Toddler Activities for the Color Red

My Red Crayons

• Many crayon packs come not with one red hue, but instead with an assortment. Get your child started on his exploration of the color red by engaging him in a "my red crayons" activity. Begin this activity by creating a geometric coloring page for your child. Use a bold permanent marker to create squares, circles and triangles on a sheet of standard paper.

  Present this coloring page to your child and ask him to color each of these shapes a different red hue. Help your child pull all of the reds out of his crayon box. After assembling this collection of similar tones, let your child pick from them to complete the coloring page. Encourage him to use an assortment of different red shades to create an exciting coloring page.

  Praise him for his efforts and place his monochromatic masterpiece on your refrigerator.

Red Objects Hunt

• Let your tot burn off some energy while still practicing her red identification skills by engaging her a red objects hunt. Challenge your child to run about the house gathering as many red objects as she can find in a set amount of time. Set a timer and let your child loose on her hunt. After she has collected the red objects, count them up to see how well she has done.

  If engaging two children in this lesson, make the activity competitive, challenging each to amass a larger collection than her competitor.

Red Story Time

• Add a new educational layer to your standard story time by turning the practice into a red-object hunt. Specifically select books rich in red objects, such as books in the "Clifford the Big Red Dog" series or books that talk about common red objects, such as fire trucks. Tell your child that, as you read, he should point out any red objects that he sees. Praise him for his efforts.

  To make the activity even more exciting, set a target number and reward your child if he finds at least that set number of red objects within the pictures that accompany the text.