Babies can see colour as well as adults from around the age of 6 months, and they learn to match colours before they can name them. Colour is an adjective (or a word to describe an item), which makes it harder for children to name. Red can be associated with a ball, a sock, an apple or a car. When you show a young child a ball, sometimes you tell them it is red, sometimes you tell them it is big, sometimes round, sometimes bouncy, etc. Then you ask them “What colour is this?” and the child has to decide which of those adjectives you want. By giving children items to match while you name the colour, you can help your child to start to see the items that look the same are all called “red”.

Our activity is made from the strip of an egg tray with blobs of colour cut out of magazine pages pressed into the bottom. The child has to find the correct “home” for the lid he is holding. The caregiver will be saying, “You are holding a red lid. Can you put the red lid into his red home?”
(P.S. Look at the beautiful pincer grip this child has! He is not only learning his colours, but also preparing his fingers for holding a pencil!)