Maths · Colour-by-number and write worksheet
Times Tables Colour-by-Number: Free KS2 Owl Worksheet
Colour-by-number is one of the gentlest ways to build the rapid multiplication recall that Year 4 children need. This free, printable worksheet pairs a friendly owl with a short set of times tables facts: your child works out each answer, then matches it to a colour using the key, and the owl gradually comes to life as the practice is completed.
It is designed as light, low-pressure rehearsal for the Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check (MTC), which assesses recall of facts up to 12 x 12. The whole activity prints to a single A4 page, so it is ready to use at home or in the classroom with nothing more than a pencil and a few colouring pencils.
Owl Times Tables Colour-by-Number
Free Maths worksheet · Ages 8 to 9
Colour the owl by number
Work out each answer below, then find that number on the owl and colour that region using the colour key. Colour the regions in any order you like.
- Colour every region that answers 6 x 7 (= 42) brown.
- Colour every region that answers 8 x 8 (= 64) orange.
- Colour every region that answers 9 x 4 (= 36) yellow.
- Colour every region that answers 7 x 11 (= 77) green.
- Colour every region that answers 12 x 6 (= 72) blue.
Quick-fire facts
Write the answer to each multiplication fact on the line. Then choose one fact and, on the back of the sheet, write the two division facts that go with it.
6 x 8 =
7 x 8 =
9 x 9 =
9 x 11 =
12 x 12 =
Owl Times Tables Colour-by-Numberowee.worldAnswer key
- Colour every region that answers 6 x 7 (= 42) brown. — 42 = brown
- Colour every region that answers 8 x 8 (= 64) orange. — 64 = orange
- Colour every region that answers 9 x 4 (= 36) yellow. — 36 = yellow
- Colour every region that answers 7 x 11 (= 77) green. — 77 = green
- Colour every region that answers 12 x 6 (= 72) blue. — 72 = blue
- 6 x 8 = — 48
- 7 x 8 = — 56
- 9 x 9 = — 81
- 9 x 11 = — 99
- 12 x 12 = — 144
How colour-by-number supports times tables recall
By Year 4, children are expected to move beyond working facts out by counting and towards instant recall. Colour-by-number helps because it repeats facts in a relaxed, game-like setting where the reward (a finished picture) is separated from the pressure of being tested. Each fact is encountered, answered and then immediately used, which strengthens the link between the question (for example 7 x 8) and its answer (56). Because the activity is self-checking in spirit, a wrongly coloured region usually prompts the child to revisit a fact rather than feel they have failed.
Preparing for the Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check
The MTC is a short, on-screen national check taken in June of Year 4. Children answer 25 multiplication questions drawn from the tables up to 12 x 12, with just six seconds to respond to each. Speed and accuracy both matter, so regular, little-and-often practice tends to work far better than long sessions. A worksheet like this is most effective as a five-to-ten-minute warm-up. To build genuine fluency, vary which tables you focus on across the week and gradually include the trickier facts (such as the 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 times tables) that children most often hesitate over.
Getting the most from this worksheet at home
Encourage your child to read the colour key first and to colour the regions in any order they like, tackling the facts they feel confident with before the harder ones. If they pause on a fact, prompt them with a known strategy rather than the answer: doubling for the even tables, using a known fact nearby (8 x 6 is one more group of 6 than 7 x 6), or recalling that any number times 10 simply gains a zero. Keep the mood calm and unhurried. The aim of a colour-by-number sheet is consolidation and confidence, not timed testing.
Linking multiplication and division facts
The National Curriculum asks children to recall multiplication and division facts together, because they are two views of the same relationship. Once your child knows 6 x 7 = 42, they also have 7 x 6 = 42, 42 ÷ 6 = 7 and 42 ÷ 7 = 6. After completing the picture, a quick conversation turning one of the multiplication facts into its matching division facts is a valuable extension that deepens understanding without needing any extra worksheet.
Frequently asked questions
What times tables does the Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check cover?
The check covers all multiplication facts up to 12 x 12. Children answer 25 questions on screen, with six seconds allowed for each, so quick recall of every table from 2 to 12 is the goal.
What age is this times tables colouring worksheet for?
It is aimed at children aged 8 to 9 (Year 4, lower KS2), the year of the Multiplication Tables Check. Confident Year 3 children and Year 5 children needing extra consolidation will also find it useful.
Is this worksheet free to print?
Yes. The worksheet is completely free to download and print, and it is designed to fit on a single A4 page so you only need one sheet per child.
How often should my child practise their times tables?
Short, frequent sessions work best. Five to ten minutes a day, focusing on one or two tables at a time, builds recall far more effectively than a single long session each week.
How can I help my child who finds the harder tables tricky?
Prompt with strategies rather than answers: doubling for even tables, multiplying by 10 then adjusting for the 9 times table, and using a nearby known fact (8 x 6 is one more 6 than 7 x 6). Praise effort and keep the colouring calm and pressure-free.
Curriculum links
- Year 4 Number, multiplication and division: recall multiplication and division facts for multiplication tables up to 12 x 12.
- Year 4 Number, multiplication and division: use place value, known and derived facts to multiply and divide mentally.
- Year 3 Number, multiplication and division: recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 3, 4 and 8 multiplication tables (prior learning consolidated here).
- Year 4 Number, multiplication and division: multiply two-digit and three-digit numbers by a one-digit number using formal written layout (built on secure fact recall).
Made by The Owee education team. Updated 02/06/2026. Free to print and share.
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