A periodic table colouring activity works best when every colour means something. Use this KS3 guide to spot element families, distinguish groups from periods and explain what the first 20 elements have in common. There are questions and answers for pupils, parents and teachers.
Start with the printable table
Download the free five-page Redbridge Publishing pack: a 118-element table, purposeful colouring instructions, first-20-element questions, a coloured answer map and explained answers. The PDF includes clickable links to this guide and KS3 tuition support.
Download the free five-page activity pack (PDF)
Print the pages you need. The table is A4 landscape and uses atomic numbers and symbols. Choose colours, patterns or written labels so your key remains understandable in black and white.
Colouring instructions · First 20 elements · Try the questions · Check your answers · Go further
How to colour the periodic table with a purpose
You need a printed table, a pencil and four colours. Patterns or written group numbers work just as well: you should be able to understand your key without relying on colour alone.
- Find Group 1 metals. Start with lithium, sodium and potassium. Hydrogen sits above them but is a non-metal, so leave it out of this family.
- Find Group 2. Beryllium, magnesium and calcium are the first-20 examples. Use a different colour or pattern.
- Find Group 17, the halogens. Fluorine and chlorine are the first-20 examples. Some school resources call this Group 7.
- Find Group 18, the noble gases. Helium, neon and argon are the first-20 examples. Some school resources call this Group 0.
- Add a key. Write the group number and family name beside each colour. Leave other families uncoloured for this task.
- Add a second kind of information. Among the first 20 elements, mark H, He, N, O, F, Ne, Cl and Ar with G: they are gases at 20°C and ordinary atmospheric pressure.
Groups go down; periods go across
A group is a vertical column. A period is a horizontal row. Elements in a group often share chemical properties. For the first 20 neutral atoms, the period also tells you the number of occupied electron shells in the simple shell model.
Mg
Magnesium
Group 2 · Period 3
Ca
Calcium
Group 2 · Period 4
Try saying this aloud: “Magnesium has 12 protons. It is in Group 2 and period 3.” Keep these three numbers separate: they answer different questions.
First 20 elements: a reference for your activity
Use the names and symbols below to check the worksheet. State means the element’s state at 20°C and ordinary atmospheric pressure. This table uses group numbers 1–18.
| Atomic number | Element | Group | Period | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | H — Hydrogen | 1 | 1 | Gas |
| 2 | He — Helium | 18 | 1 | Gas |
| 3 | Li — Lithium | 1 | 2 | Solid |
| 4 | Be — Beryllium | 2 | 2 | Solid |
| 5 | B — Boron | 13 | 2 | Solid |
| 6 | C — Carbon | 14 | 2 | Solid |
| 7 | N — Nitrogen | 15 | 2 | Gas |
| 8 | O — Oxygen | 16 | 2 | Gas |
| 9 | F — Fluorine | 17 | 2 | Gas |
| 10 | Ne — Neon | 18 | 2 | Gas |
| 11 | Na — Sodium | 1 | 3 | Solid |
| 12 | Mg — Magnesium | 2 | 3 | Solid |
| 13 | Al — Aluminium | 13 | 3 | Solid |
| 14 | Si — Silicon | 14 | 3 | Solid |
| 15 | P — Phosphorus | 15 | 3 | Solid |
| 16 | S — Sulfur | 16 | 3 | Solid |
| 17 | Cl — Chlorine | 17 | 3 | Gas |
| 18 | Ar — Argon | 18 | 3 | Gas |
| 19 | K — Potassium | 1 | 4 | Solid |
| 20 | Ca — Calcium | 2 | 4 | Solid |
Two useful exceptions to notice
Hydrogen is not an alkali metal. Its position above Group 1 does not make it a member of that metal family. It is a non-metal.
Not every metal is solid at room temperature. Mercury, Hg, is a liquid at 20°C. Bromine, Br, is also liquid at these conditions, but is a non-metal. These are observations to read about, not materials to handle for this paper activity. Do not assume that every remaining element has an experimentally measured solid state: some very short-lived synthetic elements have properties that are difficult to measure.
Six questions to turn colouring into learning
- Which element has atomic number 12? Give its name and symbol.
- Which Group 1 metals occur among the first 20 elements? Why have you left hydrogen out?
- Which first-20 elements belong to Group 18?
- Which first-20 elements are gases at 20°C?
- Magnesium and calcium share a group. Do they share a period? Explain.
- A pupil says, “Every metal is solid at room temperature.” Give an example that disproves this.
Challenge: Hide the reference table. Can you explain the difference between an atomic number, a group number and a period number without using the word “number” on its own as the explanation?
Answers and explanations
- Magnesium, Mg. Atomic number 12 means that every magnesium atom has 12 protons.
- Lithium, sodium and potassium. Hydrogen is a non-metal, not an alkali metal.
- Helium, neon and argon. Find them in the far-right column.
- Hydrogen, helium, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, neon, chlorine and argon. Their symbols are H, He, N, O, F, Ne, Cl and Ar.
- No. Magnesium is in period 3; calcium is in period 4. Both are in Group 2.
- Mercury. It is a metal and is liquid at 20°C, so “every metal” is incorrect.
For the challenge: atomic number counts protons; group locates a column; period locates a row. If an answer was wrong, write the corrected explanation and return to it later without looking.
How parents and teachers can use this resource
Begin with the first 20 elements rather than asking a pupil to memorise the whole table. Model one example together, let them complete a small section independently, then ask “How do you know?” The explanation tells you more than neat colouring.
For a pupil who needs a gentler start, identify just Group 1 metals and Group 18. For a pupil ready for more, connect group and period positions to electron arrangements. Keep the distinction between mass number and relative atomic mass clear: one atom’s proton-plus-neutron count is a whole number; an isotope-weighted average can be decimal.
Go beyond the colouring sheet
Redbridge Publishing’s Periodic Table Detectives companion workbook has been prepared as a 22-page printable resource for Years 7–9, with clearly marked early GCSE extensions. It develops atomic structure, ions, isotopes, first-20 electron arrangements, data interpretation and scientific explanations. It includes worked examples, original diagrams, retrieval cards, a 20-mark checkpoint and explained answers.
Preview the free four-page workbook sample with answers to see whether it suits your child.
Buy Periodic Table Detectives — £4.99. Get the complete 22-page printable PDF with worked examples, practice activities and explained answers for use within one household. The activity pack and four-page sample remain free.
For more reading, explore our guide to atoms, groups and isotopes and our guide to choosing a KS3 science revision guide or workbook.
Help your child explain the science, not just remember it
If your child can complete a worksheet but struggles to explain an answer, tell us which topics are causing difficulty. Explore our KS3 programme or enquire about classes using the existing form.
Explore the KS3 tuition programme · Enquire about science tuition
Frequently asked questions
Is this a periodic table coloring activity?
Yes. “Coloring” is the US spelling of “colouring”. This activity uses UK spelling and is designed around KS3 science, but the element symbols and group numbers are international.
Do the colours have to match a particular periodic table?
No. Different tables use different colour schemes. Choose a clear key and use it consistently. Written labels or patterns make your meaning clear in black-and-white printing too.
Should children learn all 118 elements?
This activity does not require that. Focus first on reading the table, recognising selected families and using evidence to explain an answer. Follow the particular content your child is studying at school.
Why do some books say Group 7 and others Group 17?
Some school resources label the main groups differently. Here we use 1–18: the halogens are Group 17, often called Group 7 in school materials; the noble gases are Group 18, often called Group 0.
Original online activity: Redbridge Publishing, September 2026. Scientific reference sources: IUPAC periodic table and the Royal Society of Chemistry’s element reference. These organisations do not endorse this resource.