learning colors

Color Up Some Learning and Fun with Easter Eggs

Will your child be coloring any Easter eggs soon? Part of the fun and learning at Easter time is figuring out the names of colors. Being able to match colors to their names is quite a challenge and it is sometimes used to check kindergarten readiness and learning development.

Easter eggs and learning colorsEaster eggs come in all different colors. As kids see them, grownups can tell the names of some of the egg colors. Can your child name any colors? Learning colors is not simple, by any means. First, each color word can have a zillion things that color. Those zillion items can all be a variation of one color word. A chick is yellow, so are the sun, egg yolks, daffodils, and butter, but each one is a little bit different sort of yellow. Now, think of a bunny. A real one can be brown, grey, black, or white and stuffed ones can be pink, red, purple, or any other color. That’s the case for many other things: they all come in different colors.

Because colors are everywhere, we do not really notice them, but think how dull and boring the world would be without colors. Some kids have a favorite color and want to wear it, eat it, drink it, and sleep with it. Other kids are, thankfully, not so exclusive. For kids to learn colors, they need lots of chances to hear the color words and see them together. They need to paint, draw with chalk and crayons, choose the color of the dish or cup they want, and more.

This time of year, we are all grateful for the return of color in the spring, after the duller colors of winter. Maybe that’s why for hundreds of years we have been coloring Easter eggs. By the way, do you know why the Easter Bunny crossed the road? Because the chicken had his Easter eggs. Does your child have a favorite color?

Lego and Duplo Can Help with Learning Colors

As kids play with Lego and Duplo, they are learning and developing important brain connections and thinking skills that will help with kindergarten readiness. Did you know that asking kids about colors is often included as part of a school’s evaluation? This gives teachers an idea of a child’s level of thinking skills. Kids who are having difficulty learning colors may be struggling with other concepts as well.

lego color activities for early learningLearning colors is a challenging thinking skill. First, there’s many variations of each and every color name: blue can be pale, dark, greeny or kind of purple and it’s still called blue. Second, very different objects can be the same color, such as green trees, green olives, and green grass. Third, not everybody agrees all the time on what to call a particular color. I have a coat that is deep pink that some adults call red. This can all be very confusing.

In order to learn colors, kids need to see many examples for each and every color. Gradually, they figure out which shades go with which name. Lego and Duplo have bright, basic colors. The standard red, green, yellow, and blue blocks definitely match their names. There are a variety of accessories in different colors, such as the farm and zoo animals, but they are not wild combinations.

As your child plays, you can comment using color words, such as: “Oh, you have a yellow block on the bottom and blue on top.” Or, “That block is red, like your shirt.” Take a minute to play too and ask your child to pass you a block of a particular color.  You can ask your child to tell you the color of a piece. All these little bits accumulate to support your child to make the brain connections needed for colors. No matter its color, do you agree that Lego is the ‘gold’ at the end of the rainbow for learning?

Kindergarten Readiness Fun & Learning Fall Activity #2

Instead of one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish how about one leaf, two leaves, red leaf, blue leaf for a fun fall kindergarten readiness learning activity? This post has been inspired from reading the fun book One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss. And the activity? Going out to look for a blue leaf.

fall nature activities for kidsLeaves change color in the fall. Did you know that learning colors is pretty complicated for young thinkers? In order to learn even one color, kids have to see many, many items of that color and hear the name at the same time. Yellow is a good color for fall, so just think of all the variations there are of yellow: butter, fall leaves, bananas, lemons, grapefruit, egg yolks, and the sun. Plus, kids have to learn that all the other colors are not yellow. Each color group will have countless objects that are that color and there are endless shades, tones, and hues for them all. What a huge amount of information for the brain to sort out just to learn color! More than this giant pile of yellow leaves.

fall activities for kidsWhether kids get the joke or not that there is no such thing as a blue leaf, they like to look for leaves. We can talk to them about the colors, the sizes, and the shapes. Are there some big leaves? Any small ones? How about the colors, are they the same or different? Some leaves are almost round like a circle and some are very pointy. Count the leaves too for some practice with numbers. Bring some home and “leaf” a few between two pieces of sticky contact paper.

While kids won’t find a blue leaf, they will have fun looking for one. They’ll also pick up leaves, throw them in the air, and watch them fall. They’ll have the opportunity to use words for color, shape, size, and number, and will possibly learn some new ones. The experience will definitely be hands-on and, come to think of it, can’t it only go from the ground up?

Pirate Fun Activities for Kids #6: Colors

Pirate treasure can be any color and while learning about colors is not specifically part of kindergarten readiness, it’s a great thinking–and pirate–activity that really exercises brains. How about a search for a pirate treasure of each color? While a pirate’s favorite color is gold kids can go on a pirate hunt to find something … Continue reading Pirate Fun Activities for Kids #6: Colors

Christmas Colours Learning and Fun

Christmas is a kaleidoscope of colors and supporting children to learn colors helps kids develop an important skill for kindergarten readiness and more. Attaching the correct word to each color is much, much more than matching. It is a very complex process that needs a great deal of experiences. Children need to see many examples … Continue reading Christmas Colours Learning and Fun

Kindergarten Readiness/Early Learning Basics: Colors

Parents and caregivers often ask what young children need to know before kindergarten; this is the 18th in a series of blog posts on kindergarten readiness and early learning basics. No matter the age of your little one, this will give you a general picture of what to do as your child’s very first teacher. … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness/Early Learning Basics: Colors

Kindergarten Readiness and Olympic Colors

In many homes, since the tv is on and families are watching the Olympics, parents can take advantage of the fun for some kindergarten readiness learning. Part of appeal is all the bright colors of the athletes, special decorations and each country’s flag. Learning colors is an important skill for young children. Before children can … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness and Olympic Colors

Kindergarten Readiness – Learning About Colors, with Bugs

Yesterday, while working on another kindergarten readiness and bug learning activity blog I saw this fantastic photo on Play, Create, Explore’s facebook page. Isn’t this pink worm cool? Or maybe that should be hot, as in hot pink! In any case, it’s perfect for talking about colors. Learning colors is a challenging thinking skill. First, … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness – Learning About Colors, with Bugs

Kindergarten Readiness – Spring Fun & Learning Activities #9

What’s at the end of the rainbow? There’s some learning, fun and, of course, kindergarten readiness too. I saw this idea on the blog Hands On As We Grow and loved it. First, draw a big rainbow on a large piece of paper. (I was told my rainbow looked like a cave.) Show your child … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness – Spring Fun & Learning Activities #9