Ways to Teach Your Child About Colors

Children begin to identify colors at around 18 months, and it’s important to help your child continue this process. Colors are all around us, and being able to differentiate between them is an important skill related to math and problem-solving.

Here are some fun ways you can teach your child about colors.

  1. During snack time, have your child sort their veggies, fruit, and crackers by color.
  2. Go for a walk and point out the colors of things around you. The classic game “I Spy” is ideal here.
  3. Color and draw with sidewalk chalk, finger paint, or a coloring book.
  4. Using a sheet of multicolored stickers, have your child match a sticker with a colored circle you’ve drawn on a separate sheet of paper.
  5. Decide on a color of the day, and choose your child’s clothing, family meals, and other activities based on that color.
  6. Have your child help you decorate cookies or cupcakes with colorful icing and sprinkles.
  7. Read books together that focus on colors, while also telling a fun story your child will enjoy.
  8. Play board games such as Candy Land, that are designed to help children learn their colors.
  9. Hold a color-related scavenger hunt in your home. Some ideas for items to use include: crayons, toy blocks, pieces of construction paper, and small balls of yarn. Give your child paper bags with each color’s name written or drawn in the corresponding color, and have them fill each bag with their discoveries.
  10. On a nice day, head outside for some spray bottle painting, filling each bottle with a different color of paint.
  11. In the produce section of the grocery store, ask your child to help you pick out fruit and vegetables based on color.
  12. If your child is confident in identifying basic colors, you can help them learn about shades and hues with paint swatches. Ask your child to sort the swatches from light to dark, or make a collage using different shades of their favorite color.
  13. Play with play-dough and small craft items such as buttons, beads, and wooden shapes. Your child can match the items with the dough, creating a sensory experience as well.
  14. Using a few easy-to-find items, you and your child can create rainbow shaving cream marbled art.
  15. With food coloring, you can make fun multicolored ice cubes with your child. This is an ideal opportunity to talk with your child about colors – you can ask them to predict what will happen when colors are mixed, and when the ice melts.

Color recognition is an important skill that forms the basis for math and problem-solving skills later in life. With these 15 fun and educational activities, you can help your child learn more about colors.