Let's Learn Our Colors!

Tips and Ideas to Help Toddlers and Preschoolers with Color Recognition

By Alexandria Powell

What's your favorite color? Chances are, you thought of it immediately. From forest green to fire-engine red, color recognition is an important part of the human experience.

Learning about color is a significant skill for children in their pre-kindergarten years, says Donna Hunt O'Brien, an early childhood specialist with Parents as Teachers National Center, a nonprofit parent education and early childhood development program. Children who are able to notice and sort by different characteristics, such as color, have an easier time learning to

• see the differences in letters and numbers and group letters to form words.
• create "sets" of objects and numbers.
• make observations and categorize information in science experiences.
• use describing words in their conversations and writing.

The good news is that boosting your child's color knowledge is easy – and fun for both of you.

While older children may say their favorite color is pink, purple or royal blue, many newborns are fascinated by a black-and-white mobile. Vision isn't well developed at birth, and newborns are basically colorblind. As your child grows, vision improves and eye cells mature. By about 2 months of age, babies will likely be able to see red, orange, green and yellow, and by 4 months, they can see all colors in the spectrum.

Although babies can see colors, they're a long way from being able to name them. "The first step in learning to recognize colors is being able to notice differences and similarities in objects," Hunt O'Brien says. "Children as young as 7 months old may get upset when a 'stranger' approaches them, because they can see that this person has different physical characteristics than those they know and love."

Want to see more?

• Outside the Lines: Should You Avoid Coloring Books?
• That's My Name! Babies and Name Recognition
• Jewelry Fun! Crafts That Encourage Pretend Play and Creativity
• Check out our Article Library.
• Talk about it!