Why children love them
A mystery picture turns a page of number recognition or maths facts into a puzzle with a payoff. Children want to see what the picture is, so they keep going, and every square they colour is one more fact practised. Because a wrong answer shows up as a square of the wrong colour, they can often spot and fix their own mistakes.
Three ways to play
- Numbers. Match each number to its colour in the key.
- Sums. Addition within 10, every answer from 2 to 10.
- Take away. Subtraction within 20, every answer from 2 to 10.
More puzzles
Try dot to dot for counting in order and mazes for pencil control. For more practice with the same facts, the addition worksheets come with answer keys too.
Curriculum links in England
- ReceptionChildren recall number bonds to 5 and some bonds to 10 without counting, as the Number goal describes.
- Year 1Pupils add and subtract one- and two-digit numbers within 20, including zero.
- Year 2Addition and subtraction facts to 20 should be recalled fluently, not worked out each time.
The curriculum doesn’t mention colour-by-number pages, but its stress on fluent recall of facts in Key Stage 1 is exactly what the Sums and Take away grids practise, many times over on one page.
In Year 2 the aim is recall rather than counting on fingers, so if a child is counting out every square, switch to a smaller grid or to the plain Numbers code until the facts come quickly. The Numbers code suits Reception, where matching a numeral to its colour is enough. The seasonal pictures are handy for the last week of the autumn term before Christmas.
Summarised in our own words from the EYFS statutory framework (early learning goals) and the National Curriculum in England: mathematics programmes of study (DfE).
