Color by number for kids: free, on the screen or printed, with a math twist

Color by number is a picture where every shape has a number, and the number tells you which colour to use. Peabody has a version for kids called color by sum: each shape has a small sum, and the right answer picks the colour. It's free, on the screen or printed, with no sign-up. The colouring pages are in the Art Studio and on the coloring pages page.

How color by sum works

Pick a colouring page and tap a shape. Each shape shows a small sum, like 3 + 4. Work out the answer, and that's the colour to use. Color the whole picture, and the sums and colours lead you through the sheet.

The sums fit the child's grade, so a kindergartener and a third grader each get sums they can do. A child who gets one wrong has the chance to try again, and the picture still gets coloured.

Why color by sum helps

A colouring page is calm, and a sum is practice. Together, the child does a few sums without it feeling like homework. The hard part is the picking, not the colouring, so a child who finds worksheets tiring may still stick with a picture.

Two things make it work for practice: the sums repeat, so the same facts come back, and the child sees the picture come together, which is a reward in itself.

Which child it suits

Color by sum suits a child who likes pictures and is building up their number facts. It's a good match for a child who finds a plain worksheet dull, or who is just starting to add. A child who is already fast at sums may want the bigger pictures, which have more shapes to finish.

Children colour at their own pace, so there's no timer and no score to beat. The point is that a few sums feel like part of the picture, not a test at the end of it.

Color by number on paper

Not every child wants to use a screen, and that's fine. Each page on Peabody has a Print button that leaves just the picture on the paper: black outlines on white, ready for crayons or pencils. For a child who is learning sums, print a page and write the answers in the shapes yourself. For a child who already knows their sums, print a page and colour it by hand.

Ideas to go with it

• Make your own key. Before colouring, the child writes a colour for each answer on a card, then colours the page from the card.
• Count the colours. After the picture is done, count how many shapes of each colour there are.
• Draw the next one. A child who likes it can draw their own picture and make up sums for it.
• Then read. Once the picture is done, a story from the library makes a calm end to the session.

For more maths practice away from the screen, free math games for kids lists games that work on the same facts, and free times tables practice gives steady practice.

Questions parents ask

Is color by number free?

Yes. The colouring pages, color by sum and printing are all free through 31 December 2026, with no sign-up.

What age is it for?

Children who know their numbers, from about five. Younger children can colour a page with the sums read aloud by a grown-up.

Do I have to use a screen?

No. Every page prints with just the picture on it, ready for crayons.

Does it use AI?

No. The sums are made and checked by code, not AI.