Teaching Children Colors or Color Me Happy
Posted: Tuesday, March 06, 2007
by Fran Larson
http://www.franniesquotes.com/
A couple of summers ago, my two granddaughters, six and eight years old, came for a week's visit. I told them how great they both looked in their aqua tee shirts. The six year old, Alayna replied, "aqua is only for people over 60 years old, so this is not aqua." I got a color wake-up call that day on what to call different shades or hues. Evidently, the word "aqua" must be out of style. However, even at age six, Alayna definitely had ideas as to what colors she liked and disliked, especially with clothing. When I took Alayna and Mikaela shopping, they would politely tell me when a color did or did not meet with their approval. It was fun to see them modeling different colors and styles. One of their favorite matching outfits was a bright orange skirt and top, which they called their "cheerleading outfit." I think that bright orange seemed like a "fun-energy" color for them. They practiced cheerleading routines all week.
Have you ever noticed how children are so happy when they are learning something new (which is all the time). They are learning every breath they take, every moment. They are like sponges, absorbing concepts, behavior, environment and attitudes. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.
How do you teach a preschooler a concept about colors? First, we have to punch their curious button, which shouldn't be hard. For example, if they heard a story about a little girl who only liked yellow, they might wonder what does yellow look like? One of my first rhyming stories that I wrote is about such a girl, "Louella, Who Only Liked Yellow." The neat part about the story is that there are other colors that Louella soon became willing to try, such as "green jeans" or "black slacks.
Louella, Who Only Liked Yellow
There was once a little girl named Louella
She liked everything that was yellow.
She wore yellow dresses
And even had yellow tresses.
She didn't like:
Green Jeans or
Black Slacks or
White tights or
A Red Dress or
Blue shoes or
A Brown Gown
Louella only wanted to wear yellow.
Louella liked only yellow food.
It always put her in a good mood.
She liked corn, bananas and lemon pie.
They were all yellow and that was why.
Yellow made her feel sunny.
Yellow made her feel funny.
Her mother said, "Louella, you can't just
wear clothes that are yellow.
Her father said, "Louella, You can't just
eat foods that are yellow.
Then one day, Louella
got tired of yellow.
She announced to her parents,
"I am going to wear:
Green Jeans and
Black Slacks and
White tights and
A Red Dress and
Blue shoes and
A Brown Gown
I am going to like whatever you give me to eat.
Because I know it will be a delicious treat".
However, if you ever see Louella,
Maybe, just maybe, she may be wearing yellow.
This story is a great way to teach colors. You can have the children draw the various clothing that Louella would not wear, such as "green jeans" Have fun with it.
I believe every child has a favorite color – a color that makes them feel happy. Why not ask each child to make a circle with a smile, (a happy face) and color it the color that makes the child feel happy.
Enjoy and color me purple for my happy face!