Colour By Code Worksheets for Teachers
Bring printable colour by numbers, letters and more foundational concepts into your classroom with fun worksheets created by teachers for teachers.
This collection of Australian curriculum-aligned teaching resources is designed to add an engaging element to your worksheets for maths, science, English and more! Best of all, each printable has been carefully reviewed and selected by an expert on the Teach Starter teaching team, so you know it's ready for your classroom, your lesson plans and your students!
Not familiar with the term colour by code, or just looking for some fresh ideas to use these worksheets in the classroom? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Is a Colour By Code Worksheet?
Haven't heard the term colour by code? That's OK! Maybe you've heard of colour by numbers or colouring by maths? Or maybe you call them mystery picture worksheets?
These fun worksheets allow students to pull out their crayons or coloured pencils to colour a picture based on a predetermined colour key or code, where each colour corresponds to a specific number or symbol. The goal is to match the numbers or symbols on the picture with the corresponding colours to reveal a mystery picture.
Colour by code refers to not just colour by numbers but also colour by parts of speech, synonyms, addition and other educational concepts!
History of Colour by Numbers
Ever wonder how colouring by numbers became so popular?
The exact history of these sheets is hard to track down, but as far back as the early 20th century, people were 'painting by number' as a recreational activity. Then an activity mainly for adults, it involved painting pre-drawn canvases with numbered sections that corresponded to specific paint colours.
In the 1950s, an American artist called Dan Robbins developed a commercial version of the concept called 'Paint by Numbers' that helped the idea go mainstream and give life to what we now call colour by numbers in schools! His kits included pre-printed canvases, numbered paints and brushes, and his idea was soon adapted to make colouring books for kids.
In the versions for kids, numbers or symbols were added to line drawings instead of canvases, and young children could easily colour within the lines using crayons or coloured pencils!
- Plus Plan
Colour by Number - Mixed 1 - 12 Multiplication
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of multiplication facts.
- Free Plan
Crazy Boxes – 1 to 12 Times Tables
A fun multiplication worksheet where students create a colour pattern using 1 to 12 times tables.
- Plus Plan
Colour by Parts of Speech Worksheet – Chameleon
Practise your parts of speech lesson by colouring nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions and pronouns on the chameleon.
- Free Plan
Colouring 2D Shapes Worksheet
A worksheet to consolidate students' understanding of rectangles, squares, circles and triangles.
- Plus Plan
Alphabet Sounds Worksheets
Explore alphabet beginning sounds with this set of alphabet sounds worksheets to develop letter recognition.
- Plus Plan
Colour by Letter Worksheet Pack (SATPIN)
Help students with their recognition of the letters – s,a,t,p,i,n with this colour by letter worksheet pack.
- Plus Plan
3 States of Matter - I Spy Worksheets
Recognise examples of solids, liquids, and gases with a pack of printable States of Matter I Spy Worksheets!
- Plus Plan
The Number of Days in Each Month - Colour By Code
Help your students remember the number of days in each month with a colour-by-code worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Five Senses Colouring Worksheets
Help your students understand more about their senses with a pack of printable 5 Senses colouring worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Time to the Minute - Colour by Code Worksheet
Practise how to tell time to the minute with a fun Colour in Maths worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Colour by Sight Words - 6 Words - Snake
Practise sight words for kindergarten and more with a printable color by sight word worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Subtraction within 20 - Colour-by-Number Worksheet
Reveal the mystery picture by solving the subtraction problems with a colour-by-number worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Multiplication Colour By Number Worksheet - Kangaroo
Hop your way through multiplication mastery with a multiplication colour-by-number worksheet.
- Free Plan
Grammar Grid Colour by Code - Easter Parts of Speech Worksheet
Follow the colour-coded parts of speech guide to fill in the word grid and reveal a mystery image.
- Plus Plan
Pop Art Products - Basketball Colour By Number Worksheet
Bring some pop art into the classroom with a multiplication colour-by-number worksheet.
- Free Plan
Half the Fun – Fractions Colouring Worksheet
A colouring worksheet to help students learn about half.
- Plus Plan
100th Day Mystery Picture Worksheets
Follow the colour-coded number guides to fill in the hundreds chart square and reveal 3 special 100th Day of School mystery pictures.
- Free Plan
Silent Letters Worksheets - Read, Find and Colour
Identify silent letters in words with this set of three find and colour worksheets.
- Free Plan
2-Digit Addition Colour by Number - Halloween Mystery Picture
Celebrate the coming of Halloween and practise adding 2-digit numbers up to 99 with this set of Halloween mystery picture worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Colour by Number - 12 x Multiplication Facts
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of multiplication facts.
- Plus Plan
Colour by Number - 6 x Multiplication Facts
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of multiplication facts.
- Plus Plan
Colour by Number - 5 x Multiplication Facts
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of multiplication facts.
- Plus Plan
Colour by 2D Shape (Basic and Complex Shapes)
A detailed set of colour by shape activities.
- Plus Plan
Fractions Greater Than 1 Worksheet Pack (Colour-by-Number)
Use our Fractions Greater Than 1 Worksheet Pack to give your students a fun way to practise converting between improper fractions and mixed numbers.
- Plus Plan
Firetruck Colour By Number Worksheet
Build number identification skills with a printable Firetruck Colour by Number Worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Colour By Code Worksheet- Time to 5 Minutes
Practise telling time to the nearest five minutes with a fun Colour By Code worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Area Model Multiplication – Colour by Number Worksheet Pack
Download this colour-by-number worksheet pack for your students to practise using the area model when multiplying multi-digit numbers.
- Plus Plan
Diphthong Colouring Activity Worksheets
Practise finding different vowel team diphthongs with this set of fun colour-by-code worksheets for your students.
- Plus Plan
Dot Day Colour By Number Printable - Upper Years
Integrate Dot Day concepts into your maths lessons with printable Dot Day Multiplication and Division colour-by-number worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Colour by Number - Mixed 1 - 12 Division
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of division facts.
- Plus Plan
Spooky Subtraction Colour by Number - Worksheet
Bring some spooky maths fun into the classroom with a Halloween colour-by-number worksheet focused on subtracting four-digit numbers.
- Plus Plan
Subtraction Across Zero - Colour By Number Worksheet
Practise subtraction across zeros with a fun colour-by-number worksheet.