Terrible with colors.

Stephanie2167 · December 2012

DD is terrible with colors. Whenever I ask her about a color she usually says blue or pink. How are your children doing with colors? Any recs to work on it with her more?

How do I know she isn't color blind?

wedsept · December 2012

My 2/12 year old is also terrible with colors. She says red to almost everything. The only colors she knows are orange and purple. Her daycare is working on colors with all th ekids int he 2-3 year old room. Most of them don't know their colors.

acaudill75 · December 2012

I think it is usually boys who are color blind, not girls. DD1 didn't know a lot of colors for a while either. They pick them up as they go along. Actually, what worked for us is this rug we got at Ikea for her room (not to teach her colors, but hey, dual purpose):

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30151709/

She calls it her flowers rug. We would point to the different colors over and over until one day she just sort of got it. She took longer to figure out brown, black and white, and she still has trouble with clear, which she calls white.

blondie42107 · December 2012

When LO started coloring we would say the names of colors a lot. They eventually stuck.

Only boys can be color blind.

J+MS · December 2012

acaudill75:
I think it is usually boys who are color blind, not girls. DD1 didn't know a lot of colors for a while either. They pick them up as they go along. Actually, what worked for us is this rug we got at Ikea for her room (not to teach her colors, but hey, dual purpose):

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30151709/

She calls it her flowers rug. We would point to the different colors over and over until one day she just sort of got it. She took longer to figure out brown, black and white, and she still has trouble with clear, which she calls white.

girls can be color blind.

kcisthebombdotcom · December 2012

I don't think that kids are expected to know many colors at 2.5.

I think all kids have strengths and weaknesses. My son was quick to learn colors and counting but still struggles with reciting his Abc's. I wouldn't assume it was because she was color blind--she just might not have the drive/interest to learn that yet. My son also called everything blue or pink before he really mastered that skill. He's not color blind.

Colors are an easy one to practice. If you sit and color with her, ask her if she wants the blue crayon or the green crayon then let her choose. Make her acknowledge the correct name of the crayon before passing it over even if she reaches for the green one and says blue. Ask her questions when you're out and about about the colors of things and correct her if she gets it wrong. Melissa and doug has a fish colors puzzle that was great for practicing colors as well. They also have a color matching game. Holding one piece in each hand, asking if she wants the red or green, then correcting her if she gets it wrong is a great way to practice.

Stephanie2167 · December 2012

Thanks ladies.

I feel bad because the last few nights we've been reading a color book and I was getting frustrated with her when she would get red right and then the next page call orange red. Glad to know she isn't expected to know them quite yet.

acaudill75 · December 2012

J+MS:
acaudill75:

I think it is usually boys who are color blind, not girls. DD1 didn't know a lot of colors for a while either. They pick them up as they go along. Actually, what worked for us is this rug we got at Ikea for her room (not to teach her colors, but hey, dual purpose):

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30151709/

She calls it her flowers rug. We would point to the different colors over and over until one day she just sort of got it. She took longer to figure out brown, black and white, and she still has trouble with clear, which she calls white.

girls can be color blind.

I said, I think it is usually boys who are color blind.

MoreThanABride · December 2012

DD has known all her colors since before she was two. It sounds like your DD is on her way though.

When DD was first starting to learn them she called everything purple or yellow. To me, it shows she gets the idea of what a color is, even if she doesn't know them all yet.

tabaskoa · December 2012

I read this article a week or two ago and it really made me understand why learning colors is so hard! Think about how many different shades we consider "blue" and orange is so close to red but we call them different colors.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-johnny-name-colors

KateLouise · December 2012

My DD is awesome with colours and has been since before she was 2. BUT she's pretty terrible with numbers. I think somethings just take longer to make sense to some kids.

I don't know how you've been working with LO on colours. But I basically talked about colours all the time. "Look at this yellow flower. This flower is red." anytime there was the opportunity to compare colours of similar objects I did.

I also try and repeat words. So, "I want to draw this pink. Can you see the pink crayon. There's the pink crayon. Look at my pink car. Do you want to draw a pink car?"

shelbell1028 · December 2012

DD is doing much better with colors since we started playing Candyland. Its a really fun way to help her learn!

TiffanyBerry · December 2012

You know, I think every kid is different and a lot depends on what they are exposed to. I'm a painter as a hobby, so colors are a big part of how I share my world. I think that played a role, along with signing, in DD knowing her basic colors very well ridiculously early. The ABC's, however, at 2.5yrs she really can't do... well, much at all. Or count past 13 reliably. But I haven't really pushed any of these, it's just that colors were "easiest" for us.

So, I wouldn't worry about it. IIRC, being good with colors is a 3yr milestone. You can always check with your pedi about it, but I doubt it's any cause for concern.

(Also remember that there is a BIG difference between "point to the blue one" and "tell me what color this is". The first one requires they understand what the color blue is and can move their hands and point. The second one requires they understand the color AND can communicate the word - those are two different skills that usually take a while to combine.)

mbgreenwalt · December 2012

DD has recently gotten better with her colors. For the longest time she just said everything was orange, because she liked the color. Now she just gets confused with red and orange and blue and green.

teacherjulie · December 2012

My daughter said yellow to everything until about 2 months ago she will be 3 tomorrow.

stever · December 2012

It could just be her being silly. DS1 went through a long phase of saying everything was either green or blue, followed by a giggle. I was worried but he eventually grew out of it.

Angela814 · December 2012

DD1 learned all her colors before she turned 2. DD2 is just starting to pick up on her colors now. She's almost 2.5 years. Even if she doesn't know what their names are, she can match the same colors into piles if you ask. I figure that's a good way to know she's not color blind.

I wouldn't worry about it. Just keep pointing out different colors in normal conversation. She'll learn when she's ready and interested.

Sami519 · December 2012

I was concerned with DS too, but I spoke with the pedi and she said not to worry about being able to name colors or find items with specific colors yet. She said as long as they can match colors at this age ("Find something that is the same color as grass") and that they can sort colors they are fine. She said they wouldn't start worry about color blindness until 3 and that's only if they can't match/sort. She suggested continuing to indicate colors of items ("Look, there is a yellow tractor" or "Wow, the grass is green") instead of quizzing him - which I am really guilty of. Also, there is a Bernstein Bears book about colors that DS LOVES! Also, we've been doing "Color weeks" (not every week) (they did this in his preschool class for the first few weeks). We will do specific times where we only color in the color of the week, he wears a shirt that is the color and we try to paint/color/cut stuff that is the specific color. (This week we did a bunch of Christmas trees for green) Also, if you are on pintrest go here: https://pinterest.com/playdrmom/kid-blogger-network-activities-crafts/ they have busy boxes based on color and a ton of different color activities.

Grk_Natasha · December 2012

The best way children learn is by repetition so repeat, repeat, and repeat all day every day. DS knew all his colors and ABCs at 20 months thanks to Sesame Street clips on YouTube and books we read every day - same clips and same books. Now we are practicing them in other languages. But just because he picked them up so fast, it still something we repeat almost every day, but just adding things to make it a little more challenging.

Blondangel · December 2012

KateLouise:
My DD is awesome with colours and has been since before she was 2. BUT she's pretty terrible with numbers. I think somethings just take longer to make sense to some kids.
I don't know how you've been working with LO on colours. But I basically talked about colours all the time. "Look at this yellow flower. This flower is red." anytime there was the opportunity to compare colours of similar objects I did.
I also try and repeat words. So, "I want to draw this pink. Can you see the pink crayon. There's the pink crayon. Look at my pink car. Do you want to draw a pink car?"

All this.

LO can identify about 15 colors now and started with red and green at 18 months. The above is exactly what I did. Since he was a little baby, I described EVERYTHING in terms of color. Like, "There's a red truck. That truck is red." Now, I'll constantly ask him what colors things are and make a kind of eye-spy game out of it. I'll say, "what color do you see?" and he'll say, "purple!" then point to the purple object he sees.

It's all repetition. The more they're exposed to it, the faster they pick it up.

Vet-Tech · December 2012

Not bragging, but my DD is some sort of oddity. She knows all of her colors & letters & numbers & counts almost to 20. I can't take much credit for it. Actually, I have no idea where she even learned these things. Near as I can figure, she's learned it from Sesame Street & Super Why. We also have this Leap Frog refrigerator toy that helps with letters. I pray she continues to be a good learner & soaks it all in when she starts school because I doubt I will be of much help to her.

Lins_n_Derek · December 2012

We also explain everything to our 2 1/2 year old in terms of color and have since he was about 1. He knows all his colors but when we were still working on colors I swiped a bunch of paint sample cards. The big square ones that just have one color. I punched a hole in them and added them to a ring. I stuck those in his diaper bag and he played with them all the time...in the store, car, restaurants, etc.

JonathansMommi2010 · December 2012

Look do not be upset if he does not know all of his colors he is only 2.5 all kids are different my son is 2.5 he knows all of his colors as long has you started working with him at the intend age they recommend which i believe is 18 months he will be fine he will know them on his own terms. do not stress.

Terrible with colors.

Re: Terrible with colors.

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