Learning Colors For Toddlers

If your baby has now grown into a toddler, you’ll notice that they absorb information quickly and are grasping new concepts at breakneck speed. Learning colors for toddlers is one of the milestones in their journey towards understanding basic concepts they’ll use in everyday life.

There are many ways to teach your child colors, including repeating the names of different colors as often as you can. Once your toddler learns to recognize colors and identify them by name, it’ll speed up their cognitive development. However, you have to remember that most children don’t pick up on colors until they’re 18 months old at least.

However, this shouldn’t stop you from teaching them colors as early as you can. After all, toddlers learn pretty quickly and can retain information for longer if taught basic concepts sooner rather than later.

In this article, we’ll take you through some of how you can teach your toddler about colors. We’ve also included some reviews for toys we found online that could help your child the concept of colors.

Take It One Step At A Time

Sitting your toddler down and trying to teach them all colors in one go won’t work. You’ll need to be patient and take it one step at a time here. This is a big concept and takes time to grasp, even if your child is a quick learner. Therefore, start small and introduce them to one or two colors at a time.

Help them identify your two chosen colors by directing their attention to these colors wherever they are around the house.  In doing so, you’ll show your child how these colors are all around them in the objects they see every day. It’s a good idea to start with primary colors so let’s assume you start with blue and yellow first.

Point out these colors to your child during their learning sessions or playtimes until they can identify them without your help. The key here is to keep repeating the names of the colors you’ve chosen, so they’re lodged firmly in your child’s mind. You could also have them play only with blue and yellow toys during a play session to help them remember these colors.

Once they’re able to identify these two colors correctly, have them point out objects around the house that are either blue or yellow. You could do the same with their toys. This will enable them to focus on learning about these primary colors before moving on to other colors.

Teach Them To Match Colors

One of the most effective ways in which you can teach your toddler to identify colors is to have them match colors. This is both a fun activity and a learning exercise. You could print out two copies of the same sheet containing differently colored objects. Then, you could cut out these objects from one sheet and ask your toddler to match them to the objects on the uncut sheet.

Most toddlers tend to find such activities engaging, so the chances are that yours will too. It’s a simple task for them to perform, but it helps them identify and memorize colors better. If, however, your toddler doesn’t seem very interested in this exercise, there are ways in which you can pique their interest.

One of these ways is that the objects you choose to print out could be those your toddler has shown an interest in before. So, for example, if they’re interested in dinosaurs, you could print out dinosaurs of different colors on the same page and ask them to match dinosaur cutouts of the same color to those on the page.

If you want to make this learning exercise as effective as possible, don’t just leave your child alone with the worksheets and evaluate their work when they’re done. Instead, sit down with them and every time they match a color, repeat the name of the color repeatedly until they say it too. Another way to help them remember color names is to ask them to try and name each color out loud as they’re matching the cutouts to the sheets.

Teach Them To Identify Colors In Nature

If you want to kill two birds with one stone, you could consider taking your child out for a walk and teaching them about colors. If you live in an area that has plenty of trees, plants, etc. all around, this would be more effective as you could help them learn about our natural environment in the process. However, even if you’re surrounded by nothing but buildings and cars, you could still use this tip.

Once you take your child outside, introduce them to the colors they see around them. Tell them about the green trees, white flowers, yellow butterflies, blue sky, and anything else they see. Alternatively, you tell them about the differently colored cars you see on the street or colors of traffic signal lights (if you live in an urban area).

Repeat the names of the colors you point out to them over and over again until you think they’re memorized. Then, ask them to identify ‘blue cars’ or ‘pink flowers’ every time they spot these. To make this task more fun, you could also collect different items you see on your trails, such as leaves, twigs, and more.

This activity will not only help your toddler recognize colors in their natural environment, but it’ll also nurture their curiosity in what they see around them.

Have Them Play Sorting Games

Sorting games are typically introduced to toddlers after they’ve mastered matching colors. Sorting games can be played in several ways, but the most fun sorting games are those that are played using toys for toddlers. For these games to be as educational as they are enjoyable, make sure to use contrasting colors.

For instance, you don’t want to include blue toys and indigo in the same sorting set – it’ll just confuse your toddler. It may also chip away at their confidence if they’re not able to tell similar colors apart. Therefore, go with toys of various colors that are not very difficult to tell apart.

If your toddler is quite familiar with primary colors, you could even include secondary colors in the set. However, if you’re including secondary colors, don’t keep objects that are of similar colors too close together. For example, keep colors like blue and indigo as far apart from each other as you can.

Have them collect toys or items of the same color and place them in a basket. Then, see if they’ve sorted the items correctly and point out their mistakes wherever they’ve gone wrong. Sorting games not only help toddlers learn about colors but also help them to improve their motor skills.

Use Art And Craft Activities

Children love playing around with colors even before they can identify them by name. For toddlers, it’s best to introduce colors slowly, starting with one and then two colors at a time and working only with these for some time. The most popular activity for teaching toddlers to identify colors is to use coloring books.

Coloring is popular not only because it’s a fun skill to learn but also because it helps improve motor skills for toddlers. You can either use blank paper and crayons to get your child to recognize different colors or use a coloring book. If you use blank paper, it’ll help your child develop drawing skills as well.

Teach your toddler the names of different colors in a pack of crayons or colored pencils and ask them to use whichever ones they think will be perfect for a particular drawing. Remember to use the right crayons and coloring books for toddlers because if you use large crayons and books with difficult drawings, your child may not enjoy this activity.

Benefits Of Learning Colors For Toddlers

Now that we’ve discussed some useful tips and tricks to teach your toddler how to recognize different colors, let us explore the benefits of learning colors for toddlers.

It Helps Them Understand Their Surroundings

One of the many benefits of teaching toddlers the concept of colors is that it allows them to obtain additional information on their surroundings. While children can recognize colors from a very tender age, this ability peaks around the time they’ve grown into toddlers. Once a child can identify colors, you can be sure that they can identify many other aspects of their environment.

Different colors have different effects on children. Our reactions to colors are something we pass on to our children, and it’s ingrained in our consciousness in some ways. For instance, we associate red with anger, green with relaxation, darker colors with sadness or soberness, etc. Toddlers can pick up on this too.

This is why educational institutions pay special attention to the colors they use in their hallways and classrooms. It’s also the reason why nurseries are usually painted in warm, bright colors. If your toddler is introduced to an environment that features such colors, they may feel safe and happy.

Using colors that children respond well to allows them to absorb and retain information better. It helps clear their mind and prepare them to learn new concepts as well.

It Improves Academic Skills

The skills required for children to perform well at school are developed at an early age, from the time they are toddlers. Several studies show the link between recognizing colors and developing skills such as learning how to speak and count. In teaching your child to identify colors, you’re also teaching them to pronounce the names of these colors, which could improve their vocabulary and diction.

Later on, it can boost their ability to describe objects as well, which may improve creative thinking and, eventually, creative writing. In other words, learning colors allows your toddler to express themselves better and communicate their thoughts more precisely.

Besides, if you’ve taken a look at the sorting games, etc. we’ve described in the previous section, you may have noticed that many of these tasks involve more than one skill. For instance, a sorting activity can also help your child count and improve their sense of organization. It could boost motor skills too.

Toys For Toddlers Learning Colors

In this section, we’ll take you through our product reviews of some of the best toys and tools we could find online that can help toddlers learn colors. We’ve outlined the main features, pros, and cons of each product below to help you decide which one would suit your toddler’s needs the best.

1.   JOYIN Counting Bear Set

 

This set contains 72 pieces of small, differently-colored bears that can teach your child to identify colors. There are 82 pieces in total here, including 72 bears, a pair of tweezers, 3 dice, an instruction book, and 6 sorting cups. Your toddler can engage in 12 different activities with the help of this set, which could keep them busy for hours together.

They can sort the bears according to color (orange, purple, blue, green, yellow, or red) into jars of the same color. While they’re at it, they could also count the bears one by one. The best feature of this set is that it helps toddlers develop more than one basic skill.

For instance, the bears’ bellies have different shapes on them that are also on the jars. Therefore, your child can either match the bears to jars by color, shape, or a mixture of both. Children can also learn basic numbers, addition, and subtraction using these bears.

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2.   Geekper Store Button Art Colour Matching Board

 

This matching set for toddlers contains 46 buttons, 10 pictures, a storage tray, and a pegboard. This set can help your toddler learn about colors since the pictures have spaces for colored buttons to be inserted into. The beautiful pictures range from trees and houses to umbrellas and frogs.

Your child can start using this set by first matching the buttons to the colors on the pictures, then using the pegboard to create their designs. We found this set to be very interesting because it features different illustrations and colors than similar sets we came across.

In many ways, this toy allows your toddler to unleash their creativity while learning about colors and shapes in the process. Besides, this set is designed to make it completely safe for toddlers with its non-toxic paint and smooth buttons. Many toys have small pieces with sharp edges that could cause small cuts on toddlers’ hands if you’re not careful, but you won’t have to worry about that with this set.

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3.   CozyBomB Shape Sorting Game

 

This wooden number puzzle is a great sorting game for toddlers and preschool kids. The board is divided into two sections – one for shapes and one for numbers. The set also includes wooden pegs that can hold rings of different colors.

There are few sets out there that have as much educational value for toddlers like this one. It can teach your child to recognize colors, shapes, and numbers all at the same time. It can improve their skills or organization, and comparison as well and develop basic motor skills.

Moreover, since this set is made entirely out of wood and painted over with non-toxic watercolors, it’s quite safe for toddlers to use. All the edges of the pieces are smoothened to avoid injuries so you can rest assured your little one will enjoy playing with the set without fear of accidents.

Additionally, CozyBomB is so confident in the quality of this product that it gives you a full refund within 30 days if you’re not happy with it.

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4.   J-Hong Matching Eggs Colour Puzzle

 

This color puzzle consists of 12 toy eggs that can be taken apart in halves to reveal different shapes and colors. The design of this toy is unique, with the storage box shaped like an actual egg tray. The colors included in the set are blue, purple, green, red, orange, and yellow.

These are more than enough colors to get started with and introduce your toddler to the concept of colors. They’re sure to have sorting, counting, and matching the egg pieces to each other by shape and color. Apart from enhancing color recognition among toddlers, this set also allows them to develop critical thinking skills.

Unlike coloring books and worksheets, this set is reusable and makes for a great educational toy for toddlers and young kids. The interactive nature of this toy encourages your child to think on their feet and sort the eggs. These eggs and egg trays are made out of high-quality plastic that won’t harm your child’s skin or break easily.

This is what makes these eggs so durable, and you’d be surprised at how long they can last in good condition. Besides, they’re the perfect size to fit into your little one’s hands but not small enough to cause a choking hazard.

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Conclusion

The tips and tricks we’ve taken you through in this article are some of the many fun ways in which you can teach your toddler the concept of colors. These activities also help your child improve their academic and motor skills over time. Besides, which toddler doesn’t genuinely enjoy playing around with colors?

From coloring books and worksheets to toys and matching sets, recognizing colors is more of a fun activity than an educational lesson for toddlers. However, learning colors for toddlers is just one aspect of helping them develop some basic skills before they start schooling.

Another basic skill your toddler should possess is learning how to pay attention to what’s being taught to them. Now, since toddlers have a very short attention span, a lesson has to be interesting for them to absorb what it’s all about. One way to make lessons interesting is to teach them through the medium of stories.

Play Stories provides you with personalized stories that can help improve your toddler’s listening skills and allow you to teach them some basic lessons.

 

The wide collection of stories featured on the site are all high quality, and your child is sure to enjoy listening to one or more of these stories.

These stories impart great lessons on what your child can expect in the real world and prepare them for the schooling experience. Adding your child’s name and avatar to the stories makes it more interesting for them to follow. Therefore, they make good learning tools for young children and provide a bonding experience between you and your child.