Color by Number Printables

1. Print page 1 of the PDF at 100% (“actual size”). The colors and their names are listed under the picture, so a black and white printer works too.
2. Gather your colors. Colored pencils, crayons or felt-tip pens all work. If you do not have the exact shade, any similar color is fine.
3. Color one number at a time. Fill every 1, then every 2, and so on. It is quicker than hunting for each color and the picture appears gradually.
4. Check with page 2, which shows the finished picture in color.

Press Color online under any picture. The colors appear as numbered circles: pick a number and every space with that number is softly highlighted, so they are easy to find. Tap a space to fill it. If you tap a space with a different number, nothing is lost: the hint tells you which number it needs. Undo takes back the last fill, Save picture keeps your finished page on your device, and when every numbered space is colored, a small celebration appears. It works on computers, tablets and phones, with nothing to install and no sign-up.

Color by number turns coloring into a small puzzle: you match numbers to colors and watch a picture take shape. For young children it is practice in reading numbers, staying inside the lines and following a key. For older kids it is a calm activity for a rainy afternoon or the last minutes of class. For seniors and anyone who is new to coloring, it removes the hardest part, choosing colors, so the page always turns out well.

Print a different mystery picture for each child and let the class guess each other’s pictures. In a senior center or care home, the easy mandalas and mystery pictures work well at a shared table; the numbers are printed large, and the color names are written under every picture. Ready for more detail? Try color by number for adults, or plain mandala coloring pages without numbers.