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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Crazy Boxes – 5 Times Tables
A fun multiplication worksheet where students create a colour pattern using 5 times tables.
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Colour by Parts of Speech - Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives and Prepositions - Owl
Consolidate parts of speech by colouring nouns, verbs, adjectives and prepositions on the owl.
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Read and Colour Worksheet – Common and Proper Nouns
A worksheet to practise identifying common and proper nouns.
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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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States of Matter - Colour by Code Worksheet
Engage your students and have fun identifying the states of matter with a colour-by-code worksheet.
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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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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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Scarecrow Division Colour by Number Worksheet
Have fun with your Halloween maths practice with a division colour-by-number 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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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 Number - 11 x Multiplication Facts
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of multiplication facts.
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Colour by Number - 7 x Multiplication Facts
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of multiplication facts.
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Colour by Number - 1 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 – 11 Times Tables
A fun multiplication worksheet where students create a colour pattern using 11 times tables.
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Crazy Boxes – 1 Times Tables
A fun multiplication worksheet where students create a colour pattern using 1 times tables.
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Crazy Boxes – 10 Times Tables
A fun multiplication worksheet where students create a colour pattern using 10 times tables.
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Colour by Parts of Speech Worksheet – Chameleon
Practise your parts of speech lesson by colouring nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions and pronouns on the chameleon.
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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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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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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 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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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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Rounding Decimals – Differentiated Colour by Code Worksheet
Guide your students to round decimals to the nearest tenth and hundredth with this differentiated colour-by-code worksheet.
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Decimal Designs – Differentiated Decimal Rounding Worksheet
Guide your students to round decimals to different places and create a beautiful design with this differentiated 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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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 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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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.