Printable Nonograms for Kids
Updated November 2026 · 31 free printables
Free printable nonograms for kids, also called picross, griddlers, hanjie or paint by numbers logic puzzles.
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About these printables
Each puzzle is an empty grid with numbers beside every row and above every column. The numbers say how many squares in a row to shade, in order, with at least one empty square between blocks. Shade the right squares and a hidden pixel picture appears: a cat, a castle, a rocket, a reindeer, a steam train. There are 53 puzzles on 31 pages, and every one was checked by a computer solver: it can be finished by logic alone, row by row and column by column, and it has exactly one solution, so nobody has to guess.
The puzzles grow with your child. Ages 6 and 7 start with the 5x5 pages, four small puzzles each; the first page shows a worked example in three pictures. Ages 8 to 10 move on to 8x8 pairs with a hint for each picture, to single 10x10 grids with big squares and thick lines every five, and to the color nonograms, where each number sits in a colored square and the finished picture comes out in two or three crayon colors. Kids of 10 and up can try the 15x15 puzzles, the size of a classic picross. Every PDF has the finished picture on page 2 as the answer key.
At a glance
- Pages
- 31 free printables, one PDF each
- Ages
- 3 to 10
- Levels
- Easy, Medium, Hard
- Answer keys
- on page 2 of every PDF
- Paper
- US Letter and A4
- Complete pack
- all 31 pages in one PDF, free with an email sign-up
- Price
- free; every single page downloads with no sign-up
Printable Nonograms for Kids, One by One
A closer look at the pages that belong to this collection itself. The other pages in the gallery above are described on their own theme pages, linked from each card.
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1. 8x8 Nonograms: Dog and Bird
Two 8x8 nonograms for ages 8 to 10, each with a small hint: shade the right squares in every row and column to uncover a dog face with floppy ears and a little bird. Thick lines every four squares help with counting. Both puzzles are solved by logic alone, no guessing, and the answer key is on page 2. It is a medium puzzle page for ages 8 to 10 and anyone who has solved the easy ones.
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2. 8x8 Nonograms: Octopus and Turtle
Two 8x8 nonograms for ages 8 to 10, each with a small hint: shade the right squares in every row and column to uncover an octopus and a sea turtle. Thick lines every four squares help with counting. Both puzzles are solved by logic alone, no guessing, and the answer key is on page 2. It is a medium puzzle page for ages 8 to 10 and anyone who has solved the easy ones.
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3. 8x8 Nonograms: Butterfly and Snail
Two 8x8 nonograms for ages 8 to 10, each with a small hint: shade the right squares in every row and column to uncover a butterfly and a snail with a spiral shell. Thick lines every four squares help with counting. Both puzzles are solved by logic alone, no guessing, and the answer key is on page 2. Medium puzzles need a little planning, but no guessing.
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4. 8x8 Nonograms: Cupcake and Ice Cream
Two 8x8 nonograms for ages 8 to 10, each with a small hint: shade the right squares in every row and column to uncover a cupcake with a cherry and an ice cream cone. Thick lines every four squares help with counting. Both puzzles are solved by logic alone, no guessing, and the answer key is on page 2. Medium puzzles need a little planning, but no guessing.
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5. Halloween Nonograms: Pumpkin and Ghost
Two 8x8 nonograms for ages 8 to 10, each with a small hint: shade the right squares in every row and column to uncover a jack-o'-lantern and a friendly ghost. Thick lines every four squares help with counting. Both puzzles are solved by logic alone, no guessing, and the answer key is on page 2. Medium puzzles need a little planning, but no guessing. Orange, purple, black and lime green make a classic Halloween palette.
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6. 10x10 Nonogram: Night Owl
A 10x10 nonogram for ages 8 to 10 with big squares and thick lines every five. Read the numbers, shade the blocks and a wide-eyed owl with ear tufts and a little beak appears. One clear solution reached by logic alone; answer key on page 2. It is a medium puzzle page for ages 8 to 10 and anyone who has solved the easy ones.
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7. 10x10 Nonogram: Dinosaur
A 10x10 nonogram for ages 8 to 10 with big squares and thick lines every five. Read the numbers, shade the blocks and a long-necked dinosaur appears. One clear solution reached by logic alone; answer key on page 2. It is a medium puzzle page for ages 8 to 10 and anyone who has solved the easy ones.
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8. 10x10 Nonogram: Castle
A 10x10 nonogram for ages 8 to 10 with big squares and thick lines every five. Read the numbers, shade the blocks and a castle with two towers and a gate appears. One clear solution reached by logic alone; answer key on page 2. Medium puzzles need a little planning, but no guessing.
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9. 10x10 Nonogram: Airplane
A 10x10 nonogram for ages 8 to 10 with big squares and thick lines every five. Read the numbers, shade the blocks and an airplane seen from above appears. One clear solution reached by logic alone; answer key on page 2. Medium puzzles need a little planning, but no guessing.
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10. 10x10 Nonogram: Teddy Bear
A 10x10 nonogram for ages 8 to 10 with big squares and thick lines every five. Read the numbers, shade the blocks and a teddy bear face appears. One clear solution reached by logic alone; answer key on page 2. It is a medium puzzle page for ages 8 to 10 and anyone who has solved the easy ones.
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11. 10x10 Nonogram: Elephant
A 10x10 nonogram for ages 8 to 10 with big squares and thick lines every five. Read the numbers, shade the blocks and an elephant with a long trunk, a big ear and four legs appears. One clear solution reached by logic alone; answer key on page 2. It is a medium puzzle page for ages 8 to 10 and anyone who has solved the easy ones.
Tips for coloring Printable Nonograms for Kids
- Use a pencil and shade lightly; mark squares that must stay empty with a small X.
- Start with the biggest numbers and the lines that are almost full.
- Check each row against its numbers before moving on; one wrong square spreads to the columns.
- Cover the answer key (page 2) or print only page 1 for the kids.
- Let kids color the finished picture: the color nonograms already say which crayons to use.
Fun facts about Printable Nonograms for Kids
- Nonograms were invented in Japan in 1987, by graphic editor Non Ishida and, at the same time, puzzle maker Tetsuya Nishio; the name comes from Non plus diagram.
- Picross, a video game series that began in 1995, is named after picture crossword.
- Some nonograms need guessing or have two answers; good puzzles, like these, have one picture that pure logic reaches.
Fun ways to use your printables
- Make your own: shade a picture on graph paper, write the numbers for each row and column, erase the picture and swap with a friend.
- Time yourself on the same size twice and see how much faster you get.
- Start a nonogram notebook: glue in each finished picture with the date.
How to print
Click Download PDF on any page and print it at 100% on US Letter or A4 paper. Use regular printer paper for crayons and pencils, or cardstock for markers and paint. Every page here is free for home, classroom and party use, so feel free to print as many copies as you need.
Frequently asked questions
What is a nonogram?
A picture logic puzzle. The numbers next to each row and above each column tell you the lengths of the shaded blocks in that line, in order from left to right or top to bottom. A row marked 2 3 has a block of 2 squares, at least one empty square, then a block of 3. When every row and column matches its numbers, the shaded squares make a picture. Picross, griddlers, hanjie and paint by numbers logic are other names for the same puzzle.
How do kids solve a nonogram?
Start with the biggest numbers: in a 5x5 grid a 5 fills the whole line, and a 4 always covers the three middle squares. Put a small X in squares that must stay empty, then switch between rows and columns, using what you already know. Our How to Solve Nonograms page walks through a heart puzzle in three steps before kids try two on their own.
What age are nonograms for?
The 5x5 puzzles work from about age 6, once a child can count to 5 and follow a rule. The 8x8, 10x10 and color puzzles suit ages 8 to 10, and the 15x15 nonograms are a good challenge from about age 10. Adults enjoy the 15x15 ones too.
Do the puzzles need guessing?
No. Every puzzle here was checked by a solver that only uses one row or one column at a time, and it finished each picture without trying a guess. That also proves each puzzle has only one correct picture.
What is a color nonogram?
In a color nonogram each number is printed in a colored square, and that block is colored with the same crayon. Blocks of the same color still need an empty square between them, but blocks of different colors may touch. Ours use two or three crayons and come out as a strawberry, a ladybug, a sunflower, a watermelon slice and a Christmas tree.
Why are nonograms good for kids?
They train careful counting, planning and logical reasoning (if this square is shaded, that one cannot be), and the picture at the end is a reward that keeps kids going. They are quiet, screen-free and need only a pencil.
Are these nonograms free?
Yes. Every page is a free PDF on US Letter paper (it also prints on A4 with "fit to page"), with the answer key on page 2. No signup and no email.