Learn: guides for parents, teachers and carers
Clear answers to the questions behind our printables: how to teach times tables and letter formation, what a ten frame is for, the dates and stories behind Anzac Day and a summer Christmas, and what research says about colouring. Every guide links to its sources and to free pages you can print straight away.
Maths at home and in class
Times tables, hundreds charts and ten frames: what they are for and how to use them.
How to teach times tables, with tricks for the hard onesThe order to teach them in, when children are expected to know them, and tricks for the 6, 7, 8 and 9 times tables.
How to use a hundreds chart: activities by ageWhat a hundreds chart shows, how to add and subtract on one, and activities from counting at 4 to multiples at 9.
Ten frames explained: how and why to use themWhy a 2 × 5 grid builds number sense, how to fill one, and games for making ten and crossing ten.
Handwriting
Letter formation, print and cursive, with the New Zealand and Australian school styles.
Cursive vs print: when kids learn cursive, and how to startWhen joined writing starts in NZ, Australia and the US, what the research says, and a step-by-step way to begin.
How to teach letter formation, including NZ and Australian stylesStarting points, letter families, lowercase first, fixing b and d, and how NZ and Australian school styles differ.
New Zealand and Australia
The days that matter here, explained for families and teachers.
Remembrance Day vs Anzac Day: what’s the difference?What each day marks, how New Zealand and Australia observe them, why NZ wears poppies in April, and ideas for children.
A summer Christmas in New Zealand and AustraliaBeach days, pōhutukawa and Christmas bush, carols outdoors, sun safety, and summer Christmas activities for children.
Colouring for grown-ups
What the research says about colouring, and how to share it with someone living with dementia.
Colouring for people living with dementia: a guide for carersChoosing grown-up pages, setting up the space, running a relaxed session, and what to try when colouring isn’t working.
Benefits of colouring for adults: what the research actually saysSix studies and reviews, from Curry and Kasser (2005) to a 2026 meta-analysis, what they found and how far the evidence goes.
Printing and lettering
Getting the size right, and drawing bubble letters by hand or with the generator.
How to draw bubble letters, plus a free generatorSix steps from pencil skeleton to puffy outline, fixes for tricky letters, shadows, and when to use the generator instead.
How to print colouring pages at the right sizeA4 or Letter, when to print at 100% and when to fit to page, which paper to use, and fixes for cut-off edges and faint lines.
Written by the Colouring Nest team from education ministries, universities, museums and health organisations, each one linked. Found something to fix? Email support@colouringnest.com.