Restaurant activity sheets can give kids more to do than simply color while they wait for their meal. By combining coloring, drawing, puzzles, games, and other activities on a single printable page, restaurants can create something that's fun for young diners and easy for staff to hand out.
Whether you're creating a kids' menu, planning a family night, or simply looking for something to keep on hand with a box of crayons, here are some ideas for building a restaurant activity sheet that kids will actually want to use.
What Is a Restaurant Activity Sheet?
A restaurant activity sheet is a printable page with activities for children to complete while they're dining.
Some are very simple: one illustration to color and a space to draw. Others might combine several activities, such as a maze, hidden-object game, word search, and coloring area.
Activity sheets can be handed out separately, used as placemats, or incorporated into a restaurant's kids' menu.
10 Restaurant Activity Sheet Ideas
1. Coloring
Coloring is probably the easiest place to start.
Choose an illustration with bold outlines, plenty of open space, and enough detail to be interesting without becoming frustrating for younger children.
The illustration could be related to food, your restaurant, your community—or simply something fun.
If you need something you can use right away, I've created a free hand-drawn restaurant coloring page that's ready to print on standard 8.5" × 11" paper.
[Download the Free Restaurant Coloring Page]
2. Finish the Drawing
Instead of giving kids a completed picture, let them finish it.
You might ask them to:
- Design their own pizza
- Decorate a cupcake
- Fill an empty aquarium with sea creatures
- Create a new ice cream flavor
- Draw a meal for a monster
- Invent a restaurant mascot
There's no right answer, which gives kids plenty of room to make the activity their own.
3. Mazes
A simple maze works well because children immediately understand what they're supposed to do.
- The maze can also tell a tiny story.
- Help the chef find the kitchen.
- Guide the fish to its dinner.
- Help the delivery bicycle reach the restaurant.
That little bit of personality can make even a familiar activity feel connected to your restaurant.
4. Hidden-Object Games
Give children an illustrated scene and a list of things to find.
A seafood restaurant could have an underwater scene filled with hidden objects. A pizzeria might feature a busy kitchen. A neighborhood café could include recognizable landmarks from around town.
This is also a great opportunity to hide little details that regular customers might recognize.
5. Spot the Difference
Create two versions of the same illustration with a handful of small differences between them.
These work particularly well with busy scenes: a restaurant dining room, food truck festival, kitchen, neighborhood street, or imaginary world.
6. Word Searches
Word searches can give older kids something a little more challenging to do.
Instead of using random words, build the puzzle around a theme:
- Foods
- Animals
- Your town
- The season
- A holiday
- Ingredients
- Things found in your restaurant
7. Matching Games
Ask kids to connect things that belong together.
- Match an animal to its food.
- Match ingredients to the finished dish.
- Match characters to their favorite meals.
For younger children, the activity can rely entirely on pictures rather than words.
8. Would You Rather?
A few silly choices can become an activity all by themselves.
- Would you rather eat pancakes for every meal or have spaghetti for hair?
- Would you rather have dinner underwater or on the moon?
Kids can circle their answers—or debate them with everyone else at the table.
9. Drawing Prompts
Don't underestimate a large blank space and a good question.
Try:
- Invent the world's silliest sandwich.
- Draw your dream dessert.
- Design a restaurant for aliens.
- What would a giraffe order for dinner?
- Drawing prompts take up very little space on the page while giving children lots of possibilities.
10. Create Your Own...
Give children a template they can customize.
They could create:
- A pizza
- A sundae
- A taco
- A cupcake
- A food truck
- A restaurant sign
- A chef's hat
- A restaurant mascot
This can be especially fun when the activity connects directly to something on your menu.
How Many Activities Should You Put on One Page?
You don't need to fill every inch.
For an 8.5" × 11" activity sheet, two or three activities may be plenty—especially if you want to leave enough room for kids to actually draw and color.
For example:
One large coloring illustration + one maze + one drawing prompt
can create a more inviting page than squeezing six tiny activities together.
Think about the age of your guests, too. Younger children generally benefit from larger images and simpler activities, while older kids may enjoy more detailed puzzles and games.
Activity Sheet or Kids' Menu?
You can do either.
An activity sheet can be printed separately from your kids' menu, giving children more room to draw and color.
Or the two can work together.
For example:
Front: Kids' menu
Back: Coloring + activities
If your restaurant frequently changes its menu, keeping the activity page separate can make updates easier. You can also rotate different activity sheets throughout the year without redesigning the menu itself.
Make It Specific to Your Restaurant
This is where restaurant activity sheets can become much more interesting.
Instead of using generic puzzles and stock illustrations, the activities can incorporate things children actually encountered during their visit.
Imagine:
- A hidden-object scene inside your restaurant
- A maze built around your neighborhood
- A coloring illustration of your building
- A "design your own" version of your signature dish
- Your mascot leading kids through the activities
- Local landmarks hidden throughout the page
- Seasonal activities tied to events at your restaurant
The sheet becomes a little souvenir of the experience rather than simply something that occupied a few minutes before dinner.
Learn About Custom Coloring Pages
Start With a Free Coloring Page
You don't necessarily need a full activity sheet to get started.
If you simply need something for kids to do at the table, I've created a free printable restaurant coloring page that you can start using today.
It's:
- Formatted for standard US Letter paper (8.5" × 11")
- Designed for easy black-and-white printing
- Original hand-drawn artwork
- Free for restaurants to print for their guests
- Created without AI-generated illustration
Download the Free Restaurant Coloring Page
If you're specifically looking for printable coloring sheets rather than games and activities, you can also read my [Guide to Free Restaurant Coloring Pages].
Frequently Asked Questions
What activities can I put on a restaurant activity sheet?
Restaurant activity sheets can include coloring, mazes, hidden-object games, spot-the-difference puzzles, word searches, matching games, drawing prompts, connect-the-dots, and other simple activities for children.
What size should a restaurant activity sheet be?
Standard US Letter paper (8.5" × 11") is an easy choice because it can be printed on most office printers and copiers. Restaurants that want more room for a combined kids' menu and activity sheet can also consider 8.5" × 14" Legal paper.
How many activities should be on one restaurant activity sheet?
There isn't a required number. Two or three well-designed activities with plenty of room to draw and color can work better than filling the entire page with small games.
Can an activity sheet be part of a kids' menu?
Yes. Many restaurants place activities around the kids' menu or use the reverse side for coloring and games. A separate activity sheet is another option and gives children more room to work.
Can restaurant activity sheets be customized?
Yes. Custom coloring pages and activity sheets can incorporate a restaurant's building, food, mascot, logo, neighborhood, local landmarks, or other details unique to the business.
Do you create custom restaurant activity sheets?
Yes. I create original hand-drawn coloring pages and activity sheets for restaurants and other organizations, with activities designed around the business, audience, and experience.
Create Something Just for Your Restaurant
If you'd like an activity sheet built around your restaurant, I can create original illustrations and activities inspired by your food, space, neighborhood, mascot, or ideas.
From a simple custom coloring page to a full activity sheet with hidden objects, drawing prompts, games, and puzzles, we can create something that feels like it belongs at your restaurant.
