5 Simple Activities To Teach Your Child About Colours

Has your pediatrician or family doctor asked your child if they can name colours yet? If not, they likely will soon because this skill is about more than your child's developing vision — it’s actually a milestone in their cognitive development.

The ability to distinguish between colours not only shows that your child can link visual clues to words, but also that they can sort objects around them based on attributes. Children start noticing colour differences as young as 18 months, but it can take a few years for them to fully understand and name the different shades.

Because believe it or not, the ability to identify colour is not something we're born with. Our definition of blues and greens, for example, is both cultural and personal. So as a parent, you need to teach your children to identify specific hues with different words to describe them (and they don't have to fancy words either). 

Here are five different places and activities you can explore colours with your child and work on developing their descriptive language.

At Home 

Now there are plenty of colour-sorting activities at home, but one of my favourites (and my kids’!) is getting them involved with laundry. Yes, it’s a chore, but it also involves colour sorting. Have your kids sort white clothes from colourful clothes to start. Once they get better at doing that, then have them sort lights, darks and colours. They’ll learn their colours and help you with the laundry at the same time. Win-win.

Another easy way to incorporate colour-learning is with colouring books. Have your child discuss what colours suit the picture and make a game of naming the colour they’re using. Here are some of my personal favourite colour books.

In the Car

Red light! Green light! Keep your children learning even when you're on the road by pointing out colours while driving. For example, if you’re stopped at a light, have them tell you when the light changes. This game doesn't take too long, so they're less likely to get bored, and they'll feel important when you listen to their announcement that the light changed colour. 

At the Park

Take your children on a rainbow nature walk, or a “colour hunt.” Start the walk by choosing a colour — green, for example. Then have your little ones identify all the green items on the walk, like grass, trees, benches, garbage cans. They might even find different coloured flowers or leaves that they can collect along the way.

At the Store 

Now grocery shopping with kids can be a challenge, but turning it into a colour-finding game makes it more enjoyable for everyone. I like to interact with my kids in the produce section. As I grab a fruit or vegetable, they say the colour out loud. When they were younger, I’d say the colour first as I put it in the cart, and soon enough, they would be repeating it. 

And before you know it, your kids won’t only recognize the different colours, but they’ll start forming opinions about them as well. They’ll want red apples, not green ones, or they’ll ask for green grapes instead of red.

At the Restaurant

Dining out is also an excellent place to point out colours and talk about nutrition. Adults know our plates should be colourful, so when the food arrives, have your child count how many different colours are on each plate. The person with the biggest number of colours wins!