Preschool Color Recognition and Nature

In nature, children can see the wide range of tints and shades that fall under that color's name.

Whether you are a parent or a teacher, working with color recognition in nature gives children a variety of real-life experiences that can't compare to flashcards.

The Outdoor Color Game For this activity, you will need some paint chip samples from the hardware store. Look for samples of browns, greens, and grays, which may be the most common colors the child will see.

Cut apart the samples, if desired, so your child doesn't become overwhelmed looking at five or six variations of a color. In your yard, or on a walk, give your child a paint chip that they should try to match as closely as possible to an object they find on the walk.
Encourage matching the samples to things in nature.

Another way to play this outdoor color game, is to select something, such as the leaves of a shrub or flower and have your child sort through the color chips looking for as close a match as they can make.
Instead of relying on crayon-green to represent "green," your child will better appreciate that there are many variations to the colors they find in a box of eight crayons.

Color Appreciation through the Year For this activity, your child will look out a window and select a single color to represent that moment during the day.

You will want to print out a blank calendar page for the month or use an old desk calendar.

Since young children don't have the fine motor skills to color within small boxes, a calendar with larger boxes will be less frustrating.
It doesn't even matter if the calendar is not for the current year.

Select a time during the day for your child to look out the window and choose a color for the day.
For example, if the day is rainy, your child may select gray; if the day is sunny, your child may feel yellow is the appropriate color; early in the spring, when the leaves are opening, your child could call the day a green day; if the rose bush is in bloom, your child might want to color the day pink. Your child will color in the box for that day in the month. Over the course of the month, you and your child can see how a color may seem to predominate for several days. This activity makes children more aware of the colors they see. Color Walk When going on a walk, select a color to look for at the start of your journey.

(Your walk could be outdoors or even in a store, if necessary.) Every time your child sees that color, they call out the item they see. By selecting a single color, even one you might not think you'll see, you and your child's brains will hunt out the color.

Be surprised by how many places you'll find yellow or pink.

Practicing color recognition doesn't have to be limited to flashcards or books.
By using nature as your source of color awareness and appreciation, preschoolers will develop a wider range of color recognition skills.