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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Pixel Art Syllable Types
Consolidate understanding of syllable types with these appealing worksheets.
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Colour by Number - 2, 3, 5, 10 Division
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of division facts.
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Mental Maths Addition and Subtraction - Colour By Number
Build confidence with mental maths addition and subtraction through an engaging colour‑by‑number activity.
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Multiples of 12 — Fact Fluency Pack
Strengthen multiples of 12 understanding with this engaging fact fluency pack, designed to help teachers build multiplication confidence through varied and purposeful practice.
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Identify and Colour 2D Shapes Worksheet
Use this 2D shapes worksheet to help your students identify 8 of the most common two-dimensional shapes.
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Gumball Compound Words Worksheet
Help your students learn to read and identify compound nouns with a printable colour-by-code worksheet.
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Remembrance Day Fact and Opinion Worksheet
Identify Remembrance Day facts and opinions with a printable colour-by-code 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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Halloween Colour by Number - Double Digit Multiplication Worksheets
Practise multiplying by double digits with a pair of engaging Halloween colour-by-number worksheets.
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Halloween Multiplication Colour By Number Worksheet
Practise multiplying single-digit numbers with a Halloween colour-by-number worksheet.
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Odd and Even Colour-by-Number Worksheets
Practise identifying if the sum of two numbers is odd or even with this fun set of colour-by-number worksheets.
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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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Colour by 2D Shape (Easter Egg)
An Easter-themed colour by 2D shape activity.
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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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Valentine-Themed Mystery Picture - Division Facts
Have fun with your Valentine’s Day Maths lessons with a division colour by number worksheet!
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Valentine's Mystery Picture - Multiplication Colour By Number Worksheet
Have fun with your Valentine’s Day Maths with this multiplication mystery picture worksheet.
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Identifying Syllable Types - Worksheets
Practise breaking words into syllables and identifying the corresponding syllable types with this set of six worksheets.
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Christmas Colour In - Long Vowel and Short Vowel Worksheets
Use these Christmas-themed long vowel and short vowel worksheets for a bit of Christmas fun in the classroom.
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Colour By Shape Christmas Worksheets
Use knowledge of 2D shapes to colour in these Christmas-themed colour by shape worksheets.
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Silent Letters Worksheets - Read, Find and Colour
Identify silent letters in words with this set of three find and colour worksheets.
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Roll and Colour Worksheet - One More, One Less
An interactive worksheet to practise finding the number that is 1 more and 1 less than a given number.
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Frog in a Pond - Colour by Numbers
Colour by numbers is a fun and easy way to help students recognise digits.
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Multiples of 11 — Fact Fluency Pack
Master multiples of 11 with a versatile fact fluency pack that helps teachers provide targeted multiplication practise through engaging, low-prep activities.
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Easter Addition Colouring Pages (Differentiated)
Grab a fun set of Easter Addition Colouring pages to help your little learners practise adding 1 and 2-digit numbers without regrouping.
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Colour By Code Comma Splice Handout
Use a Colour By Code Comma Splice Handout to practise identifying and correcting comma splices.
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Colour By Code - Comma Use Worksheet Pack (2-4)
Practise identifying correct and incorrect comma use with a colour-by-code Comma Use Worksheet Pack.
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Subitising Worksheets Variety Pack
Incorporate these subitising worksheets into your lessons to give your students practise subitising collections up to 12.
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Christmas Colour By Number - One More or Less
Practise finding numbers that are one more and one less than with a printable Christmas 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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Bar Model Subtraction - Maths Colour By Number Worksheet
Bring some spooky maths fun into the classroom with a Halloween colour-by-number worksheet focused on subtraction using a bar model.
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Prefixes and Suffixes - Colour By Code Worksheets
Practise identifying words with affixes with a fun colour-by-code worksheet.
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Evaluate Expressions (One Variable) – Mystery Picture Worksheet
Substitute values for variables and use your understanding of the order of operations to solve expressions with this worksheet.