If you are a parent to a baby or a toddler, you probably hear a lot about how important colours are for young children. But have you ever wondered why?
Sure, colours are an essential part of seeing the world. But how do they help with early learning and skill development? And how are you supposed to use it in play for children of different ages? Read on to find out!
How do colours help in early learning?
1. Helps sort and organize: For a child who is just beginning to take in the world, colours are the easiest visual markers of the different objects around them. This makes it crucial to help toddlers identify and sort objects.
2. Hones memory: Since colours areAll you much easier to spot and recall than more complex verbal cues, playing with a host of colours will also help sharpen your child’s memory.
3. Regulates moods and emotions: Of course, colours have a huge role to play in emotional development too! Different colours and hues evoke different emotions in children. For example: Splashes of warm yellow and oranges may help them feel cheerful, while an extremely bright shade on the walls could trigger anxiety and restlessness.
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Want to know more about colour psychology and how it affects children? Read this blog to find out!
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4. Improves vocabulary: Once your child is able to name colours, they will also get a lot more descriptive. Not only will they have a richer vocabulary, but it will aid their creativity, storytelling, and pretend play too!
5. Helps understand the world in a deeper way: As your child gets familiar with the basic colours, notice them start to form associations. A glaring red would mean ‘danger’ or ‘stop’, green would remind them of nature, and purple could be royal or glamorous. All of this will allow your child to perceive and make sense of the world in more complex ways.
Using colours in your child’s play
Most children's toys in today's market are colourful and attractive. But did you know that your child's vision takes a while to fully develop? So during their early months, it makes sense to give them more high contrast and muted toys, slowly making your way up to the rainbow. Let's look at some great toys for each stage in your child's development!
1. Start with Black and White
Newborn babies can only see in black and white as their vision is sensitive and still sharpening. Over the first few years, it is advised to surround them with black, white, and grey toys, wooden furniture, and soft-coloured walls.
Check out this blog for more ideas on how your child can enjoy playing with colours. |
Shumee’s high contrast flash cards are the perfect way to introduce your baby to shapes! Our crochet black and white rattles and adorable wobbly penguin are other common favourites among little ones!
2. Bring in Red, Yellow, and Blue
Once your baby is a few months old, the first colours they start to see are the primary colours – red, blue, and yellow. At this stage, you can slowly bring in more colourful toys and activites into the playroom!
Remember that light tones of blue help children feel calm and relaxed, warm reds bring about a comforting and cozy vibe, and yellows in the right amount are a cheerful colour that helps with concentration!
Babies under 12 months will love our Ele plush toy or the uniquely segmented Clutch Ball. For slightly older children, you could introduce colour sorting with the Montessori Puzzle or encourage active play with the Butterfly Balance Board.
3. Get to know the rainbow!
If you have a toddler or a preschooler at home, you know just how beloved the rainbow is! Be it in drawings, clothes, or toys, little ones are excited to spot these colours anywhere!
But rainbow colours aren't just useful to grab a child’s attention. They play a huge role in helping kids identify and categorize the world around them too. Once you’ve introduced the rainbow colours to your child, they are ready to stack, sort, and get creative in a thousand ways!
From the Rainbow Spinners for babies to enjoy during tummy time, to the Pikler Triangle for a child just learning to stand and walk, to the Rainbow Stacker or Arches for little ones mastering their hand-eye coordination, we have the perfect wooden rainbow toy for every shumee child!
Enjoying the world of colours around you!
When starting off, introduce new colours slowly to your child. Make sure you give them some time before talking about similar colours together (such as red and orange or blue and purple).
As your little one begins to identify different colours accurately, they will enjoy spending more time in open spaces where they can soak in the rich and vibrant shades of nature. Painting and making art are other great ways to help them build a deeper appreciation for all the colours.
Finally, remember that while colours can be a lot of fun, every child learns them at their own pace and in their own ways. So stay patient, encourage their curiosity, and re-emphasize the names of each to them. Rest assured, they’ll be masters of colours in no time!