Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

Turtle Template Coloring Page for Adults

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This turtle template coloring page is more than just a coloring page – it’s an actual 3D paper toy and/or a treat box when you’re done! I decided that there are so many free coloring pages for adults out there, why not do something unique for a change. I decided to go all-out and create something you can use after. Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links.

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

This sweet little turtle template doubles as a treat box and can fit a few small-medium sized candies. Give someone you care about a sweet little gift in a personalized box.

Or, you can do what I did – hand it to your three year old as a brand new mom-made toy (I had to quickly photograph it, because M had his little eyes on it, and I couldn’t let him touch it before I had my precious photos taken!!!)

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.
Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

As you can see from the above photos, this turtle template is actually ONE printable that’s reversible! You have two sets of “extremities” that you can glue back to back. I was actually going to reverse it – put the dotted ones with the detailed shell side and the detailed ones with the dotted shell side, but I forgot, and then decided I like it better this way…

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

While this free printable turtle template might seem complicated, it’s really quite simple to assemble. I colored it using an assortment of STABILO markers.

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

I used a mix of my good old Point 88, and filled in slightly larger spaces with Pen 68 markers. For even larger areas, I used these. I stick with the Point 88 when I’m going for the slow, therapeutic coloring experience, but when I have a craft to do after, I like mixing it up, with more markers for the larger spaces.

As you can see, on this turtle template coloring page for adults, I didn’t necessarily fill in all the small detail individually. That’s the cool thing about it: you can make it as complex as you want to. Choose to go all in on the detail, or look at the larger shapes as a whole, with some fill pattern to add texture.

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

What you need to make your color-in turtle template paper toy/treat box:

  • The template printed on card stock. Download it by entering your email address in the form below.
 

Download Your Turtle Box

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  • Stuff to color with
  • Scissors
  • A craft knife
  • A cutting mat or something else to protect your surface (I used a padded envelope I had handy!)
  • A scoring tool (confession: I used a small crochet hook!!)
  • Tape
  • Glue stick (I didn’t have any handy, so I used regular white glue, but a glue stick does make more sense)
  • Optional: glue lines – these are really the easiest way to assemble the box, since they glue immediately and they last. Otherwise, continue with your glue stick.

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How to assemble your turtle template:

Watch the video below to see how I did it in action! Or, scroll down for step-by-step photos and directions.

 

1. Color it in!

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

2. Cut out all the pieces.

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

3. Use a knife to get to those triangles, and the black slits that run across the long striped side.

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

4. Score the fold lines. This is where it gets a bit complicated, since I didn’t really leave all of those dashed when I created the coloring page. You’ll see the tabs around the octagon, the side where the octagon meets the striped side, the tab at the end of the striped side, and any other dashed lines you see

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

5. Fold the sections where you scored. On the dotted section, you’ll be folding alternating mountain and valley folds – the rest are all mountain folds.

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

6. Match up all the “limbs” of your turtle so that they fit back to back, and glue them together. Skip this step, and just choose whichever set you prefer if you don’t care if your turtle is reversible.

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

7. If you need to, trim your back to back parts so that they’re totally even (I didn’t cut mine out perfectly, so I did this to avoid the white “overhang”)

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

8. Insert your limbs into the slots as pictured. Keep in mind which direction you want it – which pattern you want to face where. Bend them into place so that just a little tab sticks through the slit, and the limb juts out at a 90 degree angle.

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

9. Flip it over and tape the little tabs in place.

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

10. Flip it back to the other side. Add glue strips to all your tabs: 7 around the octagon, one at the end (right side in this photo) of the striped section, and one at the end of the dotted section.

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

11. Start assembling your turtle template with the octagon section, one side at a time.

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.
Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

12. Connect the tabs on the striped and the dotted sections to their respective starting points to form a circle.

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

13. Ensure that your mountain/valley folds are in place (you may need to reinforce them at this point.)

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

14. Lower your dotted parts – it should connect into a swirl as pictured. Your turtle is now complete and ready to go for a swim! (Not for real! It’s paper! It will dissolve in water…)

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

Have fun! Hide treats inside or just play with it. You can even fill it with rocks and use it as an adorable paper weight on  your desk.

Print this free printable turtle template coloring page for adults - you'll love to color and craft this DIY turtle paper craft for kid, teens, and adults. Use it as a DIY paper toy, or as a treat box.

Loved this turtle template? Get more turtle coloring pages for adults from the coloring tribe! Just visit each link below…

  1. Turtle Coloring Page by Hattifant
  2. Turtle Template Coloring Page by Moms & Crafters (you’re here!)
  3.  Arty Crafty Kids
  4. Turtles Together Turtle Coloring Page by Arts & Crackers
  5. Turtle Coloring Page by Easy Peasy and Fun
  6. Turtle Coloring Page for Grown-ups by Trail of Colors

Get the “donate” version:

 

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13 Comments

  1. For some reason I am unable to download the Turtle template shown here. I have tried unsuccessfully, off and on today! What am I doing wrong? lol

      1. I did get the email and it brings me back to this page. Also, on other sites such as Trail of Colors, when I click on the link that says
        Turtle Template Coloring Page by Moms & Crafters
        by Arty Crafty Kids, I was taken to a page that says, page not found
        Here is the URL of that page.
        https://www.momsandcrafters.com/turtle-template-coloring-page/%20%E2%80%8E

        Maybe the link is broken or for sure I am doing something wrong as I was able to download two other turtle pictures to color. But I was blown away by your little box. Sorry.

        1. That is very strange! I’m emailing you now with the file. As far as the other links are concerned: Arty Crafty Kids and Easy Peasy and Fun are late with publishing theirs, so you can try back tomorrow. The others should work now.

  2. Hi, I love this turtlebox! I especially like the combination of coloring and origami kind of folding. Both are my most loved time spender… May I link this page to my new born german blog ‘einkleinesbisschenglueck.wordpress.com’ ( means ‘a little bit of happyness’)? It would be just a nice starter, as I follow your page for a few years and really appreciate your work. Kind Regards, Lulu

  3. Hello, I am unable to open the link for the turtle box download. Are you able to send me a link through email?

    Thanks,
    Holly

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