About the Mystery Pictures
A mystery picture is fact practice that children want to finish. The page starts as a grid of plain squares with a fact in each one. The crayon boxes at the top list which answers go with which color, so every fact has to be solved before its square can be colored. The picture is not printed anywhere on the sheet: it only appears as the squares fill in.
The sheets check themselves. A wrong answer puts the wrong color in the picture, and it shows: a blue square in the middle of a red roof stands out. Children usually find and fix these on their own, which is a good reason to hand out the sheet without the answer key.
The addition and subtraction pictures have 120 squares with facts within 20, for grades 1 and 2. The multiplication pictures have 168 squares with facts from the 2 to 9 times tables, for grades 3 and 4. The pictures on this page show the finished sheet so that you can choose one. The printed sheet does not say what the picture is.
These work well for early finishers, for a substitute plan, for homework before a holiday, or as a quiet Friday review. A full picture takes most children 30 to 45 minutes, so it can be split over two days. For plain fact practice, see the addition, subtraction and multiplication worksheets. For two-player practice, see the multiplication games.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a mystery picture work?
Every square in the grid has a math fact. The child solves the fact, finds the answer in one of the crayon boxes at the top of the page, and colors the square that color. When all the squares are colored, they make a picture.
What grades are these for?
The addition and subtraction pictures use facts within 20 and suit grades 1 and 2. The multiplication pictures use the 2 to 9 times tables and suit grades 3 and 4.
Do I need a color printer?
No. The sheets are black and white. The child needs crayons or colored pencils in the colors named at the top of the sheet, six at most. Only the answer key is in color, and it also has the answer printed in every square, so it can be used from a black and white printout.
Does the sheet give the picture away?
No. The title on the printed sheet is only a letter, such as Mystery Picture A, and the holiday sheets name the holiday but not the picture. The finished pictures are shown on this page so that a teacher or parent can choose.
Is there an answer key?
Yes. Page 2 of every PDF shows the finished picture with the answer in each square.
