Math Coloring Pages

• Addition within 10: a butterfly and a rainbow where each wing or stripe holds a sum such as 3 + 4
• Addition within 20: a rocket and a sailboat with problems that cross ten, such as 8 + 7
• Subtraction: an owl with differences within 10 and a hot air balloon with differences within 20
• Multiplication by table: one sheet each for the 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s and 10s, so a child can practice a single table
• Mixed multiplication: a dragon and a castle that mix facts up to 12 x 12
• Number sense: color by number 1 to 10, even and odd numbers, and greater than or less than
• Fractions: color the halves and fourths of circles and bars

Pick one skill per sheet. A worksheet that mixes everything is a test. A worksheet with only the 4s table is practice. Match the page to what the class is working on this week.

Solve first, color second. Have students write every answer in pencil before touching a crayon. It stops the common shortcut of guessing colors from the shape of the picture.

Let the picture check the work. If a patch of the butterfly comes out the wrong color, the student knows which problem to redo. That self-check is what makes these better than a plain drill sheet.

Use them where drills fall flat. Morning work, early finishers, sub plans, the day before a holiday and homework for kids who resist flash cards.

A rough guide by grade in the United States: addition and subtraction within 10 is a kindergarten and early first-grade skill, within 20 comes in first and second grade, and multiplication facts are taught in third grade and practiced again in fourth.

Coloring doesn't teach a fact a child has never seen. It adds repetition, and repetition is what makes 7 x 8 = 56 come to mind without counting.