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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100th Day Mystery Picture Worksheets
Follow the colour-coded number guides to fill in the hundreds chart square and reveal 3 special 100th Day of School mystery pictures.
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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 Sight Words - 6 Words - Toucan
A fun colouring activity to use when working with sight words.
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Colour by Sight Words - 5 Words - Dog
A fun colouring activity to use when working with sight words.
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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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Crazy Boxes – 9 Times Tables
A fun multiplication worksheet where students create a colour pattern using 9 times tables.
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Crazy Boxes – 6 Times Tables
A fun multiplication worksheet where students create a colour pattern using 6 times tables.
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Colour by Sight Words - 4 Words - Lady Beetle
A fun colouring activity to use when working with sight words.
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Underwater Colour By Numbers
Colour by numbers is a fun and easy way to help students recognise digits.
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Firetruck Colour By Number Worksheet
Build number identification skills with a printable Firetruck Colour by Number Worksheet.
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Trick or Treat Digraphs Worksheet
Sort Halloween Digraphs and colour them by code with a fun Halloween Phonics worksheet.
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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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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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Colour the Periodic Table - Worksheet and Poster
Colour the periodic table with a printable colour-coding worksheet.
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Easter Hundreds Board Mystery Pictures
A set of 9 Easter-inspired mystery hundreds charts.
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Colour It! Need or Want Worksheet
Identify examples of needs and wants with this colour-coding activity.
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Living or Non-living? Colour by Code Worksheet
Practice identifying living and non-living things with this colour-by-code worksheet.
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Colour-by-Code Parts of Speech- Back to School Worksheet
Use this colour by part of speech worksheet as a back to school activity with your students.
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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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100 Chart Mystery Picture Puzzle
Practise identifying numbers within 100 with this set of 44 number cards and hundreds board.
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Roll, Add and Colour - Easter Bilby
A fun roll, add and colour sheet featuring an Easter bilby.
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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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Colour by Sight Words - 4 Words - Dragonfly
A fun colouring activity to use when working with sight words.
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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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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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Continents and Oceans - Roll and Colour Game
Learn to identify the continents and oceans of the world with an engaging partner game.
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Colour by 2D Shape (Easter Egg)
An Easter-themed colour by 2D shape activity.
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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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Colour It! Good or Service Worksheet
Identify examples of goods and services with a colouring activity.
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Colour by Syllable Type - Worksheet
Practise identifying the six syllable types in common words with this colour-coding activity.