How To Teach Kids Colors For The First Time

Toddlers actively learn new things every single day, which is why this time is very exciting for parents and children alike. But when it’s time to teach kids colors, many parents find themselves confused about how to do so efficiently. After all, we all know it’s important! And the last thing we want to do is “mess it up”.

But I’m here to tell you that, not only will you do just fine (I promise), but I have some tips that may make the process even easier. Starting with…

The Basics Of Teaching Kids Colors

First of all, you should probably start with just the primary colors! Aka… red, blue, and yellow. This will help to keep things simple for your little one at first. Then, after they start to understand the primary colors, you can begin introducing new ones.

And in terms of technique, the easiest way to start introducing your kids to color is by pointing out the color of various objects you come across. Because your child needs to start understanding that things can have “attributes”.

In fact, they’ll often need to master that concept before they can even begin to accurately identify colors. Which is why many children will start pointing to things and naming off an incorrect color. They’re just starting to understand the difference between objects and colors, rather than thinking that colors are objects in of themselves.

But one thing to note here, is the way you phrase pointing out the colors. Most people will default to saying things like “this red balloon”. But actually, this has been shown to confuse children. As they’re more likely to assume the color represents a different object when the sentence is framed that way.

So instead, try to opt for sentences like “that balloon is red” or the “the sun is yellow”.

Activities To Teach Kids Colors

In addition to pointing things out, you also need to expose your child to plenty of color-related activities. As this will help them put these concepts into practice! Here are some ideas…

Crafts –

Obviously, crafts are the easiest way to incorporate color into your little one’s life. And there are multiple options you can explore here! Such as…

• Finger Painting – Not only is this activity a good way for your child to make a mess productively, but it will also allow them to mix primary colors together and demonstrate to themselves that this can form new colors!
• Coloring – If your toddler already has the fine motor skills required to color, you could also provide them with a few crayons to color with. Starting with primary colors, and then giving them new crayons to add to the drawing as they start to learn more and more!

Games –

With a little creativity, you could also come up with some fun “games” to help your child learn their colors. Like…

• “I Spy” – The “I Spy” game is an old classic that we’re all familiar with, and it can be a great way to teach kids colors. Especially once you’re to the point of the process where you’re refining their ability to identify the colors out in the world, but they already know the names.
• Bean Bag Toss – You could also set up several boxes of different colors, and then invest in some corresponding bean bags. Then you can have your toddler attempt to the throw bean bags into the correctly colored box. This doubles as being a great activity to help with early hand-eye coordination.

Media –

Lastly, if you allow your child to watch screens, many children’s shows are aimed to teach kids about things like colors. Plus, if you want even more targeted videos, then you could check out YouTube for a wide variety of educational content for little ones.

And if you’re trying to minimize screen time, then you could opt for songs that talk about colors instead! Either by making them up yourself, or finding them online and then playing them for your kiddo.

FAQ About Teaching Kids Colors

Before I wrap things up, I also want to cover the answers to some commonly asked questions I see in regards to this topic…

When should I start teaching my kids colors?

Most kids will naturally start to wonder about colors at around the eighteen month mark, so this is around the time you can start teaching them the basics. However, you need to remember that the first step is simply making them realize that colors are an attribute and not an object.

At what age should a child know their colors?

Every toddler and child is different, but generally… they should be able to accurately identify and name basic colors by the age of four to five.

Is it normal for my child to not understand colors right away?

Even if you’re doing everything right, it can take up to a few years before kids start truly understanding various colors. And even when they grasp the basics, many toddlers still mix up names from time to time.

Final Thoughts

Teaching your toddlers basic things like color can be an exciting, and stressful, experience. But I hope this post was able to answer any questions you had about it, and give you some ideas for how you can go about teaching your kids colors.

And if you’d like to read more parenting-related content, feel free to check out some of my other posts.