When your child turns 1, a significant life milestone, you’ll notice they start to absorb knowledge like tiny sponges. Since the newborn period has long since passed, they begin to walk, talk, and become much more independent.
When they reach this age, you can start exposing them to colors. A youngster has to start hearing words frequently in order to retain them.
It’s a good idea to start teaching them about colors at a young age, even though they probably won’t be able to comprehend and retain the notion of colors until they are about 18 months old. Just like learning the names of items began to make sense to them around the one-year mark, learning colors will begin to make sense to them at this point.
One of the simplest ways to learn colors is to match them by placing the red piece on the red area. It could happen initially, followed by the ability to identify and select colors when prompted (such as delivering you the red piece when you ask for it). The ability to identify red when asked what hue something is comes last.
9 Simple Tips for Teaching Colors to Your Toddler
Overexposure is the secret to helping your toddler learn colors. You want to offer kids a ton of opportunities to hear you mention the colors’ names, to be asked the colors’ names, and to see the colors frequently, as I’ll discuss below.
Around the age of 16 months, I really began introducing colors to my daughter, and she rapidly understood the concept. Here are some quick suggestions for introducing colors to your toddler:
1. Start Simple
Avoid giving your child too many colors at once. Concentrate on two at a time, and as they become accustomed to them, add more.
Whenever you see those two colors, point them out to your child, but don’t label any other colors yet. Consider teaching red and green to your youngster first. Point out everything that is red or green that you see. At specific periods of play, only provide them with red and green items.
Discuss and clearly identify the red and green items. Request that they only classify items that are red or green. Add yellow after they are comfortable with red, green, and the distinctions between the three. While kids play, they will undoubtedly see additional colors, so make an effort to keep your conversation to those few hues.
Fewer options will make it simpler for children to recall the colors.
2. Use Small, Colorful Objects for Sorting
I adore teaching colors and counting using interesting, uncomplicated items. Little pompoms are adorable to toddlers since they are soft, and they will be eager to learn with them.
My daughter places them in the appropriate pile, and I like to organize and arrange them according to color. If your kid is still learning colors, having them identify the hues of each pompom is also a terrific idea.
Let’s download this coloring book for toddlers makes a fun learning resource for introducing color recognition and basic concepts such as counting and addition. It can also be used for kids’ math and counting games for toddlers, and it is great for developing fine motor skills with the tongs.
Sort the bears into cups of the same hue as your toddler. Tongs or their hands are both acceptable. They will also enjoy creating stories and games with the bears using their creativity.
3. Distinguish Contrasting Colors
To avoid confusing your child, it is advisable to pick colors that are completely different from one another. When kids are learning, objects with contrasting hues will stand out to them more.
Don’t mix, for instance, red and orange, red and pink, or blue and purple while teaching colors side by side. The color combinations are red/green, blue/yellow, purple/green, and black/white work well with contrast. There are many more possible combinations.
Additionally, certain color hues might appear to be closely linked to one another, such as a yellowish green that resembles yellow or a turquoise that may resemble green or blue. When instructing them, make an effort to stay with the main colors.
4. Color puzzles
The development of language, intellect, and fine motor abilities can all be facilitated by puzzles. My kid adores and frequently requests to complete the Melissa & Doug Colorful Fish Puzzle.
I name each color as she places a piece on the board while we play so that she may hear it often and associate it with what she sees.
Your child won’t have to concentrate on the images or items on the problem because this color puzzle only uses fish; instead, they can pay attention to the colors. I believe this was one of the finest tools for teaching my kid her colors at such a young age.
5. Use the Same Objects
Because the word “color” is usually used to describe something else, it could be a bit challenging for infants and young children to grasp the notion of colors. They have been learning terms for real objects thus far, such as ball, vehicle, mother, milk, etc.
They are able to understand the names of all the objects they can see or grasp.
Use two identical things to demonstrate the color differences in order to help children better comprehend the notion of color. Showing your child a red automobile and a blue block, for instance, will lead her to believe that you are labeling the objects differently because they are different.
Instead, use a red car and a blue car to distinguish the differences.
The first color exercises your child will be able to perform are color matching and sorting, which are covered in the activity below. We used MegaBlocks, but any set of building blocks or colorful toys will work.
6. Label EVERYTHING with a Color
They will develop their language and vocabulary more quickly as a result of this. Everything they encounter in their daily lives has color. As you view, pass, and offer things to others, be careful to vocally identify them by name and color.
If you’re just starting to add colors, you might want to label each one separately to prevent confusion between the name and the color. You’d be shocked at how fast kids grasp these ideas and realize that you’re simply describing the color of an object rather than identifying it.
7. Color with Crayons and Markers
Toddlers can enhance their fine and visual motor skills—the ability to coordinate their hands and eyes to carry out a task—by coloring. Have your youngster draw on paper with crayons while you point out and name the different colors they use.
You can print out free blank coloring pages of their favorite characters or objects here if using blank paper gets boring to them.
Around 18 months, toddlers can begin learning their colors. Here are some easy, practical suggestions for helping your toddler learn colors fast and simply. The greatest strategy is to start them young since the more time they spend listening and seeing colors, the better.
I heartily suggest these finger crayons for small hands. They facilitate a secure grip on the crayon and are the ideal size for little fingers to wrap around. Crayons that are too thin or too thick are impossible for a child to handle properly, which leads to faster wear and tear.
8. In Their Natural Environment
Children learn best when they are immersed in their normal surroundings. List the colors that contrast at:
- mealtimes (green beans, yellow corn, red raspberries)
- during dressing (blue shirt, black pants)
- during playtime (red blocks, blue balls)
- outdoors (blue sky, green grass, pink flower)
9. Fingerpainting
Sensory experiences where children are actively touching, tasting, hearing, or smelling things are one of the best ways to teach your kids new concepts. Your toddler will love trying out their artistic capabilities by rubbing their hands on paper with finger paint.
To produce secondary colors (green, purple, and orange), all you need are three basic finger paint colors (blue, red, and yellow).
Allow your child to smear the paint onto the paper with their hands and fingers after rubbing it in. Ask them what color is on their hands and the paper while you talk about the colors they are using.
Making your own edible finger paint at home is quick, simple, and safe for your kids. For the recipe, see this post: Sensory Edible Finger Paint!
10. Songs and Videos
Babies and toddlers like listening to music. They are lured to music, whether it comes from the stereo, mom singing, or them producing their own noises by screaming.
Songs are a fantastic way to introduce your child to new ideas, especially when combined with images. Putting concepts to music increases memory retention and increases the likelihood that students will remember the concept.
Here is a little film that uses vibrant images and catchy music to help your child learn their colors. As you demonstrate colors to them, you may also make up your own tunes and melodies to sing.
Your youngster will remember the colors more readily if you just pronounce them to them while adding a little rhythm to your voice.
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