Learning about colors is fun, but it’s even MORE fun when you can do it with a great book like these activities for Red by Michael Hall. Most of my PreK students will start the year with a good handle on color recognition, so now we are moving on to talk about color words, color mixing, and exploring colors as a base of other learning like letter matching and more. These preschool activities for Red can be used with any book about colors; this is my favorite! These preschool activities can be used in class in centers or sent home for remote learning.
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The Book
Red by Michael Hall. I love this story, while the message can be interpreted in many ways at the heart of this book is self-identity. Red may be labeled as such, but he colors blue, and all it takes for him to shine is for someone to accept him for the color he really is. Young children love this story, and they identify with having everyone else tell you what to do and who you are even if they can’t express those feelings accurately yet. While I often include this book in booklists about LGBTQ+, specifically transgender characters, I think the book is about more than that, though I definitely see the parallels. It’s about getting to be who you are and how we all thrive when we can be ourselves.
Circle Time Lesson / Zoom Lesson About Colors
Start by making a basic graph with columns.
Next, use post-it notes to write student names.
Talk a little about the colors in the book, red, green, yellow… then talk about favorites. Explain what favorite means. You might like all the colors but the color you like the best is your favorite color.
If you are doing this activity over zoom, hold up the child’s name and announce it saying something like, “This says Allie, Allie, what is your favorite color? Green! Great I’ll put your name in the green column.” I have asked my students’ families this question beforehand so I can help a child who might be shy over zoom. “Owen, let me guess, is red your favorite color?” Then all Owen has to do is nod or give a thumbs up.
After all the children have voted, you can count and compare their favorite colors.
Learning about colors at home or at school with center activities
Parallel Crayon Drawings
This is a simple art activity that is fun but easy to do at home. Grab two crayons or two markers and tape them together. Use the taped together tools to make fun drawings with parallel lines!
Design your own crayon
Tell your students that just like every person is unique, every crayon can be too.
Their imagination and the colors of crayons available are the only limitations. If you are in a classroom, have lots of extra crayon outlines because children who like this activity, really like it and often want to make many if you are sending this home for remote learning pop a few in the bag! Download the outline for free here.
Color Mixing with A Muffin Tray
This muffin tin tray color mixing is such a fun activity, and children work on all kinds of skills as they explore. If you need some inexpensive pipettes to send home for remote learning, I got mine here.
Color Mixing with Playdough
This is easier to send home for remote learning. A little red and blue playdough in a small container ( I bought these for sending things home for remote learning), and children can mix them together to make purple! I will be doing this live on a zoom lesson with my students, but in a classroom, it’s perfect for the playdough center.
Color Hunt
Color hunts are a great way to develop visual discrimination, which is a skill that helps children discriminate between letters, numbers, and shapes. You can do this inside or out. You can use toys like pictured above or just go for a walk noting the colors you see. If you are teaching in-person, this is an excellent choice for recess or other outside time.
My Favorite Color Collage
Create with colors! This activity allows children to find and create with their favorite color. To start, you will need some construction paper, glue, crayons, and a box filled with all kinds of collage materials in various colors.
Start by asking the child what their favorite color is. Then together, find things that you can glue on to the collage that is that color. Take note of how different the items may be in shape and texture. Color your construction paper with the same color crayon, then add glue to the paper and add the collage materials to the glue. Let dry.
This simple color matching rainbow allows children to work on fine motor skills with a fun rainbow theme.
There are so many options with this book. I hope something I’ve shared today is helpful to you for teaching in-person preschool or remote preschool this year.
Keeping your child home this year?
If you have decided to keep your preschooler home and need the SIMPLEST learning activities, you can do without any special materials, check out my newest ebook, EVERYDAY PRESCHOOL. Hundreds of parents have already bought it, and the reviews are glowing. This book is perfect for you if you don’t know where to start and have no desire or time to teach your child all day. Learn more about this fantastic book here.
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