Helping children learn in an easy and fun way is a topic that occupies many parents. And we all want our children to grow and develop as much as possible . One of the main topics we work with the little ones is their relationship with colors .
Learning to distinguish all colors is not something that your baby can do as soon as he is born, because the maturation of his visual system does not allow it. Of course, we know that newborns can see the contrast of black and white shapes , and they can see some color from birth, only they have to be very intense.
On the other hand, they tend to have a preference for bright colors that catch their attention, particularly red.
evolution of vision
At three or four months, their vision already allows them to begin to differentiate the shades of colors , particularly between red and green, although they still need a greater difference between colors to be able to see them.
And between five and eight months babies will develop a deeper perception, which will allow them to differentiate five categories of colors.
How to teach colors to children?
So, once your child is already able to distinguish and learn colors, how to teach him? Here we will give you some ideas to accompany it.
I see-I see for children
From the age of three we can start the classic game of “I see-I see” with children, looking for an object of a certain color, and saying, for example: “I see something yellow… what is it?”
And let your little one have to guess. And so with the colors you want.
Children’s Stories
One of the best tools we have to help stimulate children’s learning is, without a doubt, children’s stories .
And it is that through the different narratives we can give them information that allows them to understand the world around them.
We recommend that you use specialized books to teach the colors and then try others, asking your child to identify them. In addition to being fun , it gives you the chance to spend some great quality time with him.
the color of the day
You can choose a color with your child, and throughout the day look for objects that have that color . For example: “today is yellow day”, then both of you will look for all the yellow things around.
You can do this while at home, or even by room, such as asking him to indicate the yellow objects in the kitchen .
Also, if you go for a walk or do any other activity, it is much more fun in a world full of colors to see.
Worksheets to learn colors
We also find chips so that children can learn colors; for example, those in which they have to relate the color to the objects of that color , or even the written color (in a word) with the painted color. You can find many related resources on the internet.
color construction
Another game to learn colors can be a construction game , using the different colored construction pieces to create different shapes and models.
We can give the premise of “creating a blue tower”, or “blue and red”, and that the child reproduces the model by selecting the indicated colors.
using paints
Art is always important for development, and nothing better than using colored paints to create wonderful works . It can also be the perfect opportunity to encourage your child to learn about colors and identify them.
But don’t push him, just show him the colors and say his name. You can tell him to paint something a particular color or, so he doesn’t feel pressured, casually ask him to hand you a certain color paint.
The idea is that you learn to differentiate them in a fun way.
Sort by colors
In the market there are many fun games with many colors. In fact, it is unusual to get toys with very light tones, and this is not fortuitous.
The use of bright colors is much more attractive to children’s eyes, and therefore they will want to play more with toys of this type, in general, and when they are older, since as babies, for example , black and white toys are ideals.
So what better opportunity than this? Take advantage of when your child is playing and invite him to continue doing so with another fun color sorting game. They can be all at once, by stacking them by color and then searching for just the ones of a particular color.
Draw
Drawing is one of the options that we immediately think of when referring to colors, and it is not a wrong thing. Drawing and coloring is perfect for learning to differentiate colors.
You can use wax colors for younger children, as they will be more comfortable for them, or the material that you consider most suitable.
In the case of using colors (pencils), keep in mind that tones such as white and cream can rub them when trying to color and not see results.
colors in clothes
To teach colors you do not need to have elaborate resources, you can do it with the things you use every day, and this includes clothes .
You can play with your child to identify the colors of his clothes and yours or take advantage of dressing time to look for a color. You can also help from the people you see, whether they are on the street or from a window.
You can even play fun games at home like dressing up completely in some color , making use of costumes or asking him to choose the clothes with the colors he wants and indicate them to you.
Remember: each child, his own rhythm!
It is recommended that when teaching colors to a child, when you play do not overwhelm him. It’s okay if you don’t learn them as quickly as you’d like. Understand that it is a process and that each case is different .
Always remember to treat him with love and explain as many times as necessary, be patient! Life is much more beautiful when there are colors.
“The child who has increased his own independence with the acquisition of new abilities can only develop normally if he has freedom of action.”
-Maria Montessori-