The intellectual potential of the child is laid in the womb. The direction of its development is determined in the first years of life. It depends on the parents that the baby knows and knows how to play in toddlers. Therefore, they are often interested in the question of how to teach children to distinguish colors.
In stores you can find a huge number of developing expensive toys. They are interesting and entertaining, but in order for the knowledge to really accumulate, it is necessary to be guided by the features of child development at each stage, with love and attention to apply them in communication with a little man.
Cognition of the colored world up to 1 year
The six-month-old baby begins to see the world in color. He reacts to bright things. This age is characterized by short-term color monochrome. So, for several days or weeks, the child chooses toys and objects of the same color (for example, yellow). The surrounding objects are full of suspense for him.
What you need to know about how to teach children to distinguish colors at this stage?
- The period is more informative than educational. The task of parents is to interest and tell.
- Continuous communication is the foundation of early development.
- Environmental awareness should be systemic.
Rules and methods for the early study of "color" letters
In this case, as in the development of any business, there are certain rules:
- The verbal method is a description of the world around. Repetition is the mother of learning. Speak what you see as often as possible. Walking with the child in the park, tell us about the leaves on the trees, their color and shape. Tear off the leaflet and let tactfully familiarize yourself with the new subject. On the next walk, repeat the same. And for the third time, show the weed in the sequence of actions already known to him. It will be useful to focus on the fact that the leaves and grass are green.
- Do not rush! No need to chatter without a stop: the berry is red, the leaf is green, the sun is yellow. If you chose the green color for training first, pay attention only to the things of this color for several weeks. Only then can we move on to new discoveries. Do not forget to remind about what was already known before.
- Use the technique of Doman. Show cards with a tone of paint, call it. Playback time is a few seconds. A gradual increase in the number of images and information about them is the key to more effective memorization.
- Consider the nature and mood of the child. You can only learn when he is full, satisfied and does not experience other needs.
How to teach a child to distinguish colors: a list of techniques
- Verbal method (pronunciation).
- Game method.
- Creative (drawing, modeling).
- Rhymed (rhymes and songs).
Game and creativity among colors: from 1 year to 2 years
This period is already more informative. The kid got acquainted with the world through parental stories and his own discoveries. He knows a lot, but he just starts talking, understands the questions and can give an answer to them by pointing a finger or nodding his head. At this stage, you can already teach your child to distinguish between shapes and colors. It is at this age that such actions will bear the most noticeable results.
To do this, you need to know the important nuances. Further - information on how to teach to distinguish the colors of children:
- The first year and a half is the accumulation of understanding of colloquial speech. After - the development of their own speech apparatus.
- The child actively learns new things and remembers as a result of game tasks and comparisons.
- The period can be called the "second fundamental". The child, until he learns all the information by heart, will be confused and rarely show interest. But it depends on how the little man will navigate in the world of colors at the age of three.
- No need to demand regular correct answers. Do not be discouraged if, when asked about red, he pointed to green. The main thing is the process of thinking.
- We learn colors without shades: up to 2 years - four basic.
Interesting ideas for games after 1 year
Learning in the game is not only informative, but also very interesting.
- Colored cubes. Initially, focus on one color according to the principle of initial familiarization, only with a shorter time interval between transitions to a new and repetition of a known one. Show two cubes of different colors. Ask to choose green among them. Over time, increase the number of multi-colored cubes, complicate the process. Build a house for a doll or toy car.
- Associations. Play with toy utensils and other items (such as mosaics). Assignment: arrange the cups on the appropriate plates, arrange small colored elements in them. It also includes clear associations with fruits or vegetables: tomato - red, cucumber - green, lemon - yellow, plum, eggplant - blue.
- Balls Throw balls of various shapes, textures and scales around the room. Ask to put only red or only blue in the basket. Invite the child to find and bring a small green, large yellow object. Connect the color and the shape.
- Rainbow Lotto. In an elementary version, four identical multi-colored objects should be drawn on a sheet. They are duplicated by the piece. Task: establish compliance and put in places. It can be flowers, bows, butterflies, cars, houses, animals. Change workpieces. The same pattern quickly bothers, and the baby may lose interest. After a year and a half, use patterns with geometric shapes. Complicate tasks. Make blanks with holes of different geometric shapes. Now let the child collect the missing picture: a red square, a yellow circle, etc.
- Cut monochrome images. It can be fruits, vegetables, shapes, tumblers or cars. One set - one kind of objects in four color options. For a child 1-1.5 years old, the task is to assemble a picture from 2-3 puzzles, for a two-year-old - from 4-5 pieces.
- Painting. Tactile awareness develops. Finger paints are suitable for early creativity . Please note: closer to two years, the child chooses one color for drawing, depending on the mood. One day he can only paint in blue. Another time, only red. This characterizes his intellectual achievements in this field and his psychoemotional state.
Potential and limitations in the learning process from 2 to 3 years
The kid is already very well developed. Replacing the knowledge of the world comes the stage of independence: he prefers to eat, dress, undress most often on his own. At the same time, his brain is prepared to receive new information and successfully memorize it. After certain achievements of a one-year-old baby, it is important to prevent developmental inhibition and remember how to teach a 2-year-old child to distinguish colors.
- The color range is expanding. He is able to remember more than four tones. Black and white are added to the main ones. For additional - orange and purple (individually).
- You can now play and learn effectively not only with the help of toys, but also with clothes, household items and books.
- Continue to use the already known methods in accordance with the age characteristics of the little man and common truths, how to teach to distinguish the colors of children.
Given these age-related changes, parents can teach a lot to their child, including preparing for an adequate perception of the color scheme.
How to teach a child to distinguish colors: tips and games
- We draw, sculpt, and glue. Creativity is the engine of two-year development, a method of training and a means of self-realization. Paper, cardboard, salt dough, plasticine, watercolor are the main helpers in the "color" science.
- Do not stop talking about the colors around us. The little man remembers information better in a relaxed atmosphere. Did you see the crow? Tell us about her, about the color of her plumage. Went out for a walk on a snowy frosty day? Play with white snow, speaking information. Later, periodically remind you of what you saw and its characteristics. This strengthens associations and stimulates memory.
- The basic games are the same, with a corresponding extension of the palette.
- Bring color "diploma" to wardrobe processes. When dressing for a walk, choose things in the same gamut with the baby. Another time, leave it in a conspicuous place in advance and ask to bring tights or a blouse of a certain shade.
- "Colored things." Necessary items: pre-painted large pasta, multi-colored beads, mosaic elements, as well as 6-8 containers or boxes of the corresponding basic colors. Assignment: sort "lost" objects by "houses".
- "Colorful world." Draw a picture in advance, for example, a green meadow, a green tree, a red house, a yellow sun in the sky, a blue cloud, a flying black raven, a white stork, an orange ball, a purple typewriter (the variety should correspond to the level of development). It is necessary to cut the same images from colored paper. Ask the baby to make the applique. He can just sort the objects, or he can use glue for this.
- "Associations." Prepare colorful images. Insert them into balls of the appropriate color. Inflate them and let the child play. Pop and make inferences.
- "Colored letters". From this age you need to start getting acquainted with letters and numbers. This should not be memorization, but a familiarization process. In this context, this is an ideal option. Sort letters, name the main of them. Ask to find “yellow letter A”, “red letter A”, “blue letter B”, “orange letter B”. The number of letters to study is 2-3. The emphasis is on flowers.
- Read poems on this topic together, learn songs. Very often, children are better remembered in poetic or song form.
On the eve of the crisis of 3 years, the child regularly shows character. It is important to listen to your baby, understand it, and be able to interest. Psycho-emotional harmony and mutual understanding - in the first place, and only then - training.
Coloring in the world of childhood from 3 to 4 years
The kid is already quite old and independent, he has a certain stock of knowledge that needs to be continued to be replenished. It is important to show ingenuity and patience in order to teach a 3 year old child to distinguish colors. In connection with some features, inevitable but surmountable difficulties arise.
What is important to know about how to teach a child to distinguish colors:
- The crisis of 3 years. It is characterized by the insistence of the child in what he wants and by protest against everything that is imposed on him. There comes a period of self-awareness of the self and the formation of independence.
- An important period of psycho-emotional development. The color scheme is perceived differently. Extend your existing knowledge to 12 colors (add pink, purple, orange, blue, brown). Depending on the level of assimilation of the material, it is possible to get acquainted with the shades of the primary colors (raspberry, burgundy, beige, gray).
Tips: how to teach a child to distinguish colors in 3-4 years
Speak, remember, remind. Tell your baby about everything that is around, focusing on the color scheme.
- Play the main games: cubes and balls, lotto, puzzles, sorters, associations - and engage in creativity: “colored things”, “colorful world”, “color” analysis of the wardrobe. Improvise with famous game situations, remaking them in a new way.
- "Rainbow". Children love the rainbow. Try to learn the “memo" about it together. Draw a big rainbow. Cut multi-colored circles in advance. Let the child arrange them in appropriate arcs.
- "Colorful cars." Walking through the streets of the city, while waiting for public transport, the kids watch the road and everything happening around. A good activity is to count passing cars. It is even more interesting to look for a car of a given color among them. You can also count the number of red or white cars on a particular stretch of highway.
- "Ice cream". Draw or cut and glue together the images of sweet "horns" with balls of ice cream of different colors. Let him choose your favorite. Several shades are possible and the task is to count pink (strawberry) or chocolate (brown). You can collect cut images of your favorite dessert in your purse or shopping basket.
- "Who is bigger?". While walking, select an interesting object (for example, a car). Play the game who will count more cars of a certain color.
- Learn poetry, sing songs. Many children remember better this way.
If the baby does not show interest in the game - do not force. Let your imagination work in favor of his positive emotions. Trust is the key to quality training. Guided by their experience, adults usually already understand well how to teach a child to distinguish colors. 4 years is the age when it is time to expand and consolidate previously acquired knowledge.
Repeat, teach, understand
At this age, the baby should already know 12 basic tones: he easily chooses clothes according to color, fulfills tasks set by parents that were previously given with difficulty, he himself “educates” others in the color scheme. If difficulties exist, continue to adhere to the methods described above. This period is the beginning of the preparatory preschool. It is important to accustom to a more assiduous and calm form of perception of knowledge (sitting at the table, using books, albums, goods for creativity). At the same time, it's time to learn shades: raspberry, burgundy, terracotta, lilac, beige, cream, turquoise, salad and others. Here again, you can’t rush. It is better to study slower and longer, but with high quality.
It is scientifically proven that an intellectually developed person has a better and longer life. Invest love and diligence in your child, and he will delight you with his successes every day.