Color Baths: A Fun Way to Teach Colors
In my Two-Year-Old Homeschool Preschool post, I share about how much fun it is to encourage my toddler with:
- Recognition of Colors & Basic Shapes
- Animal Names/Animal Sounds
- Nursery Rhymes
- Fine Motor Skills
When asked the core areas where I like to focus during that developmental stage, that would probably be my answer. How do we do it? Well, you can read that complete post here – but the short answer is that we play, and play, and play some more!Â
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In my daughter’s speech therapy sessions, she is currently focused in these areas, and one of the fun ways we encourage her with her colors is to do Color Baths!
What are Color Baths?
Color Baths are where I gather all kinds of different [water-safe/child-safe] items of the same color and toss them in the bathtub with her. For example, let’s say it’s time for a BLUE Color Bath. I start the water – bubbles are always fun to add to the mix – and then I toss in as many blue items as I can find:
- blue Mega Blocks®
- a blue ball
- blue fish (Our fish came from this set.)
- blue cups (The cup pictured here is from one of our colored cup stacking sets.)
- a blue Grippy Dot
You get the idea!
She plays with these items (and the bubbles, of course), and we repeatedly chat about the color blue! I might be sitting outside of the tub with color flashcards (a win-win if they show shapes, too!) or a book about colors (Further down in this post, I’ll share some of our favorites!) – really focusing in on the color we’re working on that night. You can do this with any color, and it has been a fantastic speech activity for her.
You can do a different color each night – or do like we did and spend a week on each color. Every night for a week, it’s a blue color bath. Then the next week, all of our baths our pink color baths. Etc.
The Take a Bath Routine Card is part of a set offered by Bitty Beginnings – These cards have been an excellent speech resource for us! You can browse them here – so many different ways to use them!
More Color Fun Ideas
Color Sorting on Plates:
Gather items from around the house (Maybe your child is old enough to help with this part, too!), and then sort the items by color – using colorful plates. These particular plates can be found here – and a full explanation of this idea can be found here.
Lay out (then tape down) colored pieces of construction paper. Then sort Mega Blocks® or Legos® by color.
Other objects can work well, too! We’ve even done this activity using our plastic play food.
What do you already have on hand that you could use to provide your child with a fun color sorting activity?
Disclaimer: When deciding which items to use for these activities, be sure to consider the age/developmental stage of your child. #safetyfirst
FREE COLOR FUN PRINTABLE
If you’re focused on colors right now, the preschool version of my Search-and-Find Shopping Hunts might just be perfect for them! While you shop, they search – for colors! This printable is FREE – you are welcome to print as many as you like, and don’t worry. There’s a red one for when you’re shopping at Target, and a blue one for when you’re shopping at Walmart. ha! Psst….if you have older kids, there’s a version for them, too. You can find more details here.
FUN COLOR-THEMED BOOKS
Ahhh, books! My favorite – Happy Browsing!
Learn Colors (Kane Miller)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Lift-the-Tab Edition Available Here)
Lift-the-Flap Colors
My First Book of Colors (Eric Carle)
That’s Not My Zebra’s Colors
My Very First Words: Colors
Touchy-Feely Colors Play Book
Fold Out Book: Colors
Tractor Mac: Colors of the Farm
Ten Little Teddy Bears Splashing in the Tub
For more fun book recommendations, be sure to join our Facebook Group – Lifestyle Homeschooling: The Family Who Reads Together.Â
FIVE SENSES LEARNING
Love hands-on learning activities that engage the Five Senses? If you’d stayed with me throughout this post, then you probably do! That’s how we love to learn around here, and I’ve shared my favorite preschool ideas in this resource: my Five Senses Letter-a-Week Activity Guide
I’ve had so many readers message me after downloading this resource and say, “This is more than just the alphabet!”, and friends, they are so, so right! If you don’t own these packet, hop over here and take a peek inside.
Looking for more inspiration? Let’s connect on social media:
Does your child want to learn to play chess?