COLORS/ages 3.5 to 6  Preschool - Kindergarten

Activity 1:  Color Recognition Skills - Colors of the Rainbow - Color the Rainbow with Freda Frog - Ages 2+Colors are everywhere and the rainbow has all the colors that we see around us.  Visit this activity, where Freda Frog will take the children in a simple online activity to color a rainbow with primary and secondary colors.  If you wish you can also do the card activity to reinforce color recognition.

Activity 2:  Color & Art Appreciation - Color Mixing Activity  Ages 2.5+It is a wonderful experience for children to see and experience how colors mix and form other colors.

Purpose:  Demonstrate to children how the primary colors:  red, blue and yellow mix and form the secondary colors:  green, orange, and purple.

1.  Print or view from the screen this Color Mixing Poster - Primary & Secondary Colors.  Review the primary colors and show how the colors combine to form the secondary colors.

2.  Print the Color Mixing Activity Page

Skills: Color Mixing and Letter MatchingMaterials:  primary color paints, Q-tips or brushes, damp cloth or paper towel for each child. 

*This activity will help children mix colors but also match the letters.  They will search and match the corresponding letter and fill the rainbow arches with the corresponding color.  Once they fill the primary color arches they will mix those two colors on the right arch to obtain the secondary color. 

This activity is a lot easier and fun with finger paints, especially with children 4 years and under.  Provide a damp/wet cloth or damp paper towel to each child so they can clean their fingers and switch colors.  Older children may use Q-tips or medium tip brushes.  Finger paints, water colors or tempera paints mixed with a bit of dishwashing liquid (for quick cleanup) work well.

Ages:  18 months to 6 yearsLevel: Toddlers, preschool and Kindergarten*  Color the Rainbow with Freda Frog is a short and fun story that will help children learn to recognize the colors of the rainbow.

*  After reading the online story you can play this game.

Rainbow Cards Coloring Game*  The cards have the same images as is in the online story:  red cap, orange pumpkin, green beans, yellow duck, blue ball and purple lollipop.  *  Each image is in color and black & white - keep these images together when cutting the cards.

1.  Print the cards preferably in card stock or white construction paper.

2.  Important:  Keep matching images together. (color image and black & white image) - fold so only one side shows.

Game procedure:1.  Show child the color image side first, ask what color and what is the name of the object.2.  Once child has identified the color and object on each card, turn the cards so only white image show.3.  Ask child what color should the image be -  example: what color was the duck?   

Part 2 of the activity - coloring the black and white images:

1.  Encourage child to color the images to match the one next to it.  2.  You may want to do the coloring activity two images per day for very young children and revisit the story online.

Ideas for using cards:

1. Match game:Cut the matching images and play a game of match.  Turn all of the cards face down. Turn over 2 cards. If you turn over a picture card and it is the correct color card, you have a match. Take these cards away. Turn 2 of the remaining cards over. If they are not a match turn back facedown, and try again until all matches have been made.

Older preschoolers (Ages 4+ and older), and kindergarten level can be introduced to the companion color word worksheets.  There is a color version and coloring version.  Visit the link to print the worksheets.

uilding on the new vocabulary students have just learnt, you can introduce 'there is' and 'there are'. You will need some more images, some of these images should have a number of the same item in order to practice both the single and plural form.

Teacher: Is there a car in this picture? Yes, there is a car in that picture. Is there a book in this picture? No, there isn't a book in that picture.(Model the differnce between the question and answer by accenting 'is there' in the question and 'there is' in the response. )

Teacher: Is there a computer in this picture?

Student(s): Yes, there is a computer in that picture.

Teacher: Is there a computer in this picture?

Student(s): No, there isn't a computer in that picture.

Continue this exercise with the everyday objects images you have brought into class. Alternate these objects with objects in the classroom that they have already learned so that you can reinforce the difference between 'this' and 'that'.

Part II: Are there four..., there are four...

Teacher: Are there three cars in this picture? Yes, there are four cars in that picture. Are there two books in this picture? No, there aren't two books in that picture.(Model the differnce between the question and answer by accenting 'are there' in the question and 'there are' in the response. It is very important that you use specific numbers at this point as students are not yet familiar with 'some' and 'any')

Teacher: Are there four people in this picture?

Student(s): Yes, there are four people in that picture.

Teacher: Are there three lamps in this picture?

Student(s): No, there aren't three lamps in that picture.

Continue this exercise using the illustrations you have brought into class.

Part III: Students ask questions

Teacher: (Hand each student a different illustration.) Susan, please ask Paolo a question.

Student(s): Is there a car in this picture?

Student(s): Yes, there is a car in that picture. OR No, there isn't a car in that picture.

Student(s): Are there three books in this picture?

Student(s): Yes, there are three books in this picture. OR No, there aren't three books in that picture.

Continue this exercise around the class.