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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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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Batty for 2D Shapes - Halloween Shapes Worksheet
Go batty and identify the 2D shapes with a printable Halloween Shapes worksheet.
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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.
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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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Real-World 3D Objects - Colouring Worksheet
Explore three-dimensional objects in the real world with this colouring worksheet.
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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.
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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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Pop Art Products - Basketball Colour By Number Worksheet
Bring some pop art into the classroom 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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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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Colour by Syllable Type - Worksheet
Practise identifying the six syllable types in common words with this colour-coding activity.
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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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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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Colour by Number - 12 x Multiplication Facts
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of multiplication facts.
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Colour by Number - 11 x Multiplication Facts
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of multiplication facts.
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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 – 12 Times Tables
A fun multiplication worksheet where students create a colour pattern using 12 times tables.
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Crazy Boxes – 8 Times Tables
A fun multiplication worksheet where students create a colour pattern using 8 times tables.
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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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Crazy Boxes – 4 Times Tables
A fun multiplication worksheet where students create a colour pattern using 4 times tables.
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Initial Letter Colouring Worksheet
Identify the first letter for each picture and then colour it in.
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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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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.
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Colour By Code Worksheet- Time to 5 Minutes
Practise telling time to the nearest five minutes with a fun Colour By Code worksheet.
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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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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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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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Colour By 3D Objects - Worksheet
Practise identifying 3D objects and their attributes with a printable code-based colouring task!
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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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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.
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Easter Hundreds Board Mystery Pictures
A set of 9 Easter-inspired mystery hundreds charts.
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Colour By Code Worksheet – Synonyms and Antonyms
Reveal the hidden picture and practise using synonyms and antonyms with a vocabulary colour-by-code worksheet.