How it works
- Pick a picture and the operation: addition or subtraction within 10, 20 or 100, the times tables or division facts.
- Press New sheet for new problems, then Print. The colored picture, with every answer, prints on a second page.
- The child solves the problem in each square, finds the answer in the key at the top and colors the square. Squares marked “leave white” stay white.
In class and at home
Color by number turns twenty minutes of practice into a picture worth finishing. In class it makes a calm start to the morning, a task for early finishers or a treat before a break; at home it is practice nobody has to be talked into. Every sheet has a code, so the whole class can work on the same sheet with one answer key.
Which grade, which operation
Addition and subtraction within 10 suit 1st grade; within 20 and the mixed sheets are 1st and 2nd grade practice; within 100 fits 2nd grade. The times tables and division facts are 3rd grade work, and good practice for any child who still hesitates on 7 × 8.
The pictures are 11 to 14 squares wide and up to 16 squares high: about 150 to 210 problems, which takes most children 15 to 30 minutes.
How the key works
Each color has its own numbers, and no number belongs to two colors, so every answer leads to exactly one color. The key names the colors in words next to a small swatch, so the sheet works just as well printed in black and white.
Questions and answers
Can I print it in black and white?
Yes, the sheet is made for it: the colors are written in the key and the child adds them. Only the answer key needs a color printer to show the picture; in black and white it still shows every answer.
Does every sheet have the same problems?
No. Press New sheet and the same picture comes back with new problems and new numbers in the key. The code at the bottom of the sheet brings back exactly that sheet with its answer key.
Is there a Christmas version?
Yes. The Christmas color by number page has a tree, a star, a snowman, a present, a bell, Santa, a stocking and a gingerbread man, with the same operations.
How long does one picture take?
Between 15 and 30 minutes for most children, depending on the picture and the operation. Addition within 10 on one of the smaller pictures is the quickest.
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