Coloring in the Classroom: Color by Number/Color by Code Activities & Collaborative Coloring Posters
Do you use color by number/code activities in your classroom? I’ve heard some say they have no educational value, and they’re considered busy work. I completely disagree! These activities can definitely be a great addition to your classroom. You just need to get creative!
The most common type of color by number activities go along with math skills. But what other subjects could benefit with these types of worksheets? What if I told you grammar, or even…..reading comprehension?!
Have you ever heard of collaborative coloring posters? I learned about them recently, and I’m hooked! Some people use them with positive growth mindset phrases, where students get to color their section however they want. Personally, I enjoy putting an educational component to them. And, they look great as bulletin boards!
Keep students engaged in their learning. They’ll be getting LOTS of review of important skills while coloring and having FUN!
Here are some examples.
READING COMPREHENSION
Use color by number activities to build your students’ comprehension! Each resource has students read a passage and complete several activities to show their understanding of the reading.
Presidents’ Day BUNDLE
Students read passages about both presidents. There are several comprehension worksheets, including the color by number activities seen here.
This American Symbols and American Landmarks resource includes EIGHT reading comprehension passages, with comprehension questions and activities. Students read passages and learn facts about:
- American Flag
- Bald Eagle
- White House
- Mount Rushmore
- Liberty Bell
- Statue of Liberty
- Washington Monument
- Uncle Sam
Here’s what the color by number activity looks like! Students use the passage to answer 10 questions. Each question has two answer choices, each with a color listed. Students choose their answer and color in the shapes on the corresponding page (using the question number). In addition, students must underline the answer in the passage with the correct color. They’ll be reviewing the information several times!
GRAMMAR/PARTS OF SPEECH
Review grammar and parts of speech concepts all year with these fun color by code worksheets.
Here’s what students will be reviewing:
- common nouns
- proper nouns
- pronouns
- verbs
- verb tenses
- adjectives
- contractions
- conjunctions
- prepositions
- interjections
- adverbs
- plural nouns
- synonyms
- antonyms
- homophones
- syllables
- rhyming
Do you have a hard time fitting grammar into your busy schedule? Your students will love reviewing important grammar skills with these activities. They are perfect for holiday centers or early finishers!
MATH
Keep students engaged with these 3rd grade math review worksheets and color by number activities for the holidays and seasons. These are perfect for whole group review, small group centers, or even for your early finishers!
What holidays/seasons are included?
- Summer
- Fall/Autumn
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas
- Winter
- Valentine’s Day
- St. Patrick’s Day
- Spring
What math concepts will students review with these worksheets & activities?
- Place Value
- Rounding to 10/100/1,000
- Addition
- Subtraction
- Multiplication
- Division
- Word Problems
- Fractions
- Perimeter
- Area
- Time to the Nearest Minute
- Elapsed Time
- Graphing
COLLABORATIVE COLORING POSTERS
Students work together to create these fun and engaging posters that are a great addition to your seasonal bulletin boards. Build a positive classroom community as students complete the blocks and put the poster together.
This fall collaborative coloring poster is perfect for your fall-themed math bulletin board! Students practice their multiplication facts to color one of 25 blocks. All 25 blocks make a large poster that is 30 x 30 inches!
This winter collaborative coloring poster is perfect for your winter-themed writing bulletin board! Students review grammar/parts of speech to color one of 36 blocks. All 36 blocks make a large poster that is 36 x 36 inches!
This New Year’s collaborative coloring poster is perfect for your winter-themed bulletin board! Students practice rounding to the nearest 100 and use the code to color one of 25 blocks. All 25 blocks make a large poster that is 30 x 30 inches!
COMING SOON — St. Patrick’s Day Poster
As you can see, color by number/code activities and collaborative coloring posters can really be a great addition to your classroom. They are PERFECT for review of key concepts. They work great for those students who finish work early or may need an extra challenge. You could even add them to your substitute folder.
We all know it can be really difficult to keep students’ attention during the days leading up to a holiday or break. These activities will help keep your students active in their learning, without just giving busy work!