Is learning colors top on your list or do you have a little learner who loves to explore colors? Here are some simple and fun ways to learn colors and color mixing through play. I like to do a lot of learning by doing activities. Hands-on play is wonderful for small children. Many of these color mixing activities include additional skills like math, fine motor, and practical life skills.
Learning Colors Through Play
Fun Ways to Learn Colors
1. Colors & Numbers Game
I simply filled a party store serving tray with colored items from our stash of this and that. I used a grid sheet from our worksheets stash as well as two dice. One had numbers 1-6 and one had colors!
We played it like a game taking turns filling our grid and counting along the way. How many do you have left to fill? How many have you filled? This can easily be played with one person or by a few!
2. Learn Colors With Paint Chips
Hooray for the local hardware store! I love these paint chip cards for learning colors. I simply picked out a red, yellow, orange, green, blue, and purple card and filled a bag with all sorts of colored objects.
I tried to find objects that represented the different shades of the colors too or even ones he had to pick out the predominant color.
Grab a free scavenger hunt pack here…
3. Color Mixing With Playdough
I thought we would give our hand muscles a bit of workout and mix our own colors to play with. First I made a big batch of play dough and then we used food coloring to make the primary colors.
Once we made the primary colors, we mixed chunks of each together to make the secondary colors.
Check out some of our favorite homemade playdough recipes…
4. Paint Stick Color Match with Clothespins
Again, we used the local hardware store for this one and picked up a paint stick on our way out! I simply measured and colored with our markers and then colored the clothespins with the same colors. Another great busy bag idea.
5. Colored Rice Sensory Play
You will love colored rice. Kids can totally help with most of the shaking and color suggesting. Once it’s dry, separate it into containers and let them build their own rainbow rice sensory bin. Give them bowls, scoops, and gems to make their own creation.
You can also make…
6. Color Mixing with Water & Eyedroppers
Color mixing, fine motor skills, and water. We love this one! I set out 6 little dollar store bowls on a cookie sheet and he helped me fill them with water.
He also helped add coloring to make the initial primary colors we needed, red, yellow, and blue. Then with his eyedropper, he mixed the secondary colors, orange, green, and purple by carefully dropping in the right colors to mix!
Click here to grab your free color mixing activities!
7. RAINBOW IN A BAG
Make your own rainbow in a bag. Just a few simple paint supplies and then time for playful and colorful rainbow art for preschool and elementary kids!
8. Color Wheel Painting
Paint a color wheel with homemade skittles paint and learn about how colors are organized into a color wheel.
9. Color Mixing Chart
Use our printable color mixing chart to teach kids about primary colors and secondary colors. Practice color mixing with watercolors, and with a rainbow art activity.
10. Color Matching
Grab a bag of plastic eggs and a bag of pompoms and set up a simple color matching activity!
FUN COLOR ACTIVITIES FOR PRESCHOOLERS
Click on the image below or the link for more simple preschool art activities.
These are fun! We made play dough monsters last week and explored color changes as well. I love your paint chip sorting boards and the clothespin matching game!
Life is so colorful!! I love how bright these pictures are…who wouldn’t want to learn colors!! I pinned this to my (CarlaINHouston) Awesome Preschool board…thanks so much for sharing!!
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing. Found your post through Mom’s Library!
Wow, so colorful and fun. I really enjoyed this post. The paint chip cards are genius and so simple. My son would love the grid sheets. So many wonderful ideas. Thank you for sharing on our page. Pinned!
Glad you liked it! Thanks for pinning. My son definitely enjoyed all of these! Hope you get to try one or two of them.
Awesome! We love color. AND using the paint chip cards! My father worked for a printer that printed those, so hey, take all you want, you’re securing JOBS! 🙂
I pinned this to my Crafts board!
Lovely list of activities. Thanks for linking this fun post to Tuesday Tots. Just letting you know I’m featuring it this week on Learn with Play at Home 🙂
Cool stuff! Have tried some of these ideas with my boys and hope to share one of your posts on my parenting page on Facebook shortly at http://www.facebook.com/ConsciousParentingApproach – inviting you and your fans to come check us out! 🙂
Great ideas 🙂 Especially love number 4 and number 6 🙂 xx
Yay! Thanks, I am glad you liked it!
Some really great ideas here! Thanks for sharing on We Love Weekends!
In the first activity you have colored blocks that link together. Do you know what they are called? I remember spending ages playing with them as a child and have been trying to find them for my son but can’t remember there name lol.
Seems like I’m going crazy pinning all your posts! Love your site! It’s great!
Yay! Thank you!