FM.J.115 SELECTS COLOURS, CHOICE OF FOUR

By now your child can match colours with ease, and it is time for him to learn to recognise the names of the colours. Even if he cannot say the names himself, he can show that he recognises them by selecting the colours as you name them. As with shapes, the steps between matching and selecting colours can be achieved through the Match-to-Sample game. You will be able to use the same materials that you used for colour matching, adding more for variety if needed. When you are matching to sample, you can use sample cards of each colour – these can then be used with a variety of different objects.

How to Assess

Materials: 4 sets of 4 objects, different colours in each set. For example, 4 blocks (red, blue, green and yellow), 4 cars, 4 pegs, 4 ribbons.

Method: Place one set of 4 objects on the table – for example 4 blocks. Say ‘Point to …’ or ‘Give me . . .’. Repeat for all colours. Place another set of coloured objects on the table, and continue until each colour has been tested 4 times.

Score plus if your child selects each colour correctly in at least 3 out of 4 tries.

How to Teach

Refer to the instructions for the Match-to-Sample game.

Before you begin teaching, you will need to decide whether to teach all 4 colours at once, or to start with just 2, introducing the others once the first 2 have been learned. If your child already knows one or more of the colours, you might start with 4.

At Macquarie we have usually found it necessary to start with just 2 and blue and yellow are usually selected. If a child learns blue and yellow with ease, the teachers at Macquarie would then introduce a third colour (usually red) and then finally a fourth colour. When blue and yellow are learned more slowly, children continue to work with combinations of two colours until all four colours have been learned in this way. The colours are then presented in groups of 3, and finally in a group of 4.

Trust your own judgment about the approach that will best suit your child. Keep a record of your child’s progress to help you make changes when they are needed.

Playtime and Round-the-house Activities

While you are teaching colour selection in this structured way, you can use all sorts of informal occasions to strengthen your child’s colour recognition. Books, toys and household objects provide a host of opportunities for saying ‘Show me the.. . one’. While your child is working with a sample, you might keep your sample cards handy so that you can give your child that extra help.

You might also like to plan some special games for colour selection practice. Find 4 plastic cups of different colours, or paste coloured circles to the bottoms of paper cups. Place a sultana or other small treat under one cup. Tell your child that ‘The sultana is under the yellow cup’. If he reaches for the wrong cup, correct him by showing the sample card. There are many ways of playing this hide-and-seek game; you will find variations to suit your toys and materials. These games can also be played with a choice of 2 or 3 colours of course.

Remembering and Extending

When your child can select red, blue, green and yellow, you can begin to introduce other colours, such as black, white, orange, pink and purple. Some children, once they have grasped the basic colours, will go on to learn extra colours without any structured teaching – especially as by now you will have learned to talk about colours naturally with your child. Other children need special help to learn each one.

If your child is talking, he should now be encouraged to name the colours, first in imitation, and then in response to a question. If your child is already talking in phrases, encourage him to pair the colour names with other words, such as ‘blue sock’ or ‘yellow chicken’.