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1st grade color by number printables

By first grade, kids read numbers easily, so they can follow a key of six to eight colors and spot the small spaces in a full scene: the sky, the sea, the details of a boat.

The picture is visible from the start. The challenge is not guessing the image but not mixing up two numbers that stand for close shades, like sky blue and blue. A good independent attention exercise for the classroom or a quiet afternoon.

25 free sheets, no account, no email. Each button prepares the PDF as US Letter or A4, to print and copy freely.

How to use them

Print the sheet at actual size ("Actual size" or 100% in your print settings): the numbers in small spaces become hard to read as soon as the page is scaled down. Regular printer paper is fine, but slip a sheet underneath if your child uses markers.

The color key is at the bottom of the sheet. The easiest start is to color the dots of the key with the crayons you actually have, rather than hunting for the exact shade: what matters is that two different numbers don't end up the same color.

Where do these sheets come from? From the same program that makes our personalized books. It splits an illustration into color areas, merges the ones too small for a child to color, numbers the rest and draws the color key.

The difference with our books comes down to one page: here, the picture stays hidden, like a real mystery picture. In our personalized color by number books, the colored model is printed on the facing page, because you are coloring your own family and want to see how it should look.

What about a photo of your child?

The same program can turn your own photo into a coloring page. The preview is free, you receive it by email, and you don't have to buy anything to see it.

Try it with my photo