How to teach colors to 2-3 year olds?

amother

Tue, Jul 10 2012, 5:00 am

eytse wrote:

Also, can I just say, my oldest (daughter) is 2 and 8 months, and until about a month ago, I was really worried that she was color blind. My husband thought I was crazy, but I was really worried, because it seemed to me as if her verbal ability was too advanced for her to not know the colors I was teaching her. Then one day, about a month ago, it just "clicked" foret her. So I'm sure the gannenets on the board know more about this, and I'm just guessing, but it seemed like something just hadn't connected in her growing brain yet, she just hadn't developed those kinds of categories. So, I guess my point is, don't worry like I did! Just my 2 cents...

Im convinced my child is colour blind. But we do have it in the family Confused

Good to hear though that some kids its just takes longer....there is still time Very Happy

chani8

Tue, Jul 10 2012, 6:09 am

I only read the OP, and can tell you that the first thing you do is a non-verbal, visual task, specifically, sorting the colors. Take cliques or blocks or colored sticks, and let the child separate them into groups by colors.

And when they can show that they understand the concept of color differences, then you can build something by telling them to get me the blue one, and build one from the blues. Next time build from the pinks, etc, letting them go get the correct color.

Shopmiami49

Tue, Jul 10 2012, 8:23 am

Hi everyone - OP here.

We finished colors a while ago, actually, but I am going to bookmark this thread for future reference. Thanks for all the great ideas! Isramom, yes, sayign what the color is is the basic concept, but I wanted more reinforcement. I guess I wasn't that clear; I wanted ideas and things to do that would focus on the color of the week. Here is what I ended up doing:

In the daf kesher, I stated which color we would focusing on in the coming week and asked that the kids should bring in a toy of that color. I then covered a little table in that color (red, for ex.) paper and put all the red toys on it for display. Then during circle time, we would look at all the toys and talk about how they were all red. Then we would point out which kids were wearing red articles of clothing.

I also played "I Spy" 1-2 times during the week, as well as read a few books on colors during the week. During the week, all the projects were based around that color - coloring with red crayons and red stickers, a red collage, red bubble painting, red painting, and usually one baking activity to focus on that color. (For red, I made cupcakes and let each child paint red icing onto them and stick on chocolate chips for ladybug spots and 2 stick pretzels for antennae.)

I had a song for each color that we sang daily and at the end of each week, I sent home a "Color Container". Every day, we added something to our containers. They were regular small cylinder containers that I had each child paint the top with that color and put on circle stickers on the actual container. We added a (red) popsicle stick, pipe cleaner, a crayon cutout, a big sticker, etc.

We also made keychains with plastic squares in each color. I kept them in gan and each week, we added another color. I sent those home when we finished our colors unit.

In gan, we also had a color wheel and played lots of color games (whoever is wearing red, cross to the other side, etc.)

ckk

Tue, Jul 10 2012, 10:43 am

I never really sat down and "taught" my kids colours but I would always mention colours in conversations. Like instead of "please sit down on the chair" I'd say "please sit down on the brown chair" and "take out the blue pacifyer from your mouth" and "please bring to me you green coat". Both my kids picked up colors this way very early. BTW, I do this with alot of things not just "levi has such nice brown shoes that close with a velcro" or "Leah is holding onto the black stroller so nicely with her right hand" etc. etc. etc.