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 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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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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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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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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Colour by Sight Word Worksheet Pack
Use this set of colour by sight words worksheets to help students master the tricky elements in each word.
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Colour by Missing Angles Worksheets
Get students to find the size of missing angles on right angles, straight angles and angles at a point with this maths worksheet with a difference!
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Colour by 2D Shape (Basic Shapes)
A set of five colour by shape worksheets.
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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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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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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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Colour by 2D Shape (Basic and Complex Shapes)
A detailed set of colour by shape activities.
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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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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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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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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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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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Crazy Boxes - 1 to 12 Times Tables
Practise multiplication facts with crazy boxes, an engaging collection of colour-by-number worksheets designed to make times tables revision more enjoyable and effective.
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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.
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Half the Fun – Fractions Colouring Worksheet
A colouring worksheet to help students learn about half.
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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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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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Parts of Speech Colouring Worksheet (Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs)
Use this colour by part of speech worksheet as a fun Autumn activity with your students.
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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 Number - Numbers 10-20
An engaging activity to consolidate your students’ recognition of two-digit numbers.
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Colouring 2D Shapes Worksheet
A worksheet to consolidate students' understanding of rectangles, squares, circles and triangles.
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Division Fact Fluency Pack - ÷12
Practise division 12 facts with an engaging worksheet pack that helps teachers reinforce division strategies and build stronger fact recall through purposeful activities.
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Colour by Number - Mixed 1 - 12 Division
Make times tables practice more engaging with this division colour by number worksheet, designed to strengthen division fact fluency while giving students a fun, self-checking maths activity.
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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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Multiples of 2 — Fact Fluency Pack
Build multiples of 2 fact fluency with this engaging worksheet pack, designed to help teachers strengthen multiplication recall through a variety of purposeful, low-prep 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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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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Multiplication With Equal Groups – Colour by Number Worksheet
Guide your students to determine a multiplication problem for an equal groups model with this colour-by-number worksheet.