Back to School Multiplication Color by Number — Free Printable PDFs
Start the new school year with multiplication practice that feels like a reward. Each free printable color by number worksheet hides a friendly back-to-school picture — a shiny apple on a stack of books, a backpack, a cup of pencils, the big yellow school bus or a brand-new sneaker — behind times-table facts. Solve a fact, find the answer in the key, color the shape: the picture only comes out right if the math does. If you know these sheets as color by code, mystery multiplication, or — in the UK — colour by number, this is exactly that, built for the 2 to 12 times tables.
Every download is a two-page PDF: worksheet plus answer key. Pick the table your child or class is learning, or take the mixed sheet for a first-week review. The color key prints each color's name, so black-and-white photocopies work perfectly for a whole class set.
Free back-to-school color by number PDFs — one per times table
2 times table (Apple & Books) · Letter PDF · A4
3 times table (Backpack) · Letter PDF · A4
4 times table (Pencil Cup) · Letter PDF · A4
5 times table (School Bus) · Letter PDF · A4
6 times table (Sneaker) · Letter PDF · A4
7 times table (Apple & Books) · Letter PDF · A4
8 times table (Backpack) · Letter PDF · A4
9 times table (Pencil Cup) · Letter PDF · A4
10 times table (School Bus) · Letter PDF · A4
11 times table (Sneaker) · Letter PDF · A4
12 times table (Apple & Books) · Letter PDF · A4
Mixed times tables (School Bus) · Letter PDF · A4
Make your own worksheet
Need different facts, thirty different sheets for one class, or an online version? The free generator below opens with the school pictures pre-selected — choose your tables and fact range, print worksheets with keys, or let kids color online. Or open it full-page: back-to-school worksheet maker →
Each printable also carries a small QR code — scan it and the same sheet opens in the online generator, ready to color on a tablet.
❓ FAQ
Are these multiplication worksheets free to print?
Yes — free for home and classroom use, photocopying included. No sign-up.
What is a color by number multiplication worksheet?
Every shape in the picture holds a times-table fact. The child works out the answer, matches it to a color in the key, and colors the shape. One wrong answer shows up as one wrong color — self-checking practice that children actually finish. Teachers also call these color by code worksheets.
Which tables should my child start with?
Most children start with the 2s, 5s and 10s, then 3s and 4s, then the rest. There is one sheet per table from 2 to 12 here; the generator can mix any combination for revision.
Do they photocopy well?
Yes. Color names are printed under every key swatch, so black-and-white copies stay fully usable, and the palette is picked so colorblind children can tell the pencils apart.
Can I make a whole class set?
Use the generator above — it builds up to thirty different sheets of the same picture with one shared answer key, two-per-page if you want to halve the printing.