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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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.
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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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Colour by Numbers Multiplication — Facts 1-12
Support multiplication fact fluency with this colour by numbers multiplication worksheet pack that combines times tables practice with engaging mystery picture colouring activities.
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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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Addition and Subtraction Colour by Number Worksheets
Combine math and art with our addition and subtraction colour by number worksheets that feature problems with solutions up to 20.
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Halloween Shapes - Colour By 2D Shapes Worksheet
Don’t get too spooked while trying to identify 2D shapes with a printable Halloween Shapes Colour by Code worksheet!
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Colour by Number – Repeated Addition
Practise colour by number addition with this engaging repeated addition resource that helps Year 2 students strengthen number skills while completing fun colouring activities.
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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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Year 4 Multiplication Worksheets
Use year 4 multiplication worksheets to help students develop flexible multiplication strategies through engaging problem-solving, visual models and hands-on activities.
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Unit Fraction Colouring Sheet
Crack the colour code and practise unit fractions all while colouring in fun images.
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Place Value Colour by Number Worksheets
Share these place value colour by number worksheets with your students for a fun way to review place value up to the hundred thousands place.
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Halloween Division Mystery Picture - Multi-Digit
Have a bit of Halloween maths fun with a division colour by number worksheet.
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Multiplication Colour By Number Worksheet Pack
Use this set of multiplication colour-by-number worksheets to help your students learn these important number facts.
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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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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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Batty for 2D Shapes - Halloween Shapes Worksheet
Go batty and identify the 2D shapes with a printable Halloween Shapes worksheet.
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Fact Fluency Colour by Code Worksheets
Build fact fluency with engaging colour-by-code multiplication worksheets that reinforce key times tables while providing meaningful, low-prep maths practice for primary students.
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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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Skip Counting by 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 Mystery Picture
Have your students uncover a mystery picture by solving skip counting problems to and multiply by 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10.
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Time to the Minute - Colour by Code Worksheet
Practise how to tell time to the minute with a fun Colour in Maths worksheet.
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Scarecrow Division Colour by Number Worksheet
Have fun with your Halloween maths practice with a division colour-by-number worksheet!
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Noun, Verb or Adjective? Colour By Code Worksheet
Use a colour by code Noun, Verb or Adjective worksheet to help students practise identifying parts of speech.
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Colour by 2D Shape (Basic and Complex Shapes)
A detailed set of colour by shape activities.
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Addition Practice Worksheets
Support student fluency with addition practice worksheets that build confidence with addition facts from 0–20 through fun, varied and engaging tasks.
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Colour by Parts of Speech - Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs
Consolidate your parts of speech lesson by colouring nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs in these colour by code worksheets.
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Equivalent Fractions – Mystery Picture Worksheet
Determine equivalent fractions while using the colour guide to reveal a mystery image.
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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!
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Telling Time - Year 2 Maths Colouring Sheet
Practise telling time to the hour and half hour with a fun Telling Time Colour By Code maths worksheet!
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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.
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Multiples of 3 — Fact Fluency Pack
Master 3 multiples with this engaging fact fluency pack, designed to help teachers strengthen students' recall of threes multiplication facts through a variety of low-prep activities.
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Five Senses Colouring Worksheets
Help your students understand more about their senses with a pack of printable 5 Senses colouring worksheets.