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!
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Colour by Number - Subtraction Task Cards
Practice subtracting single and double-digit numbers with a set of subtraction colour by number task cards.
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Measuring Angles – Mystery Picture Worksheet
Find the measure of each angle and use the colour guide to reveal a mystery picture with this worksheet designed for year 5 students.
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Crazy Boxes – 2, 3, 5, 10 Times Tables
A fun multiplication worksheet where students create a colour pattern using 2, 3, 5 and 10 times tables.
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Crazy Boxes – 4 Times Tables
A fun multiplication worksheet where students create a colour pattern using 4 times tables.
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Parts of Speech Colouring Activity - Back to School
Use this Parts of Speech Colouring Activity as a back to school review activity with your students.
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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.
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Batty for 2D Shapes - Halloween Shapes Worksheet
Go batty and identify the 2D shapes with a printable Halloween Shapes worksheet.
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Colour by Number - Mixed 1 - 12 Division
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of division facts.
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Colour By 3D Objects - Worksheet
Practise identifying 3D objects and their attributes with a printable code-based colouring task!
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Colour by Number Worksheet - Multiplication Facts (Rabbit)
Bring some colourful fun into your maths lessons with a multiplication colour by number worksheet.
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Valentine's Mystery Picture Addition
Have fun with your Valentine’s Day Maths with an addition mystery picture worksheet.
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Colour by Number - 9 x Multiplication Facts
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of multiplication facts.
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Colour by Number - 2 x Multiplication Facts
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of multiplication facts.
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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.
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Colour by Pronouns Worksheet Pack
Use this set of colour-by-pronouns worksheets to help your students learn these important parts of speech.
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Firetruck Colour By Number Worksheet
Build number identification skills with a printable Firetruck Colour by Number Worksheet.
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Colour by Sight Words - 6 Words - Snake
Practise sight words for kindergarten and more with a printable color by sight word worksheet.
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Rounding to 10, 100, and 1000 Worksheet — Halloween Colour-By-Number
Round each number to the place of the underlined digit with a fun Halloween colour-by-number worksheet.
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Firefighter Colour By Number Worksheet - Hundreds Chart
Print the perfect maths activity to accompany your fire safety lessons with a printable firefighter colour-by-number worksheet
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Plant Adaptations - Colour by Number Worksheets
Learn about the adaptations of plants in the rainforest, tundra, and desert with colour-by-number worksheets.
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Pixel Art Syllable Types
Consolidate understanding of syllable types with these appealing worksheets.
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Crazy Boxes – 7 Times Tables
A fun multiplication worksheet where students create a colour pattern using 7 times tables.
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Read and Colour Worksheet – Singular and Plural Nouns
A worksheet to practise identifying singular and plural nouns.
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Reading Colours Ordinal Numbers Worksheet
Consolidate reading colours and ordinal numbers with this worksheet.
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Comparing Decimals – Colour by Number Worksheet
Compare decimals and create a beautiful stained-glass picture with this colour-by-number worksheet.
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Homophone Mandala Flower Worksheets
Have your students create a colourful mandala flower while simultaneously demonstrating their understanding of common homophones.
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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.
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Multiplication Colour By Number Worksheet - Kangaroo
Hop your way through multiplication mastery with a multiplication colour-by-number worksheet.
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Number Recognition Worksheet - Sloth Colour-by-Number
Use the number colour coding on this colouring sheet to create a cute sloth-themed picture.
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Rounding Decimals Mystery Picture Worksheet
Round decimals to the nearest whole, tenth, hundredth and thousandth while revealing a mystery image with a fun colour-by-number worksheet.
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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.
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Colour by Number - 2, 3, 5, 10 Division
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of division facts.