Coloring Activity Units

Coloring activities are an interactive way to improve student comprehension and retention of anatomy. Now you can incorporate coloring activities into your course without students buying an entire coloring book. Hayden-McNeil scientific illustrators provide beautifully rendered and accurate scientific illustrations of the human body for instructors to explore and choose for their curriculum.

Please find below our comprehensive set of coloring activity units.

This unit provides 4 activities illustrating the body planes and directions, anatomical areas, and body movements. Completing these coloring activities will give students a powerful tool to retain and recall components and terminology of the body planes and movements.

Available coloring activity:

  • Body planes and directional terms
  • Anatomical areas
  • Body movements (arm, leg, trunk)
  • Body movements (shoulder, neck, hand, foot)

This unit provides 1 activity illustrating homeostasis and pH balance. Completing this coloring activity will give students a powerful tool to retain and recall components and terminology of homeostasis and pH balance.

Available coloring activity:

  • Homeostasis and pH balance

This unit provides 3 activities illustrating multicellular organization, animal cells, and cellular transport. Completing these coloring activities will give students a powerful tool to retain and recall components and terminology of cells.

Available coloring activity:

  • Atom schematic; Multicellular organization
  • Generalized animal cell; Cell membrane
  • Vesicular transport; Mitochondrion

This unit provides 3 activities illustrating the types of epithelial, connective, and muscle tissues. Completing these coloring activities will give students a powerful tool to retain and recall components and terminology of animal tissues.

Available coloring activity:

  • Epithelial tissues
  • Connective tissues
  • Muscle and cartilage tissues

This unit provides 1 activity illustrating the integumentary system. Completing this coloring activity will give students a powerful tool to retain and recall components and terminology of the skin.

Available coloring activity:

  • Integument and skin sensory nerves

This unit includes 17 activities illustrating bone tissue and the human skeleton. Completing these coloring activities will help students in retention and recall of the skeletal system.

Available coloring activities:

  • Bone tissue; Long bone cross section
  • Bone shapes; Axial and appendicular skeleton
  • Complete skeleton
  • Skull: anterior and lateral views
  • Skull: superior, posterior, inferior views
  • Skull: interior views
  • Spine, axis and atlas
  • Vertebrae, sacrum, coccyx
  • Rib cage, sternum
  • Upper limb bones
  • Scapula, clavicle
  • Humerus, ulna, radius
  • Hand bones; Carpals
  • Pelvis
  • Lower limb bones
  • Femur, tibia, fibula
  • Foot bones

This unit provides 8 activities illustrating the types of joints and individual views of the spinal, shoulder, elbow, hand, hip, knee, ankle, and foot joints. Completing these coloring activities will give students a powerful tool to retain and recall components and terminology of the joints.

Available coloring activities:

  • Joint classification, Joint movements
  • Spinal ligaments
  • Shoulder joint
  • Elbow joint
  • Wrist joint and finger joints
  • Hip joint
  • Knee joint
  • Ankle joint and toe joints

This unit provides 21 activities illustrating muscle tissue, the physiology of muscle contraction, and individual skeletal muscles of the human muscular system.. Completing these coloring activities will help students in retention and recall of the muscular system.

Available coloring activities:

  • Neuromuscular junction
  • Skeletal muscle shapes and structure; Model of contraction
  • Face and neck muscles
  • Muscles of mastication
  • Muscles of mouth floor
  • Deep neck muscles
  • Deep back muscles
  • Muscles of the rib cage
  • Abdominal wall muscles
  • Perineal muscles; pelvic diaphragm
  • Anterior muscles of arm and shoulder
  • Posterior muscles of arm and shoulder
  • Anterior forearm muscles
  • Posterior forearm muscles
  • Hand muscles
  • Muscle regions of lower limb
  • Muscles of the hip
  • Thigh muscles
  • Anterior leg muscles
  • Posterior and lateral leg muscles
  • Foot muscles

This unit provides 20 plates illustrating nerve cells, the physiology of signal transmission, the human brain, spinal cord, and individual nerves of the human nervous system. Completing the coloring activities of the main nervous organs will help students in retention and recall of the nervous system.

Available coloring activities:

  • Neuron structure and glial cells
  • Synapse; Reflex arc
  • Brain: cerebrum
  • Brain: cerebellum, midbrain, brainstem
  • Brain: ventricles, CSF circulation
  • Brain: fiber tracts, basal ganglia
  • Brain: limbic system, hypothalamus nuclei
  • Brain: meninges
  • Brain: body map motor and sensory
  • Cranial nerves
  • Spinal cord; spinal tracts
  • Spinal cord meninges
  • Ascending tracts
  • Descending tracts
  • Cervical plexus
  • Upper limb nerves; Brachial plexus
  • Lumbosacral plexus
  • Lower limb nerves
  • Dermatomes
  • Autonomic nervous system

This unit provides 6 activities illustrating the parts of the eye and ear, as well as the olfactory and taste receptors. Completing these coloring activities will give students a powerful tool to retain and recall components and terminology of the sensory system.

Available coloring activities:

  • Eye and retina
  • Optic pathway and Eye muscles
  • Ear and cochlea
  • Inner ear equilibrium structures
  • Olfactory receptors
  • Taste receptors

This unit provides 5 activities illustrating the location of the endocrine glands, with individual views of the pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands, as well as the pancreas. Completing these coloring activities will give students a powerful tool to retain and recall components and terminology of the endocrine system.

Available coloring activities:

  • Endocrine glands
  • Pituitary gland
  • Thyroid gland; Parathyroid glands
  • Adrenal glands
  • Pancreas; Islet of Langerhans

This unit provides 16 activities illustrating the cardiovascular system, including different views of the human heart and the veins and arteries attached to it. Completing these coloring activities will help students in retention and recall of the main cardiovascular organs in the cardiovascular system.

Available coloring activities:

  • Blood and blood cells
  • Heart exterior; Mediastinum
  • Heart interior; Blood flow
  • Heart conduction pathway, EKG
  • Artery, vein, and capillary structure
  • Head and neck arteries
  • Head and neck veins
  • Cranial dural sinuses
  • Brain vessels, Circle of Willis
  • Upper limb arteries
  • Upper limb veins
  • Lower limb arteries
  • Lower limb veins
  • Abdominal aorta branches
  • Hepatic portal system
  • Pelvic arteries

This chapter provides 7 activities illustrating the respiratory system, including views of the nasal cavity, larynx, trachea, lungs, bronchial tree, and respiratory muscles. Completing these coloring activities will help students in retention and recall of the organs and structures in the respiratory system.

Available coloring activities:

  • Respiratory system
  • External nose; Nasal cavity
  • Paranasal sinuses
  • Larynx
  • Trachea, bronchi, alveoli
  • Lungs and pleurae
  • Respiratory muscles

This unit provides 2 activities illustrating the lymphatic system, lymph nodes, and lymph vessels. Completing these coloring activities will give students a powerful tool to retain and recall components and terminology of the lymphatic system.

Available coloring activities:

  • Lymphatic system; Drainage areas
  • Lymph node; Lymph vessel

This unit provides 11 activities illustrating the digestive system, including views of the mouth, teeth, swallowing, mesentery and peritoneal places, stomach, intestines, liver, accessory organs, and the process of digestion. Completing these coloring activities will give students a powerful tool to retain and recall components and terminology of the digestive system.

Available coloring activities:

  • Digestive system
  • Mouth and salivary glands
  • Teeth
  • Swallowing
  • Mesentery and peritoneal spaces
  • Stomach
  • Small intestine
  • Large intestine
  • Liver
  • Pancreas, gallbladder, spleen
  • Digestion

This unit provides 4 activities illustrating the kidneys, renal pyramid, nephron function, and formation of urine. Completing these coloring activities will give students a powerful tool to retain and recall components and terminology of the urinary system.

Available coloring activities:

  • Urinary system; Kidney
  • Kidney; Nephron; Glomerulus
  • Renal pyramid
  • Urine formation schematic

This unit provides 7 activities illustrating the male and female reproductive systems, including the spermatic cord, penis, testes, uterus, ovaries, breast, follicle maturation, and menstruation cycle. Completing these coloring activities will give students a powerful tool to retain and recall components and terminology of the reproductive system.

Available coloring activities:

  • Male reproductive system
  • Spermatic cord
  • Penis, testes; Spermatogenesis
  • Female reproductive system; Genitalia
  • Uterus and ovaries; Follicle development
  • Menstruation cycle
  • Breast