Colours

[superfun]

Hi,
I've mentioned before, but it never hurts to say it again. I'm still pretty new at this. I feel like I've only just got my daycare room set up the way I want. So up until now, I've been working on getting a good flow throughout the day. Now that I'm more comfortable, and the kids are getting older, I want to do more themes and activities. I have a group that is all around 2, other than one 13 month old.
My own daughter and the oldest boy are really into learning their colours right now. Their favourite books are colour books, they really love guessing the colours of their lunch plates, etc. So I thought if I started planning some themes to teach them a particular colour, one at a time, it might make it easier on them to learn. So what I'm looking for is advice. I know everyone on here has great ideas, and I would love to learn from your experience and education. Sorry, that sounds really cheesy, but it's true.
What do you do for colour activities aimed at children that are almost two year olds? I should add, we've painted the snow outside with liquid water colours, and they thoroughly enjoyed that. I don't think they actually cared what colours the snow ended up being. They just loved getting paint everywhere (which was really the point anyways)

[2cuteboys]

We did a rainbow unit earlier in the year, mainly just different "color themed" activities (like a red collage, sensory bins with objects of all the same color), but the kids were really into color mixing - mixing the primary colors to make secondary ones and mixing primaries with white. We did this with normal paint, finger paint, and colored water even putting food coloring into food (colored pasta, pancakes, etc).

[playfelt]

This is a great time to introduce colours using a rainbow theme since it goes with the crazy weather we get in the spring as well as St. Patrick's day. I find with the little ones that because they don't have a lot of skills to work with that focusing on just one colour can fall very flat as compared to older kids that can do more crafting and games related to it. I also find some kids learn what something is by learning what it is not. So for example if I am doing red and blue they can sort, compare light and dark tones, so it becomes using the colours I want them to learn to practice other skills - sorting, comparing, matching, naming.

I do a lot more games and activities rather than crafts with the little ones such as gluing a square of each colour onto a sheet of bristolboard and then sorting things to the squares - could be paper shapes, cars, blocks, pompoms, etc. Also gives the chance to talk about each item, how it feels, etc. too - again extra learning.

[superfun]

That's a great point. I was thinking that doing one at a time could backfire a bit. At the same time, I was wondering if a whole rainbow all at once would be too many colours to try to figure out.
I'm really enjoying these suggestions. Thank you.

[AcornsFalling]

http://www.preschoolpalace.org/Curriculum.html
I have used this curriculum and it costs maybe $10 but is very comprehensive. Some activities are better for older children or groups but can easily be modified to a younger age. I usually choose one or two activities to do daily with my group which is about the same age as yours. It is repetitive too which helps build skill and knowledge. It gives me a good starting point and ideas all in one place on different themes, rather than hunting around endlessly on the web! Also comes with lots of printable handouts and worksheets for practicing skills when they are a bit older and can do pencil work.

[Spixie33]

There are tons of fun colour activities....

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/7810999327984030/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/7810999326874974/ This one you could do over a few days and use different hand colours to mix. ie Red and BLue, Blue and Yellow, etc to show the end result

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/7810999326177184/

It's a great idea to make some of these activities/tools for your daycare and you will have them year after year to teach the children when they get to that stage

Another one I like I having an egg carton and painting each spot in an egg carton a colour and then sorting the correct coloured pom pom into each spot in the egg carton

http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts...loud-craft.asp is alsoa simple craft but lets you talk about the colours.

Good books for colours are "Freight Train" and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do you See?" and make the kids tell you the colour of each train or each animal on the page. It's good practice

[Daycare123]

We have been doing colors in my dayhome right now as well! I bought muffin tins and put colored circles in the bottom of each muffin cup and the kids sort little pom-pom balls corresponding with the color in each muffin cup.

I also have colored bean bags we sing about each color and the children have to find that color in the daycare. I also made a book in school. Each page is a color and has a velcroed item of that color the kids match them up. Hope that helps!

[Daycare123]

Spixie-Sounds like we have some similar ideas!

[bright sparks]

There are tons of fun colour activities....

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/7810999327984030/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/7810999326874974/ This one you could do over a few days and use different hand colours to mix. ie Red and BLue, Blue and Yellow, etc to show the end result

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/7810999326177184/

It's a great idea to make some of these activities/tools for your daycare and you will have them year after year to teach the children when they get to that stage

Another one I like I having an egg carton and painting each spot in an egg carton a colour and then sorting the correct coloured pom pom into each spot in the egg carton

http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts...loud-craft.asp is alsoa simple craft but lets you talk about the colours.

Good books for colours are "Freight Train" and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do you See?" and make the kids tell you the colour of each train or each animal on the page. It's good practice

Thanks for sharing...these are great ideas. I especially like the math and colour box and the sorting wheel ...snowflakes on your link with numbered pegs that need to be matched up. Super cheap and quick and easy to make, and would be great to make in all sorts of themes including colours. My daughter just left to babysit my old daycare girl (JK) and she even said she was going to make a shamrock one tonight to take and use this week with her.

[5 Little Monkeys]

I love the egg carton sorting suggestion!! I'm going to do that, thanks for the idea!

I make my own flash cards for some of my themes. You could take white paper and cut them into your flash cards. Glue different colours of construction paper on them and than using packing tape to "laminate" the cards. They can either match the cards up, play memory or you could give each child a card and a little pail or bowl to go collect toys (or art supplies like pom poms, buttons, pipe cleaners etc) that are that colour. These will last a long time!! My kids are around the same ages as yours and they love them