15 Ash Wednesday Coloring Pages (Catholic, Lent)
Explaining Ash Wednesday to a five-year-old is harder than explaining almost any other day on the church calendar. “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return” isn’t exactly a sentence you can gloss over with a smile.
But kids notice more than we give them credit for. They see the smudge on a parent’s forehead, the quiet mood at church, the purple cloth on the altar, and they ask questions anyway.
These Ash Wednesday coloring pages give you 15 gentle, age-appropriate ways to answer those questions one page, one conversation at a time.
A Note from Louisa (Founder of MyKidColors)
I did not grow up Catholic. I was baptized into the Catholic Church in my late twenties, and I took my First Communion around the same time. So a lot of what feels automatic to a lifelong Catholic family, Ash Wednesday, the ashes, the whole rhythm of Lent, is still something I am learning myself, right alongside my kids.
This story is part of something bigger…
Inclusive Bible Moments Coloring Book
If your child connected with this story, they’ll love the full collection.
This isn’t just coloring.
It’s quiet, faith-filled moments where kids see themselves in Scripture.
Inside you’ll find:
- 25 hand-drawn Bible scenes rooted in real stories
- Representation that helps children feel seen and included
- Devotional-style pages that invite calm, reflection, and conversation
- Easy, print-and-use pages for busy days
Less screen time. More soul time.
I like that Ash Wednesday does not pretend everything is fine. It opens the season by saying, from dust we came, and to dust we will return, and it asks for something honest before anything feels polished. That fits how I try to approach faith with my children, sincere and still growing, not performed.
Conversation Corner: 3 Questions to Ask While Coloring
Turn this activity into a bonding moment. While your child colors, try asking these questions:
- For “Praying With the Ash Cross” (Page 2): “How did it feel when you got your ashes this year? What were you thinking about?”
- For “Explaining Ashes to Ashes” (Page 8): “Why do you think we use ashes instead of something else to remind us of this day?”
- For “Packing Away the Games” (Page 12): “Is there something you’d like to give up or do differently during Lent this year?”
The Collection: 15 Free Ash Wednesday Coloring Pages
We’ve organized these into three sets to help you teach the meaning of Ash Wednesday — from the symbol itself to what it looks like lived out at home.
For Little Hands: The Ashes & The Symbols (Pages 1-5)
Best for toddlers and preschoolers. These pages focus on the basic symbols and the comfort of family.
- Page 1 centers on the Christian cross marked with dark smudged ashes alongside Genesis 3:19, a simple first image to introduce the day.
- Pages 2 & 3 show a young girl kneeling reverently in prayer with an ash cross on her forehead beside Matthew 6:17-18, and the traditional symbols of Ash Wednesday — a bowl of blessed ashes, a folded purple cloth, and a palm branch — paired with Joel 2:12-13.
- Pages 4 & 5 bring it close to home, with a mother gently marking an ash cross on her young daughter’s forehead (Matthew 6:16-18), and a family of three sitting together on a church pew with Psalm 51:10.
Save any page above free as a JPG. Want the full set in one easy download? Get all 15 hand-drawn pages in the complete PDF pack for $4.99.
Living It Out: Church & Classroom (Pages 6-10)
Perfect for elementary kids. These pages visualize what Ash Wednesday looks like in community — at church, at school, and at home.
- Page 6 shows a family walking down the exterior steps of a church after a service, paired with Joel 2:12-13.
- Pages 7 & 8 capture the ashes being received — a priest placing ashes on a young boy kneeling at the communion rail (Matthew 6:17-18), and a teacher at a classroom chalkboard explaining “ashes to ashes” under Genesis 3:19.
- Pages 9 & 10 continue the theme of everyday reflection, with a priest imposing ashes on a girl in a wheelchair alongside her father (Matthew 6:16-18), and a boy writing in a Lenten journal at the kitchen table next to his dog, paired with Joel 2:12-13.
Save any page above free as a JPG. Want the full set in one easy download? Get all 15 hand-drawn pages in the complete PDF pack for $4.99.
The Full Story & Application (Pages 11-15)
Designed for older kids or quiet reflection. These scenes include detailed storytelling elements and modern application.
- Page 11 shows a young man kneeling in deep prayer inside a sanctuary with stained-glass windows, paired with Psalm 51:1-2.
- Pages 12 & 13 move into personal sacrifice, with a teenager packing away video games as a symbolic act of Lenten fasting (Matthew 6:16-18), and a wide view of a congregation gathered inside a cathedral during an Ash Wednesday service, paired with Joel 2:12-13.
- Pages 14 & 15 close the set with reflection and belonging, showing a young girl looking into a mirror as she touches her ash cross (Genesis 3:19), and a family with their pet dog standing outside a church, all with ash crosses on their foreheads, above Matthew 6:16-18.
Save any page above free as a JPG. Want the full set in one easy download? Get all 15 hand-drawn pages in the complete PDF pack for $4.99.
Perfect for Sunday School & Homeschool Teachers
- Sunday School & CCD Teachers Page 7 (a priest placing ashes on a kneeling boy) makes a natural centerpiece for explaining the Imposition of Ashes before your class receives their own. Pair it with a short reading of Joel 2:12-13.
- Homeschool Parents Use Page 10 (the boy writing in his Lenten journal) as a template — have your child start their own simple Lent journal, coloring one page per week as they reflect on what they’re giving up or taking on.
- Classroom Teachers Page 8, showing a teacher explaining “ashes to ashes” at the chalkboard, mirrors exactly what a classroom Ash Wednesday lesson looks like. It’s an easy way to introduce the holiday to a mixed-faith or interfaith classroom respectfully.
- Parents at Home No lesson plan needed. Hand your child Page 14 (the girl touching her ash cross in the mirror) after church, and use the Conversation Corner questions above to talk through what the day meant to them.
Made by Human Hands, With Kids in Mind
Ash Wednesday is full of small, specific details, a hearing aid resting plainly at a child’s ear, a prosthetic leg drawn without ceremony, a wheelchair rolled right up to the altar rail like it belongs there, because it does.
Those choices are not filters an AI tool applies by default, they are decisions a human illustrator makes on purpose. I work with real illustrators because I want every kid, however they move through the world, to see themselves receiving their ashes exactly as they are, not edited into the scene as an afterthought.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I explain “from dust we came, and to dust we will return” to a young child without it feeling scary?
I’d keep it simple and honest rather than softening it into something else, it’s a reminder that we don’t last forever, and that’s part of why the choices we make now matter. You don’t need to dive into mortality in detail with a young child, just enough to explain why the day feels a little more serious than usual.
Can these pages work for a classroom that includes kids of different faith backgrounds?
Yes. Page 8, which shows a teacher explaining Ash Wednesday at a chalkboard, was designed with that setting in mind — it presents the day as a cultural and religious observance to learn about, which works well in a public or mixed-faith classroom.
What’s a meaningful way to use Page 12 (the teenager packing away video games) with older kids?
Use it as a prompt for a real conversation about Lenten sacrifice — ask your child or student to name one thing they’d be willing to set aside for the 40 days of Lent, then have them color the page as a visual reminder of that commitment.
This set includes almsgiving, giving things away, not just fasting. How do I make that concrete for my child?
age 12 is a great starting point, a kid actually boxing up things they own to give away. Ask your child to pick one or two things of their own, not just old toys they don’t want anymore, but something they’d genuinely miss a little, and let that be their own version of what Lent asks of adults.
Download The Ash Wednesday Coloring Pack
A little dust, a lot of grace. Click below to get the complete PDF pack of these hand-drawn inclusive pages and give your children wholesome and engaging screen-free activity.
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- 15 Free Baptism Coloring Pages for Christenings, Godparents & Family Celebrations
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- 15 First Communion Coloring Pages That Help Kids Celebrate Faith, Prayer, and the Eucharist
