Colour By Code Worksheets Teaching Resources
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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Synonyms and Antonyms Worksheet - Colour by Code
Explore pairs of synonyms and antonyms with this colour-code worksheet.
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Valentine's Mystery Picture - Multiplication Colour By Number Worksheet
Have fun with your Valentine’s Day Maths with this multiplication mystery picture 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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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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Christmas Colour By Number - Hundreds Chart Mystery Pictures Activity
Print the perfect maths activity for Christmas: a set of 12 Christmas-inspired mystery hundreds charts.
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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 Number - 12 x Multiplication Facts
An engaging activity to consolidate your students' understanding of multiplication facts.
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Letter Sounds Worksheet – Letter Z
Practice beginning letter sounds with this colouring in worksheet.
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Letter Sounds Worksheet – Letter B
Practise beginning letter sounds with this colouring in worksheet.
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Initial Sound Recognition Worksheets (Lower Case) – Complete Set a–z
A set of colouring activities to develop letter recognition and phonemic awareness.
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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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Initial Letter Colouring Worksheet
Identify the first letter for each picture and then colour it in.
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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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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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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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Colour by 2D Shape (Easter Egg)
An Easter-themed colour by 2D shape activity.
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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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Christmas Colouring - Simple Addition Colour by Number
Boost addition skills even at the end of a school year with this colour by number addition worksheet set.
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Colour By Shape Christmas Worksheets
Use knowledge of 2D shapes to colour in these Christmas-themed colour by shape worksheets.
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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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Roll, Add and Colour - Easter Basket
A fun roll, add and colour sheet featuring an Easter basket.
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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 – 12 Times Tables
A fun multiplication worksheet where students create a colour pattern using 12 times tables.
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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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Letter Sounds Worksheet – Letter X
Practise beginning letter sounds with this colouring in worksheet.
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Letter Sounds Worksheet – Letter V
Practise beginning letter sounds with this colouring in worksheet.
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Letter Sounds Worksheet – Letter T
Practise beginning letter sounds with this colouring in worksheet.
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Letter Sounds Worksheet – Letter S
Practise beginning letter sounds with this colouring in worksheet.
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Letter Sounds Worksheet – Letter O
Practise beginning letter sounds with this colouring in worksheet.
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Letter Sounds Worksheet – Letter K
Practice beginning letter sounds with this colouring in worksheet.
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Letter Sounds Worksheet – Letter I
Practise beginning letter sounds with this colouring in worksheet.
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Letter Sounds Worksheet – Letter G
Practise beginning letter sounds with this colouring in worksheet.