The stag and the doe are among the most iconic animals of our woodlands. 🦌 With their big gentle eyes and the majestic shape of the male, they fascinate children from nursery age. Here is a selection of 5 deer and doe colouring pages to print for free, perfect for a quiet afternoon at home or for keeping children busy during the holidays. Download the sheets, grab the felt-tips and colouring pencils, and let your child bring these forest animals to life.
Each colouring page is designed for children aged roughly 5 to 10, with bold outlines and a range of colouring areas. The youngest will pick the simple drawings, while older ones will tackle the more detailed scenes. At the end of the article, you will also find a few fun facts about the stag and the doe to share a moment of discovery with your child.
🦌 My 5 deer and doe colouring pages to print
Here are the 5 drawings. Each one prints beautifully in A4 portrait format with no special settings on most printers, so just open the image and send it to print.
🦌 1. The majestic stag in the forest
A large adult stag stands proudly in profile, its antlers beautifully branching above its head. A few trees and ferns frame the scene. It is an ideal drawing for children aged 7 to 10 who love detail. Tip: suggest a warm brown for the coat and a deep green for the leaves.
🦌 2. The doe and her fawn
A doe stands watching tenderly over her little fawn lying in the grass. The scene takes place in a meadow with a few wild flowers. A gentle, easy colouring page, perfect from age 5. Children love adding the famous little white spots on the fawn’s back.
📣 3. The belling stag
A stag’s head seen from the front, mouth wide open, right in the middle of the rutting season. Autumn undergrowth surrounds the scene. A more expressive drawing, recommended for children aged 6 to 10. Use it to explain to your child what belling is, the powerful call the stag makes in autumn to call the does.
🌸 4. The doe in the flowery meadow
A pretty doe leaning over a meadow full of wild flowers, with a little butterfly fluttering beside her muzzle. It is the most spring-like page in the selection, easy from age 4 thanks to the large colouring areas. Ideal for working with pastel colours.
👨👩👧 5. The deer family: stag, doe and fawn
The complete trio gathered in a clearing at sunrise: the stag stands guard, the doe looks after the little one, and the fawn discovers the world. A larger, more complete colouring page, recommended for children aged 7 and up. It is also a lovely chance to talk about family life among deer.
💡 Did you know? Facts about the stag and the doe
Before getting the pencils out, share these little stories about the life of the stag and the doe with your child. It is a great way to grow their vocabulary and their knowledge of nature. 🌳
- The stag loses its antlers every year. In early spring, the antlers fall off and then grow back within a few months, covered in a velvety skin known simply as velvet.
- The doe never has antlers. Only the adult male carries that branching crown. The fawn, male or female, has none at all.
- The fawn’s little white spots are a camouflage. They mimic the spots of sunlight filtering through the leaves and let the fawn stay invisible when it lies in the ferns.
- The stag’s call can be heard more than 5 kilometres away. In September and October, in the woods, it is the great night-time show of autumn.
- An adult stag can jump a fence 2 metres high. Its power and agility explain why it moves so easily between woods and fields.
🖍️ Tips to help your child colour
A few simple tips to turn colouring into a real moment of learning and fun. ✨
- Print several copies. Your child can try different colour combinations: a classic brown stag, an imaginary blue and purple stag, an all-white ghost stag.
- Get the right materials ready. Colouring pencils for fine details, medium-tip felt-tips for the large areas, and a little pastel for the backgrounds is more than enough.
- Start with the light areas. The pale fur of the belly and the flowers first, then the darker areas like the antlers and the tree trunks. This avoids smudges.
- Encourage colouring outside the lines. At 4 or 5, going over the edges is part of learning. Never tell your child off for going outside the lines; praise the effort instead.
- Display the result. A finished colouring page deserves to be pinned on the fridge or in the bedroom. It is a powerful boost to a child’s self-confidence.
❓ Frequently asked questions
👶 From what age can a child colour a deer?
From age 4 for simple drawings like the doe in the flowery meadow, which has large colouring areas. The more detailed drawings, such as the majestic stag or the complete family, suit children aged 7 and up better.
📄 What paper should I print the colouring pages on?
Standard 80 gsm A4 paper works perfectly for felt-tips and colouring pencils. If your child uses watercolour or very ink-heavy felt-tips, go for 120 gsm paper to stop the back of the sheet from getting stained.
🤔 What is the difference between a doe and a fawn?
The doe is the adult female deer. The fawn is their young, male or female, up to about a year old. You can easily recognise the fawn by its white-spotted coat, which disappears as it grows up.
🦌 Why does only the male deer have antlers?
The antlers help the male impress the does and fight off other stags during the rutting season in autumn. The doe does not need them and so saves a lot of energy to look after her fawn.
🌲 Where can I find more forest animal colouring pages?
Explore our other free galleries of forest animals: fox, wolf and the whole woodland collection. There is always a new animal to bring to life with your colouring pencils.
🔎 Going further
Did your children love these deer and doe colouring pages? Keep the adventure going with our many free printable colouring pages and games, sorted by theme: animals, seasons, holidays, characters. Everything is designed for children from nursery to the end of primary school, and each drawing downloads and prints in just a few seconds. 🌟
