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.
In NZ classrooms
- First 6 monthsRecognising and saying the numerals 0 to 20, and recalling addition facts to 5.
- Year 1Basic addition facts to 10 and the subtraction facts that go with them.
- Year 2Quick recall of addition facts to 20, which the Take away mode practises from the other side.
No curriculum mentions colouring by number, but the Sums and Take away modes are basic facts practice with a picture as the reward. Use Numbers for new entrants still learning to recognise numerals, Sums once facts to 10 come up in Year 1, and Take away during Year 2.
Some of the seasonal pictures, such as the turkey, come from northern-hemisphere holidays. The fruit and animal pictures suit any term, and a Christmas tree fits the last weeks of Term 4, when New Zealand classes break up for the summer holidays.
Summarised in our own words from the New Zealand Curriculum: Mathematics and Statistics, Years 0–8 (in effect from 2025), and the Ministry of Education’s year-by-year guide for parents and whānau.
