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 Code - Simple or Compound Sentence Worksheet
Use a Colour By Code Simple or Compound Sentence worksheet to help your students practise identifying simple and compound sentence types.
- Plus Plan
Halloween Area and Perimeter Colour by Number Worksheet
Use these Halloween colour-by-number worksheets to practise identifying the perimeter and area of regular polygons.
- Plus Plan
Colour the Periodic Table - Worksheet and Poster
Colour the periodic table with a printable colour-coding worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Pop Art Products - Basketball Colour By Number Worksheet
Bring some pop art into the classroom with a multiplication colour-by-number worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Christmas Colouring - Simple Addition Colour by Number
Boost addition skills even at the end of a school year with this colour by number addition worksheet set.
- Plus Plan
Reading Colours Ordinal Numbers Worksheet
Consolidate reading colours and ordinal numbers with this worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Alphabet Sounds Worksheets
Explore alphabet beginning sounds with this set of alphabet sounds worksheets to develop letter recognition.
- 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
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
Comparing Decimals – Colour by Number Worksheet
Compare decimals and create a beautiful stained-glass picture with this colour-by-number worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Year 3 and Year 4 English Worksheets - Christmas Printables
Add some Christmas spirit to your December grammar lessons with a printable pack of Christmas-themed Year 3 and Year 4 English worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Trick or Treat Digraphs Worksheet
Sort Halloween Digraphs and colour them by code with a fun Halloween Phonics worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Decimal Designs – Differentiated Decimal Rounding Worksheet
Guide your students to round decimals to different places and create a beautiful design with this differentiated 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
Parts of Speech - Colour by Code Mystery Picture Worksheet
Follow the colour-coded parts of speech guide to fill in the word grid and reveal a mystery image.
- Plus Plan
Continents and Oceans - Roll and Colour Game
Learn to identify the continents and oceans of the world with an engaging partner game.
- Free Plan
Colour the Synonyms and Antonyms Worksheet
Explore vocabulary with this synonyms and antonyms worksheet for Year 4 students.
- Plus Plan
Christmas Colouring - Simple Multiplication Colour by Number
Boost multiplication skills even at the end of a school year with this colour by number multiplication worksheet set.
- Plus Plan
Christmas Colour By Number - Hundreds Chart Mystery Pictures Activity
Print the perfect maths activity for Christmas: a set of 12 Christmas-inspired mystery hundreds charts.
- Plus Plan
Multiples of 6 — Fact Fluency Pack
Build multiples of 6 fact fluency with this engaging worksheet pack, designed to help teachers strengthen multiplication recall through a variety of purposeful and low-prep activities.
- Plus Plan
Division Fact Fluency Pack — ÷11
Strengthen division 11 fact fluency with this engaging worksheet pack, created to help students build confidence.
- Plus Plan
Differentiated Easter Multiplication Worksheets (2-4)
Hop into the Easter season with differentiated Easter Multiplication Worksheets for middle-and-upper primary students.
- Plus Plan
Colour by Pronouns Worksheet Pack
Use this set of colour-by-pronouns worksheets to help your students learn these important parts of speech.
- Plus Plan
States of Matter - Colour by Code Worksheet
Engage your students and have fun identifying the states of matter with a colour-by-code worksheet.
- 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
Batty for 2D Shapes - Halloween Shapes Worksheet
Go batty and identify the 2D shapes with a printable Halloween Shapes worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Rounding Decimals – Differentiated Colour by Code Worksheet
Guide your students to round decimals to the nearest tenth and hundredth with this differentiated colour-by-code worksheet.
- Free Plan
Colour by Factor – Worksheet
Solve missing factor equations and colour a picture according to a colour-by-number guide.
- Free Plan
Living or Non-living? Colour by Code Worksheet
Practise identifying living and non-living things with this colour-by-code worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Halloween Division Mystery Picture - Multi-Digit
Have a bit of Halloween maths fun with a division colour by number worksheet.
- Plus Plan
I Spy CVCe Words - Worksheet
Identify words that contain the magic e with this printable black and white worksheet.
- Free Plan
Multiplication Mystery Picture (Pencil)
Use the colour-coded multiplication guide to complete the grid and reveal a mystery picture.