Free Printable Paper Dolls and Clothes to Color

Paper doll fun

Printable paper dolls provide such open ended and fun free play. Who could count the hours that I played paper dolls with friends that lived in the neighborhood? 

We did have some paper dolls that were purchased, and we cut them out on the lines and mixed and matched the clothes for various outfits. But the dolls that we made ourselves were what occupied us for hours upon hours. We cut out people from catalogs, glued them to cardboard and cut them out.

Then we outlined them on paper and created outfits, colored them, and cut them out. Don’t forget to draw and cut out the tabs to hold the clothes on the dolls!!

Good memories. We learned how to make paper dolls but we could have used our own printable paper doll templates along the way, that's for sure!

Make Paper Dolls with a Free Template.

Would you like something to occupy your kids with imaginative play for a bit of time? Okay it's time to start their collection of printable paper dolls by going ahead and downloading these Free Printable Paper Dolls and Clothes to Color! 

This is an idea for kids of all ages that takes low input from you and will come together fast! This is also a great way to exercise fine motor skills for younger kids as they work with adding clothes to the little dolls. 

These free downloads are available for your personal use, I hope it brings so much fun for the whole family! You can also enjoy these for classroom use, they are a fun way to get kids coloring and using their imagination along the way!

Printable paper dolls boy and girl

These fun paper doll cutouts include a boy and a girl, as well as a couple outfits to decorate to get you started. 

Just print out the dolls template for as many kids that would like their own paper doll. As you print, you can use any kind of paper. If you aren't using cardboard backing, I would print on a sturdy card stock to make sure the dolls will hold up. 

Next have the kids start coloring! Try colored pencils, markers, or even paints if you'd like (be sure to use the right kind of paper for anything like watercolor paints), there are lots of possibilities. I used Prismacolor Colored Pencils, 72 Pack, that's my favorite, but these Colored Markers work well too!

Decorate with any skin tones the kids would like, perhaps they would like to create their own dolls that are "twins", that look like them!? 

Now glue the paper to some cardboard and be sure to let it dry completely before you cut the dolls out. 

Note: I didn’t wait till fully dry and the paper tears easily. Live and learn and share!

Printable paper doll clothes

Now it's time to print out the paper doll clothing template patterns and let the kids decorate them in their own style and color scheme. Print out as many different outfits as you'd like, it's fun to decorate even the same clothing shapes different ways! It is best to decorate the before you cut them out by the way. 

Cut the clothes out carefully, watching for and cutting around the tabs! Older kids will do fine with this task, but little ones might need some help from an adult. 

Place the clothes on the body of the doll and fold the tabs around to the back of the doll so they stay on. If this is frustrating to the child you can cut the tabs off and use a bit of sticky tack to hold the clothes on the doll instead.

Note: you have to cut the girls hair on the line along the shoulder up to the neck. This allows the tabs to go over her shoulders and under the hair. 

How to make your own paper doll clothes

If they are enjoying the activity, it may be fun for them to make their own doll like I did way back in the day. They can then trace their doll on blank paper or on patterned scrapbooking paper and make their own outfits. 

Of course, they can trace the printable doll and make their own outfits as well. Just trace around the body of the doll in pencil and then adapt the outfit to the design they have in their imagination. So fun!This is a wonderful way to experiment with creating vintage or historical clothing, seasonal outfits, or any fashion ideas they want to dream up!

I’m always amazed at the ideas the kids come up with- I never would think of them! My granddaughter created a little girl doll and drew a series of flowers that flowed down the front of her paper doll dress, it was so beautiful. Made me want to copy the pattern onto a dress for myself!

Did you know there are companies that do this for you as well? They allow you to print your own fabric or own clothing item with your design or artwork. Who knew? I’m going to try that sometime. But that gets me off on a tangent!

How to make paper dolls stand up

There is a stand included in the paper doll design so you can help the dolls stand up. Clip the bottom of the paper doll on the two solid lines and clip the stand on the two solid lines. You bend the stand in half and slip the doll down onto the stand. 

From experience I can tell you, when the dolls stand up, they come alive in play time! Ha! 

I've also seen people create magnetic dolls by attaching magnet dots to the backs of the dolls. Then you can use a magnetic surface like a cookie sheet to display the dolls as the kids play. 

Of course, YOU need your own doll to color and dress too! Be sure to print off one for yourself and design away. Have some fun with your grands or kids.

Who knows, you may have a future fashion designer in your home.

More Fun Free Printables 

There are lots of other free printable paper crafts and coloring pages that are sure to bring hours of fun to you and your kids. To get started, check out these posts below!

• DIY Paper Fortune Teller Cootie Catcher
• Winter Snowflake Coloring Page
• Winter Snow Sledding Coloring Page
• Paper Butterfly Craft with Moving Wings
• Free Kindness Coloring Page

Enjoy!

If you try this craft, let me know! Go ahead and leave a comment, rate it, and tag a photo with #WelcometoNanas wherever you post.

Supplies for Free Paper Dolls and Clothes to Color

• Download for the paper dolls and clothes template
• Prismacolor Colored Pencils, 72 Pack OR Colored Markers
• Elmer's Glue, Clear
• Lightweight cardboard
• Scissors
• Imagination