How to Teach Color Recognition to a Preschool Age Child

Your preschooler's world is full of color, but she may not easily distinguish between the different hues. Color recognition is one of the most basic skills preschools teach. Distinguishing colors is a way kids understand the world and organize the things they see, according to Scholastic. That ability to categorize and notice differences helps with basic math and science concepts. Working on colors at home in meaningful situations strengthens your preschooler's recognition early.

Things You'll Need

  • Paint
  • Children's books

Instructions

    • 1

      Add colorful objects to your preschooler's environment so she sees them on a regular basis. Hang a colorful piece of art in her room, fill the fruit bowl with colorful produce, or expand her wardrobe with new shirt colors. Use available opportunities to talk about the colors, such as when she picks a shirt in the morning or grabs for a piece of fruit.

    • 2

      Plan art projects for your preschooler that incorporate several colors. Paint works well for art projects. Talk about the name for each color as your little artist uses it. Encourage her to mix paint colors to create a new color so you can name it too. Hang her artwork in a prominent spot so she sees it. Ask her to explain her artwork with an emphasis on naming the colors she used.

    • 3

      Read children's books that focus on color. Examples include "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" written by Bill Martin, Jr., "Planting a Rainbow" by Lois Ehlert, and "A Color of His Own" from Leo Lionni. When reading other children's books, ask your child to point out objects in the picture of a certain color.

    • 4

      Play games that focus on color. One option is a color sorting game. Give your child a pile of objects that are mostly one color. Ask your preschooler to sort the items based on color. Another game to play anywhere is to find objects of certain colors. In the grocery store, say, "Can you find a fruit or vegetable that is red? Do you see something that is blue?"

    • 5

      Work color words into your child's day when possible. Mention the color of objects you are discussing. Say, "Look at that red car. It's really fast."

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