FM.J.84 MATCHES COLOURS, CHOICE OF 2, 4 DIFFERENT COLOURS

In this item, your child must be able to match 4 different colours when they are presented in choices of 2, and must match each colour in at least 2 different combinations. That is, your child must be able to match red when it appears with blue, as well as with yellow, and must be able to do this for 4 different colours. Keep in mind that a percentage of boys are red-green colourblind, so you may need to be wary of this combination.

For teaching purposes we generally use the following sequence at Macquarie: blue and yellow, red and yellow, red and blue, green and blue, green and yellow, green and red.

How to Assess

Materials: Pairs of objects of each colour. It is helpful to have a small dish of each colour, into which matching objects can be placed. Brightly coloured plastic dishes can often be found in supermarkets. Objects can be pegs, pieces of Lego, plastic cars – anything that matches. Alternatively, you can use shapes cut out of brightly coloured cardboard or pieces of coloured felt. Make sure that all your pairs are identical in Colour at this stage, especially with blues and greens which can vary greatly in shade.

Method: Start with any 2 colours you like, putting one member of each pair of objects on the table. Hand one of the matching objects to your child, saying ‘Put … with .. .’. Give 6 tries, 3 for each colour. Then try another colour combination, until each colour has been tested at least twice. Spread this over a couple of assessment sessions if your child loses interest.

Score plus if your child matches 4 colours correctly in at least 2 out of 3 tries within at least 2 different combinations. (For example,yellow could score plus if it is matched correctly when contrasted with both red and blue.)

How to Teach

This skill is taught in the same way as FM.I.60 (matching objects) except that now your child is learning to match by colour. Follow the sequence of colour combinations suggested above, setting each one as your objective in turn. Vary your materials to maintain interest.

If you wish, you can teach 1 or 2 colour combinations and then turn your attention to a skill from another sequence, returning to colour matching a little later. If you do this, remember to give your child plenty of practice in colour matching – perhaps in play activities – so that he does not forget the skills he has learned.

Playtime and Round-the-house Activities

There are many ways in which colour matching can be practised outside special teaching sessions. Say you are concentrating on blue and yellow. You could put all your child’s blue toys in one basket, and all his yellow ones in another and help him to match them at playtime. You could collect blue and yellow blocks for building blue and yellow towers. Try stretching a string across his blackboard, and guiding him to put blue pegs at one end, and yellow pegs at the other. Give him some paste, some blue and yellow paper, and cut-out shapes to match. When looking at books with your child, point out all the blue things on a page, and then all the yellow things. Let him find a yellow T-shirt to match his yellow shorts. Find yellow flowers in the garden, or blue socks in the washing basket. You will think of many more ideas yourself.

Remembering and Extending

In FM.J.109, your child will learn to match colours with a choice of 4. You can move on to this skill now, or concentrate on other things for a while, maintaining your child’s current skills with practice.