Colors are some of the first things we teach the new students at school when they first start. It was always a fun and memorable time. Colors are something children already inherently know about, so teaching them the name of their favorite color in English can be a great experience to share with them. Kids love to tell you about themselves, and this can be one of the first opportunities they can do this in English.
As well, some of the most basic English words we learn as children have to do with colors. Our list of colors in English can help you introduce your child to this important English vocabulary.
Kids love colors. They love to play with them and use them to express themselves creatively. Colors are also some of the first adjectives that your child will learn in English. Adjectives are an important part of basic English grammar. Learning the basics of adjectives will help your child become fluent in English.
In this article, we are going to give you the tools to teach your child about colors and adjectives in English. This will include a list of colors in English, grammar explanations, color flashcards, game ideas, target sentences, and more.
Want some tips on how to learn vocabulary effectively, take a look at our post that can help you make the most out of your vocabulary study time.
We have done our best to give you all of the tools and knowledge you will need to teach your child our whole list of colors in English. But if you still have questions, please write us a message by commenting on this post or clicking on the image below.
Our List of Colors in English
To start, let’s take a look at our list of colors in English. Obviously, there are lots and lots of specific color names in English, but today we are just going to focus on the basics.
For each color on our list, we will include an image, a name, and an audio file to show you how to say this word in an American accent. We will also include a basic sentence for you to see how this color vocabulary is used.
Red
What is red?
An apple is red.
Yellow
What is yellow?
A banana is yellow.
Blue
What is blue?
The sea is blue.
Green
What is green?
A snake is green.
Purple
What is purple?
Grapes are purple.
Orange
What is orange?
An orange is orange.
Pink
What is pink?
A flower is pink.
Brown
What is brown?
Wood is brown.
Gold
What is gold?
A ring is gold.
Silver
What is silver?
Metal is silver.
Black
What is black?
The night is black.
Gray
What is gray?
A whale is gray.
White
What is white?
Snow is white.
Color Flashcards
Color flashcards are a great way for you to help your child learn our list of colors in English. We have paired each color with some basic English words so your child can practice words they already know with their new color vocabulary.
Try to make sure that these color flashcards are used in fun activities and not boring memorization drills. Children are far more likely to learn when they are engaged and having fun. Use these as tools to play games with, not as a study torture tool for your child.
To download our color flashcards click here or on the image below.
Warm-Up Questions
When getting your children to think about colors in English, it can help to warm them up a bit. So here are some questions you can ask before you start teaching them. Think of this as a chance to see what they already know.
What is your favorite color?
My favorite color is ______.
My favorite color is green.
What colors do you like?
I like _____ and ______.
I like purple and orange.
What colors do you dislike?
I don’t like ______ and _______.
I don’t like gold and pink.
Some of these questions may be too hard for your child. That’s okay. If these are too hard, then you can use them as goals. Sentences you want your child to be able to ask and answer after you are done teaching them about colors in English.
Target Sentences for Colors in English
If the above warm-up questions are too easy, then you can take a look at these target sentences. Target sentences are the sentences that you want your child to learn and become familiar with by the time you are done teaching this unit.
Proper planning of target sentences and scaffolding is an important part of teaching your child vocabulary in English. To learn more about how you can do this effectively, take a look at our post on target sentences and scaffolding.
You can use this first pattern (the one found below) to learn and review our basic color vocabulary. The grammar isn’t hard, so your child can focus on learning their list of colors in English.
What color is it?
It is _(Color)_.
It is blue.
This second target sentence can help you teach your child how to use an adjective to describe a noun. This will require them to already know some nouns to describe. Using things you already have around the house can be helpful. It is always better to use the real object rather than a picture.
What is it?
It is a (color) (object).
It is a red truck.
Practicing Your List of Colors in English
Luckily, practicing your list of colors in English isn’t too hard of a task. There are lots of activities you and your child can do together to learn and practice. Here is a list of a few activities to practice colors and any other basic English words you want to teach them.
Color Vocabulary Games
Vocabulary games are always a great way to practice basic color vocabulary. To help you out, we have made a whole post on different vocabulary games you can use to develop your child’s vocabulary skills.
This post includes two games that you can download and play with your child. As well, we give you ideas on how to use your new color flashcards in fun and useful ways to teach your child about colors in English.
Coloring Pages
Coloring is the easiest and most obvious way to practice colors in English. This activity can be a free drawing period where your child can draw what they like, or you can ask them to draw something specific. It can be free-drawn or come from a pre-made coloring page. The important thing is that your child is interacting with our new vocabulary.
While they are drawing, you can actively engage them in English. Don’t let them slip into their native language. Instead, ask them about what they are drawing, or what color they are using. Hopefully, you have already taught them our target sentences, in which case you can use those sentences to speak with them and engage in their coloring.
If you are looking for some coloring pages you can use for free, you can take a look at some of our animal coloring pages. We have a sea animal coloring page, savanna animal coloring page, farm animal coloring page, and rainforest coloring page for you to choose from.
YouTube Videos About Color
There are hundreds, if not thousands of videos that can help your child learn about colors in English. YouTube is a great resource for this kind of content. YouTube is not a replacement for proper education and lessons, but it can help your child review what they have learned with you already.
English Vocabulary Games
There are lots of games you can play to review our list of colors in English. It can be as easy as having children race to find something x color. Or, you could repurpose a board game so that they have to answer an English question after every turn.
One of my favorite games to practice colors in English is a matching game. Use two copies of our flashcards and put them facedown on the ground. Mix them up. Now have your child choose two of them. If they match, they stay face up, and if they don’t, then they are turned face down again. They need to get all of the cards to face up. After each round, ask them what colors they have. Depending on how young your child is, you may want to start with only 10 cards or so. Just make sure each card has a pair.
Science Experiments
Not really a game, but kids can have lots of fun. Take a look at experiments where kids can mix paints to see how different colors can mix to make a new color. You can do this with some watercolor paints and a glass of water.
To get some more ideas on how to teach your young children about colors, take a look at this great post on color science experiment ideas.
Is it Gray or Grey?
In American English, it is “gray,” and in British English, it is “grey.” They are both pronounced the same way, so no worries about that.
Is it Color or Colour?
In American English, it is “color,” and in British English, it is “colour.” Don’t forget that most English-speaking counties that aren’t the US use British spellings.
What are the Primary Colors?
The primary colors are red, blue, and yellow. The secondary colors are green, orange, and purple. If you want to reduce the number of colors to teach from our list of colors, I would suggest teaching these colors plus black and white.
What are Adjectives?
Adjectives are words that describe nouns. Adjectives are words like funny, happy, red, and small. These helpful words allow your child to describe the world around them. As far as your child’s vocabulary in English, they are just as important as learning nouns and verbs.
Adjective Placement
In English, adjectives go before nouns. When your child is just starting, they will probably learn this basic sentence pattern:
Subject + Verb + Object
I like bread.
I am kicking the ball.
I want a cookie.
When we add an adjective, it will look like this:
Subject + Verb + Adjective + Object
I like tasty bread.
I am kicking the red ball.
I want a big cookie.
We can also chain more than one adjective together by using commas.
I like tasty, healthy bread.
I am kicking the small, red ball.
I want a big, crunchy cookie.
We do typically have an order that we put our adjectives in when we are using more than one. However, this is a more advanced lesson, and for your child, it is not so important that they learn this order yet.
Final Thoughts
Colors are all around us, all the time. They are important basic English words that your child will need to know. Not only are these words useful, but they also provide a handy way of introducing your child to adjectives in English. So take this opportunity to begin to connect with your child through their English education.
We hope that our list of colors in English and the related color flashcards, resources, and activities have been useful for you. If there is anything else you think you need to successfully teach your child English, please just send us a message. You can do that by clicking on the image below or by commenting on this post.
