learning colors

Readiness for Kindergarten, Learning With Dr. Seuss, #12

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, by Dr. Seuss, is a double-your-fun book for both some math and colors. Add in some readiness for kindergarten, and that makes it a triple.

math-learningFishy crackers are a tasty math manipulative. Together L, who is three, and I counted out 10 fish crackers, saying the number and touching each cracker and saying the number at the same time. When L popped one into her mouth I asked her now how many crackers did she have. She thought about it for a few seconds and as soon as she realized she’d have one less than before she took it out and put it back on her plate! Learning math comes with experience. Counting, 1 to 1 correspondence, adding and subtracting are all some learning activities to do with fishy crackers and this fun Dr. Seuss book.

learning-colorsFor a simple craft, trace a fish on a paper and let your child color or paint. I saw some really cute, colorful ones on a Dr. Seuss bulletin board. After this fish was painted all one color, I used a tee-shirt to show the idea of polka dots and soon 1 hand wasn’t enough for making dots and both hands were dabbing on colors.

Many kindergarten readiness checklists include being able to name at least some colors. 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, too.  There is no doubt that learning colors is a learning challenge. There are many variations to each color and many different objects may have the same color. Kids need to see lots of things that are that color and lots that are not, gradually figuring out which shades go with which name.

Just like this book, there’s lots of ways to learn with fish. Do you have some other suggestions?

Readiness for Kindergarten – Learning in the Pink

Pink is a valentine color along with red and white and can be used to color up some valentine learning and readiness for kindergarten. Being able to correctly name a color isn’t quick and easy for children. Instead, it is very challenging and requires several thinking skills.  To learn what color goes with what name, kids need lots of experiences. Think of the many variations of the color pink and how different the objects can be that share this color. Pink is not a thing; it’s an idea. We can’t go to the store and buy a pink. For kids to learn the idea of the color pink they need to see lots of things that are pink and lots that are not so they gradually build up a basic idea of “pinkness”.

learning-color-pink
What's not pink? (frogs)

To help your child with pink, together think of some things that are pink: bunny ears, pigs, lips, a kitty cat’s nose, tongues, strawberry yogurt, cotton candy. If a quick tidy-up is on the list of chores for today, go on a pink hunt. While you and your child put a few things away in each room, look around for things that are pink. There are probably some clothes in the bedroom that are pink. Are there some dishes in the kitchen that are pink? Anything in the laundry that’s pink? On a bus ride, watch and see if there is something pink as you go by. The grocery store may have some things that are pink. Is there anything to eat that’s pink?

You may have some pink paper at home. Or your child could color with different things that are pink, a crayon, marker or paints. Any pink playdough? For kids that can play with buttons without eating them, you might want to find a few buttons and let them sort out the ones that are pink.

Many kindergarten readiness checklists include being able to  name at least some colors. This gives teachers an idea of a child’s level of thinking skills. Kids who are struggling with colors may be struggling with other concepts, too. A few fun activities will help your child learn all about pink. Do you have other suggestions for learning the color pink?

 

Readiness for Kindergarten – Pumpkins for Colors

When I got back to the airport on the weekend my husband and I waited for my luggage. It’s become a shared joke that I ask him to pick up my grey suitcase and he asks if I mean my green one. I will admit there is a hint of green but the color is so dull that it cannot possibly be green; it’s grey.

Learning colors is difficult for children, not just because of all the variations for each one. In order for children to learn a color they need to see lots of things that are that color and lots that are not, gradually figuring out which shades go with which name. Colors are not objects but many different objects will share a color; suitcases, pants, coats, rocks and elephants are grey. I have posted about colors before because kids need lots of experiences and practice to learn about colors.

Many kindergarten readiness checklists include being able to identify colors. This gives teachers an idea of a child’s level of thinking skills. Kids who are struggling with colors may be struggling with other concepts, too. To help your little one with the readiness for kindergarten concept of colors, use the motivation of a pumpkin. What color is it? What other things are orange like pumpkins? Oranges, traffic cones, cheese, carrots, clownfish, etc. Might there be some orange crayons or paints or playdough at your house or care center? Or an orange snack? Orange you having fun?

Readiness for Kindergarten – Backpacks for Color Learning

While some backpack colors are certainly more popular than others, any color can help when it comes to kindergarten readiness learning. Learning colors is not easy for young toddlers. Without shape or size colors are an abstract concept. We can’t feel them, buy them or even describe them without referring to something else. Many different … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten – Backpacks for Color Learning

Readiness for Kindergarten – Learning Fun At Home/Laundry

Sorting the laundry can be a readiness for kindergarten activity. The laundry can help your child learn some basics like size and colors, in addition to categorizing and vocabulary (see yesterday’s post). To help your child with the concepts of size use some of the clothes in the laundry. Towels and facecloths are often 3 sizes–small, medium and big. Size … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten – Learning Fun At Home/Laundry

Readiness for Kindergarten – Camping is for Colors

Many kindergarten readiness checklists include being able to identify colors. This gives teachers an idea of a child’s level of thinking skills. Colors are a tricky concept. Many objects can be the same color; apples, socks, berries, cars, etc can all be red but the red color can be quite different each time. There’s tremendous … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten – Camping is for Colors