Get Lost in a Mermaid Maze and Discover a World of Cute Creativity
If you’ve been looking for a creative and screen-free way to keep your kids entertained, Mermaids, Unicorns, and Other Cute Stuff: Coloring and Activity Book might be exactly what you need. With a fun variety of activities and hand-drawn illustrations by yours truly, this book is packed with characters and puzzles that spark imagination. Today, I’m sharing a freebie from the book—a Mermaid Maze where a mermaid is trying to find her way back to her mer-puppy. It’s just one example of the kinds of activities your kids will find inside, and I think they’ll love it.
As always, everything inside this book was created by hand. Every mermaid, unicorn, food character, and magical creature is something I sketched out, refined, and turned into a finished illustration—just like all my other books. If you’re new here, I’m Kevin Coulston, a cartoonist and illustrator who’s spent the last several years creating art activity books for kids. If you’re not familiar with my work, this is a great entry point.
What’s Inside the Book
This activity book is a little different from my step-by-step drawing titles, but just like those books, the focus is still on sparking creativity. Mermaids, Unicorns, and Other Cute Stuff: Coloring and Activity Book combines coloring pages with games and puzzles, all filled with cute and whimsical themes that are perfect for younger kids. The full list of activities includes:
- Coloring Pages – Featuring cute mermaids, unicorns, magical pets, food with faces, and other adorable characters.
- Mazes – Like the Mermaid Maze included in this post, these puzzles are simple but engaging and full of character.
- Tic-Tac-Toe Pages – Play against a friend or decorate the board with your own creative twist.
- Word Searches – Easy enough for early readers but still fun for older kids too.
- Spot the Difference – Train your eye for detail while exploring cute scenes.
All of these were made with a similar purpose: to help your kids slow down, focus, and have fun while creating something. There’s something satisfying about coloring or solving a puzzle on paper, and it’s a great way to encourage a bit of quiet creativity without a screen in sight.
About the Mermaid Maze
Let’s talk about the free page I’m sharing today. The Mermaid Maze has one goal: help the mermaid reunite with her mer-puppy. Like all the puzzles in this book, it’s meant to be fun and accessible without being overly simple. There are a few turns and choices to make, so kids will get a light challenge without feeling overwhelmed. And of course, everything is illustrated by hand, from the twisting maze path to the characters themselves. You won’t find any clip art here.
This particular maze is a great example of how the book mixes activity and story. There’s no dialogue or text-heavy explanation, but the idea is still clear: there’s a mission, a path, and a goal. That small sense of story can make a big difference in how much kids engage with a puzzle.
If your child enjoys this maze, there’s more where that came from inside the book—plus plenty of coloring opportunities on every page.
Free Activity Page (save and print):
Free Mermaid Maze
Why I Made This Book
A lot of my books are focused on teaching kids how to draw, and while I still love that format, I also wanted to make something a little more open-ended. Not every kid is going to want to follow step-by-step instructions, and that’s fine. Some kids just want to color and explore. Others love puzzles. Some just want to stare at cute characters and create their own stories. That’s who this book is for.
It’s meant to be a relaxing activity book your kids can keep coming back to. Whether they color just one page or do all the puzzles in a row, they’re spending time in a creative space—and that’s always the goal for me when I make these.
Designed for All Skill Levels
This book isn’t age-locked. While it’s definitely designed with kids in mind, there’s nothing stopping older siblings (or parents, for that matter) from picking up a crayon or pen and joining in. The Mermaid Maze, for example, has been a hit with younger and older kids during testing. Some like to race through it, others like to decorate the path with colors, patterns, and glitter gel pens. I love seeing how different people approach the same activity in totally unique ways.
The Art Behind the Pages
Every single page of this book—like all my others—is drawn by hand. I spend a lot of time developing the look and personality of each character before they go to print. Whether it’s a sleepy narwhal, a cupcake with a crown, or a mermaid riding a unicycle (yes, that exists), each one starts as a pencil sketch. I clean them up, ink them, and then design the layout for the coloring or activity page they’ll live on.
It’s a time-intensive process, but I think it makes a difference. The characters feel more personal, and the pages have a consistency you don’t get from mixed-style stock art. More importantly, kids notice. They can tell when something’s been made with care.
Screen-Free Fun That Actually Feels Fun
There’s a lot of noise out there when it comes to what’s “good” for kids, especially when it comes to screen time. I’m not here to tell you to toss your tablet or cancel your streaming service, but I am here to offer an alternative that’s quiet, creative, and hands-on.
Activity books like this one are great for car rides, waiting rooms, rainy days, or just afternoon downtime. They give kids a chance to work independently or with a friend and to make something they can hold in their hands when they’re done.
Who This Book Is For
- Kids who love cute characters
- Young artists and puzzlers
- Parents looking for quiet time activities
- Teachers who need quick and engaging creative work
- Gift-givers looking for something a little different
And of course, if your child likes mermaids, unicorns, magical pets, or smiley food characters, this one’s an easy pick.
Final Thoughts
Whether your child is solving a Mermaid Maze, coloring in a dancing donut, or searching for hidden words among smiling sea creatures, they’re diving into a world built to inspire imagination. That’s what I aim for in every book I make—whether it’s a drawing guide or an activity book like this one.
I hope you and your kids enjoy exploring this book as much as I enjoyed creating it. And if they like this one, there’s plenty more to discover across my different series. Thanks for reading, and happy coloring!
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Kevin Coulston is an accomplished cartoonist, animator, and writer. He is the author and illustrator of over 70 (and still counting) children’s drawing books available here on FirstArtBooks.com. Kevin has also authored numerous kid-friendly comic book series, including “Dylan McVillain: A Super Villain with the Best Intentions” and “The Adventures of a 4th Grade Space Captain,” along with the Children’s Picture Book series “Alexis and the T-Rexes.”
