Colours are fascinating. You must have noticed that most kids’ clothes, toys, books, etc., are full of bright colours. This is because it helps divert and grab attention. Therefore, learning colours for kids is important. Knowing colour names in English can be very beneficial for children’s growth. But how? Let’s read how colours for kindergarten kids can benefit them.
Why Do Kids Need To Learn About Colours?
Let’s look at some reasons why kids should learn about colours.
- Learning about colours helps kids sort, organise, categorise, and compare objects.
- Early identification of colours helps children to create a cognitive link between visual clues and words.
- Learning to identify and describe colours improve the children’s ability to communicate and express themselves.
When Should Your Child Learn About Colours?
Children are ready to learn about colours when they are a year old. But, they can tell the difference between a lot of colours before that. If your child is unable to differentiate between the colours, do not force them to learn. Some children learn about colours sooner, and some learn them later. Let them take their own time.
Colour Names As Per Their Categories
Let’s take a look at the colour names in English with pictures.
1. Primary Colours
- Red
- Yellow
- Blue
2. Secondary Colours
When we mix two primary colours, it results in secondary colours.
- Green
- Orange
- Purple
3. Tertiary Colours
When we mix a primary colour with a secondary colour, it results in tertiary colour.
- Teal
- Lime
- Brown
List Of Other Colours For Children
Now that your child knows the names of primary and secondary colours, it’s time to teach them the names of some more colours. Below, we have made a list of a few colours that you can teach your child. Let’s take a look at them.
- Navy Blue
- Magenta
- Pink
- Maroon
- Violet
- Black
- White
- Turquoise
- Gold
- Silver
- Grey
- Burgundy
- Olive
- Charcoal
- Bronze
- Cream
- Tan
- Mustard
- Lavender
- Mauve
Tips To Keep In Mind While Teaching Colours To Your Child
Teaching a child anything is quite a task, and when it comes to teaching colours, it’s a task in itself. This is because there are numerous contrasting colours around us, and a child can get confused while learning the name of colours and what they look like.
To make it simple for you to teach your child about colours, we have made a list of some basic tips below that will come in handy when you will teach your little one about colours. Let’s read!
1. Start With Basic Colours
First, teach your child about primary colours – red, yellow, and blue. When your child is comfortable and can identify these colours, you can move to other colours.
2. Distinguishable Colours
After teaching about primary colours, it’s best to avoid teaching about similar colours, like red, maroon, magenta, etc. Teach your little one different colours first, like teal, orange, purple, etc., so that they do not get confused.
3. Colour Categories
Next, you can teach children about colour groups, like green, light green, olive, forest green, etc. Explain these colours with the help of examples, like the leaf is light green, the olive is olive green, etc.
4. Relationship Between Colours & Emotions
Yes, colours are also used to express our emotions. For example, “feeling blue” means sad, and “red” means anger.
Children do not need to learn about what each colour stands for, but must be made aware that emotions and colours have a deep connection.
Activities That Can Help Your Child Learn Colours
Let’s make the learning process easy for children with the help of some fun activities. Teaching colour activities to your child will help them learn the name of different colours and associate colour names with what they look like. Let’s take a look at the activities.
1. Finger Painting
Materials You Need
- Primary colour paints
- Paper
What To Do
- Ask your child to dip their fingers in red, yellow and blue colours and create beautiful patterns on paper.
- When they mix two primary colours, talk about the secondary colour formed by mixing two colours.
- Ask your child to describe what they have created using the colours.
2. Tell The Colour Name
Materials You Need
- Box of crayons
What To Do
- Hand the colour box to your child and ask them to take out all the colours.
- One by one, ask your child to repeat the name of each colour after you.
3. Colour Mixing
Materials You Need
- Shaving cream
- Food colouring
- Small bows
- Large zip-top bag
What To Do
- Fill the zip-top bag with shaving cream
- Take two food colours and add them to the bag and seal the bag.
- Ask your child to mix the two colours using their fingers.
- Let them learn how mixing two colours can create a new colour.
4. Pick Up Something….
Materials You Need
- Everyday things at home
What To Do
- Sit with your child in a living room or bedroom.
- Ask your child to pick up something red, blue, yellow, green, etc., in the room.
- Your child will love playing this game and also learn about different colours with the help of this fun activity.
5. Sort The Objects
Materials You Need
- Different items to put in a sensory bin
- Bucket
What To Do
- Take a bucket and add different things like colours, small cars, building blocks, etc., to it.
- Ask your child to separate the items based on their colours.
- This is a great game to teach your child about colour categories.
Books For Kids To Learn Colours
Books are another great way to teach your child about colours. There are many books available in the market that will help children learn and identify colours. We have listed some books below that you can use to teach your little one about colours.
1. Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See?, by Bill Martin, Jr.
A famous book, Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See? is a simple book with almost no plot, but children identify the colourful animals and ask the same question… “Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?”
2. Bear Sees Colours, by Karma Wilson
A picture book that is great for teaching children about different colours like red, yellow, brown, green and blue.
3. Pete The Cat: I Love My White Shoes, by Eric Litwin
A bright picture book about shoes changing their colour as Pete walks through strawberries, blueberries, and mud; this book is great to let your child know more about colours.
4. Dog’s Colourful Day, by Emma Dodd
This is a fun book about a cheerful dog who encounters different colours wherever he goes. Children will love reading about how a drop of jam falls on a dog’s back during breakfast. His tail dips into blue paint as he gets a chocolatey brown pat from a friendly boy.
We hope you and your little one had a fun time learning about colours. The simple activities and books mentioned in the article above will help your child to identify colours in fun simple ways. Keep looking at this space for more such articles!
Also Read:
Names Of Things That Are Orange in Colour
Things That Are Green in Colour for Children
How to Teach Colours To Toddlers & Preschoolers
