angelou coloring pages begin with things a child can recognize, then open a conversation about a woman who wrote books and poems, performed onstage, and spoke to a national audience.
The 15-page collection brings together scenes inspired by Angelou’s life and diverse children exploring reading, writing, music, and storytelling today. A child wearing a leg brace practices beside a mirror, and a student using a wheelchair joins a classroom poetry lesson.
Every page is hand-drawn (no AI-generated artwork). Choose from five simple, five medium, and five detailed designs for a Black History Month activity, a Women’s History Month lesson, or an afternoon spent coloring and making up a few lines of your own.
All 15 pages. One easy download. Get the complete human-drawn, ready-to-print PDF for $1.99, available instantly with a download link emailed to you for easy access anytime.
Prefer free JPGs? Right-click any coloring page and select “Save image as,” or press and hold the image on your phone to save it.
The PDF pages are US Letter size. Select “Fit” in your print settings if needed.
Less searching. More MEANINGFUL moments.
When kids recognize themselves on the page, coloring changes.
The Inclusive Family Coloring Collection includes 25 human-drawn illustrations centered on everyday moments — designed to make inclusion feel normal, joyful, and intentional.
Because representation shouldn’t be reserved for one month.
A Note from Louisa (Founder of MyKidColors)
For a while, my pocket dictionary made me feel rather clever. I would learn a big word, use it, and my parents and siblings would think I was especially smart. Growing up in Nigeria, words were something I could collect and try out.
I also remember the rows of encyclopedias in my school library, probably in second or third grade. It felt as though an enormous amount of knowledge was sitting on those shelves.
Those memories come back when I look at the books and notebooks in this set. I want children to have room to enjoy words: to ask what one means, draw a story, or try writing a line of their own. A small beginning still gives you something worth sharing.
Conversation Corner: 3 Questions to Ask While Coloring
Pick one question that fits your child’s page. Listening, pointing, drawing, signing, and using a communication device are all ways to take part.
- For “Trying Out a Sound” (Page 5): “What sound do you think this child is making?” You could offer a hum and a bird sound for your child to choose between.
- For “A Stack of Books” (Page 8): “What kind of book would you like someone to bring you?”
- For “Speaking at the Podium” (Page 12): “What would you like these people to know?”
There is no need to perform or read aloud. Your child can make up an answer, show you a picture, or simply keep coloring while you talk.
The Collection: 15 Maya Angelou Coloring Pages
Maya Angelou was an African American author, poet, performer, educator, and civil rights activist. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and Stamps, Arkansas. Her work brought together writing, storytelling, music, and public speaking.
This collection combines artistic interpretations of parts of her story with modern reading and writing scenes. The toddlers, classroom students, and family readers are not all portraits of Angelou or illustrations of documented events. The Academy of American Poets’ biography offers background for adults preparing a lesson.
For Little Hands: A Love of Words (Pages 1–5)
These simpler designs center on a child and one activity. Books, hair details, and smaller objects add areas for children who enjoy more careful coloring.
- Page 1: A smiling girl with two puffs points into an open picture book while a puppy sits beside her. Look at the pictures together and invent a story about what she has found.
- Pages 2 & 3: A child fills a notebook with crayon marks, letter-like shapes, and doodles. On the next page, a girl stands on a step stool and reaches toward a bookshelf.
- Pages 4 & 5: A girl wearing glasses studies a book with a puzzled expression. A child with locs closes her eyes and cups a hand beside her ear, with a musical note suggesting singing or humming.
All 15 pages. One easy download. Get the complete human-drawn, ready-to-print PDF for $1.99, available instantly with a download link emailed to you for easy access anytime.
Prefer free JPGs? Right-click any coloring page and select “Save image as,” or press and hold the image on your phone to save it.
Books, Encouragement, and Performance (Pages 6–10)
The medium designs connect books and mentorship with Angelou’s work as a performer. The final page brings performance into a modern child’s bedroom.
- Page 6: A girl sits on the steps of a storefront while an older woman sweeps nearby. This scene is inspired by Angelou’s childhood connection to her grandmother’s store in Stamps; the exact moment is imagined.
- Pages 7 & 8: A girl sits with open books and notebooks, one hand resting against her cheek. An older woman then offers books to a child on a porch, a scene inspired by the encouragement Angelou received from her mentor, Mrs. Bertha Flowers.
- Pages 9 & 10: A woman dances onstage with musicians behind her, reflecting Angelou’s career in performance. A present-day girl wearing a leg brace holds a hairbrush like a microphone beside her bedroom mirror.
All 15 pages. One easy download. Get the complete human-drawn, ready-to-print PDF for $1.99, available instantly with a download link emailed to you for easy access anytime.
Prefer free JPGs? Right-click any coloring page and select “Save image as,” or press and hold the image on your phone to save it.
Poetry, Family Stories, and Freedom (Pages 11–15)
These detailed scenes have more people, background objects, and smaller spaces to color. Use them for a longer activity or a shared conversation.
- Page 11: Students hold books and papers during a classroom poetry activity, including a student using a wheelchair. The board and displayed pages suggest writing without supplying a readable poem.
- Pages 12 & 13: A woman reads from a paper at a podium before a seated audience. The next scene brings storytelling home, with an older woman reading to three children on a porch swing and a cat resting nearby.
- Pages 14 & 15: A young person writes in a notebook at a window seat while a dog rests below. The title page closes with a symbolic winged figure, flying birds, a sunrise, and an open cage, offering a visual conversation about freedom rather than a literal event in Angelou’s life.
All 15 pages. One easy download. Get the complete human-drawn, ready-to-print PDF for $1.99, available instantly with a download link emailed to you for easy access anytime.
Prefer free JPGs? Right-click any coloring page and select “Save image as,” or press and hold the image on your phone to save it.
Reading, Writing, and Storytelling Activities to Try
Choose one activity to go with a page. Children can dictate, draw, type, sign, or use their communication system wherever an activity suggests writing or speaking.
- Make a favorite-word page with Page 2. Ask your child to choose a word they like, perhaps a name, an animal, or a word that sounds funny. Write it in large letters and let them draw around it. Older children can add a sentence explaining their choice.
- Build a two-line poem beside Page 14. Choose something you can see, such as a tree or a cup. Write one line about how it looks and another about what it does. Rhyming is optional, and an adult can write down a child’s words.
- Share a book with Page 8. Each person chooses a book and points to one favorite picture or passage. Talk about who introduced you to it. Our bookish coloring pages offer more reading scenes for another day.
- Create a poetry circle with Page 11. Invite children to share a line they wrote, show a drawing, or listen. Put their work on a display so participation does not depend on speaking in front of the group.
- Collect a family story with Page 13. Ask a relative, “What did you like doing when you were little?” Write down one detail and invite your child to illustrate it. Keep the page with the relative’s name and the date.
For a wider unit, pair these pages with our Women’s History Month coloring pages. Introduce Angelou by name and connect her specifically to writing, poetry, performance, and civil rights.
Human-Drawn Pages for Readers, Writers, and Listeners
The small gestures give this collection its reading-and-writing theme: a finger resting on a picture, a crayon held over a notebook, a child stretching toward a shelf, and books being passed from one person to another.
Our human illustrator also bring varied hair textures, glasses, a leg brace, and a wheelchair into ordinary scenes of learning and creating. The girl at the mirror is enjoying a familiar pretend microphone. The student using a wheelchair takes part in the same classroom activity as the other children.
These are hand-drawn illustrations. Some pages leave open space around a single child; others fill a room or porch with people and details. Families can choose a simpler reading scene, a busy classroom, or a page that starts a conversation about the stories they share at home.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I explain the birds and open cage on Page 15?
You could say, “The artist has used flying birds and an open cage to show freedom.” Explain that the winged person is imaginary, too. Angelou used bird imagery in her writing, including her poem “Caged Bird” and her memoir title, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. These are different works. With older children, connect the imagery to freedom and the restrictions people face because of racism, using an age-appropriate biography as your guide.
Can I use this collection for Black History Month and Women’s History Month?
The subject connects naturally to both, as well as poetry and reading activities throughout the year. Introduce Angelou as a Black woman whose work included books, poems, performance, teaching, and civil rights activism. Pair the imaginative scenes with a children’s biography rather than treating all 15 pages as a factual timeline of her life.
What writing activity works for a child who is not writing independently yet?
Use page 2 or page 14 and invite your child to draw something they want to tell you about. They can dictate a sentence, choose pictures or words, or use their usual communication system. Write down their contribution if they would like you to. There is no requirement to turn it into a spoken performance.
Download Your Set
A favorite word, a story from Grandma, a notebook filled with ideas. These are familiar places to begin exploring Maya Angelou’s love of language. As you color together, leave room for your child’s own stories, too.
Save your favorite pages as free JPGs, or get all 15 in one ready-to-print PDF for $1.99. Your purchase helps support our human illustrators and the work of creating diverse coloring pages for families like yours.
All 15 pages. One easy download. Get the complete human-drawn, ready-to-print PDF for $1.99, available instantly with a download link emailed to you for easy access anytime.
Prefer free JPGs? Right-click any coloring page and select “Save image as,” or press and hold the image on your phone to save it.
You might also like:
- 30 Bookish Coloring Pages That Inspire a Love of Reading
- 15 Free Library Coloring Pages for Kids Who Belong Between the Shelves
- 15 Women’s History Month Coloring Pages That Teach Kids Confidence & Courage
- 15 African American History Coloring Pages That Teach Kids Cultural Pride, Community, and History
