Summer Vacation Coloring Pages

The biggest event for kids! What is Summer Vacation?

Summer Vacation is a long break from school. It is the most exciting and special time of the year! You get to use every day freely and make the best memories. Under the bright shining sun, you can go to the beach, swim in pools, visit festivals, and go on trips. It is a dream-like time where you can go on big adventures you cannot do every day!

Blue seas and white sand! Big adventures on the beach

When you think of going out during Summer Vacation, you think of the big blue sea! Splash around at the edge of the water. Float on the waves in a inner tube with your mom and dad. It feels so good! Playing in the sand with a plastic shovel and bucket is super popular too. You can make castles and big mountains. You can find tiny crabs running by your feet, toss a beach ball around, or cool off under the shade of a palm tree. The beach is full of fun things to do!

Water slides and pools! Splash and play all day

Big pools with water slides are a favorite spot for Summer Vacation! Sliding down fast from high up with the water is super thrilling and exciting. Cold water squirts out from fountains in the middle of the pool. You can float smoothly on cute inner tubes shaped like sharks or turtles. You can also splash your friends with water guns. It is a magical place where you will never get bored! After swimming a lot, drinking cold juice on a beach chair under an umbrella feels great, too.

BOOM! Big fireworks and summer festivals in the night sky

On Summer Vacation nights, lively festivals are held all over town! A big wooden stage called a "yagura" is built at the shrine square. Older kids beat big drums and blow flutes to play nice Bon Dance music. Many lanterns hang all around, gently lighting up the dark night. You can wear a cute yukata and visit food stalls selling takoyaki or cool masks. And when big fireworks go "BOOM!" in the night sky, everything turns bright and colorful. Everyone cheers together!

Riding the train! A family trip to the countryside

Going on a family trip with your mom, dad, and sweet dog is a wonderful Summer Vacation memory. You pack a big suitcase and ride a train or a bullet train. As you look out the window of the rumbling train, the city view slowly changes to green nature. You can see tall mountains, shiny rivers, old stone arch bridges, and bright green rice fields. Far away, you might see small shrine gates and old houses with thatched roofs. The countryside looks just like a picture book! Eating tasty train bento meals together makes the food taste extra delicious.

Cool down with juicy watermelon and shaved ice

Eating cold treats on the big porch at your grandparents' house feels nice and cozy. Take a big bite of bright red, juicy watermelon that was chilled in cold water! Sweet juice fills your mouth and blows the heat away. Scoop up cold shaved ice with a spoon. The strawberry and melon syrups look so colorful! It is fun even when your head gets a little brain freeze. When you look up, wind chimes sway in the breeze. They make a cool "ding-dong" sound and bring you a fresh summer wind.

BZZZ! Grab a net and go bug hunting

When you go under a big summer tree, cicadas sing loudly together! Put a big bug net and bug cage over your shoulder, put on a straw hat, and run around outside. Catching bugs is an important job during Summer Vacation! Walk quietly so cicadas on the tree trunks do not hear you. Put your net over them fast! Catching one feels as exciting as finding real treasure.

Morning glory diary and daily Summer Vacation homework

Summer Vacation is not just about fun. There is school homework too, but that makes great summer memories! Look at the morning glories growing on your balcony or in your yard. Seeing them bloom brightly early in the morning is so fun! You can draw pictures and write about them in your diary. Watch sunflowers grow tall toward the sun. Sit at a desk on the cool porch, open your notebook, and do your summer project and worksheets. This is a special time you can only have during Summer Vacation!

Bright Shining Sun! How to Color Summer Skies and Nature

To make your whole summer picture look full of energy, let's start by coloring the sky and big nature beautifully.

• Dazzling sun and sky: Color the sun shining in the sky strongly with bright red and orange. Then gently spread light yellow around it for its light. For the sky, blend dark blue at the top down to light blue near the ground. This shows the high summer sky that draws you right in!

• Rich green countryside: Color the mountains and trees outside the window with yellow-green as a base. Try adding dark green or blue-green on top where the shadows are. This contrast makes the plants look real, lush, and full of life under the warm sun.

Show off Colorful Swimsuits, Floats, Pools, and the Ocean

In pool and beach coloring pages, combining water colors with bright swimsuits is the best part!

• Sparkling water: The secret to clear water is not coloring the whole sea or pool blue! Lightly add light blue or emerald green around the wave lines, and leave lots of white space. This makes the water look fresh and sparkly in the sun.

• Pop-style toys: Use your favorite bright colors like red, pink, yellow, and yellow-green to color the beach balls, water slides, and fun floats shaped like sharks, turtles, and ducks. Your page will instantly turn into a pop-style, happy summer scene!

Light Up the Bon Odori Night! Fireworks and Lantern Shades

Here are tips to make festival night pictures look magical and dramatic like a storybook!

• Dark night sky and fireworks: Lay your colored pencil flat and color the night sky strongly with dark navy or deep purple. The darker the sky is, the brighter the big fireworks will pop with colors like pink, yellow, and neon green! Leaving a tiny bit of white around the firework lines makes them look like they are crackling with light.

• Softly glowing lanterns: For the lanterns around the stage, color light yellow in the middle. Blend orange and red in a circle toward the outer edges. This makes them look just like real candles glowing softly inside!

Tips to Make Porches, Trains, and Travel Memories Look Real

Coloring wood and seat textures inside houses and trains will make your whole picture look amazing!

• Warmth of wood: Color roof tiles on old Japanese houses with cool gray or black. Gently color porch boards, posts, and train window frames brown or yellow-brown following the direction of the lines. Slightly changing the shade of brown makes the house look 3D and cozy!

• Travel luggage: Use classic leather brown or cool green on the bags and trunks on the shelves. It brings out the excitement of setting off on a big Summer Vacation adventure!

Sunflowers, Watermelons, Morning Glories! Color Summer Favorites

Let's color plants and treats that represent Summer Vacation so they look yummy and pretty!

• Big sunflowers: Color the petals with bright yellow or golden yellow. Make the round center dark brown. The contrast between the dark center and the yellow petals makes sunflowers look super cool!

• Juicy watermelons: Color the outside of watermelons chilling in a bucket with deep green and black stripes. Color the sliced fruit bright, delicious red. Gently blend in light yellow-green near the rind to make a tasty watermelon that looks ready to eat!

Why do we have Summer Vacation?

The main reason is that Japanese summers are super hot! A long time ago, there was no air conditioning. Studying in boiling hot classrooms made children sick easily. So, a long break was made to protect children's health and give them a good rest.

Summer Vacation started in the Meiji Period

The Summer Vacation we know today started about 150 years ago in the Meiji Period. Before that, during the Edo Period, temple schools did not have a long Summer Vacation at all! When the school system was updated, it officially started as a rule for the whole country.

Some countries have 3 months of Summer Vacation?!

In Japan, Summer Vacation lasts about a month to a month and a half. But some countries have even longer ones! Places like America, France, and Italy have a 3-month Summer Vacation. Also, unlike in Japan, many of these countries give almost no homework for Summer Vacation.

Where did morning Radio Calisthenics come from?

You probably think of Radio Calisthenics on Summer Vacation mornings! Actually, this started with a life insurance company in America. They wanted everyone to be healthy. Japan used their idea, and it became a daily habit for kids all over Japan in the early Showa Period.

You can choose anything you like for Independent Research!

Are you wondering what to do for your independent research project? You do not have to do hard experiments! You can watch your favorite bugs, try cooking, or collect candy wrappers. Just sharing what makes you curious makes a great project! The best trick is to have fun and learn all about it.