Teaching Colors in English: Games, Activities & Lesson Plans

If you teach English to pre-school, kindergarten or elementary school children, then it’s likely you’ll run across plenty of units about colours in your textbooks. It’s a natural fit and that’s why you’ll want to check out these games, activities, lesson plans and worksheets for teaching colors in English.

Activity and Game Ideas for Teaching Colors in English

Are you ready to get to the best games for teaching colors? Keep reading for the top 15 options to choose from.

#1: Flyswatter Game

If you’re teaching colours to pre-school or kindergarten kids, then you’ll want to try out Flyswatter. The way it works is that you write a bunch of colours randomly on the whiteboard. Then, two students come to the front of the class and take a flyswatter.

Give hints that relate to one of the colours and the first student to slap the correct one gets a point for their team. Sounds like something you want to try out? Check it out here:

ESL Flyswatter Game.

#2: Colour Idiom Activity

There are a ton of English idioms that have to do with colours. Some of them include:

• Green with envy
• Tickle me pink
• Red tape
• Beet red
• Black and white
• Black sheep
• Born with a silver spoon in his/her mouth
• Catch red handed
• Etc.

A fun activity that makes English colour idioms memorable is this one to try out in your classes. Find out all the details here:

English Idioms Activity.

#3: Colours in an ESL Speaking Lesson

It’s easier than you might think to plan a lesson about almost anything, including colours. Check out this video for details about how to do that:

#4: Odd One Out

One of my favourite review games for colours is Odd One Out. The way it works is that you write four things on the board. Three are matching while one of them is not. For example:

• Cucumber, tree, eggplant, apple

There are certainly a number of possible answers. However, one possible one is eggplant because it’s purple while the other things can all be green. Check it out here:

Odd One Out ESL Vocabulary Game.

#5: Word Association with Colours

Unless your ESL students are absolute beginners like with pre school students, it’s likely that they’ve learned about colours before. A nice review activity that helps to activate their prior knowledge about this topic is word association.

It’s possible to use this activity with a variety of topics but in this case, students have to shout out words that are associated with certain colours. For example, yellow-sun or green-tree.

Find out all the details here:

ESL Word Association Vocabulary Activity.

#6: Concentration Colours Game

One of the best colour games is this challenging memory one. In this case, you’d want to make some cards with colours and then the name of the colour.

In small groups, students have to spread out the cards face down and then it becomes a memory game as they try to find the matching sets. See all the details here:

ESL Concentration Game.

#7: Colours Songs and Chants for Teaching Colours

If you’re teaching colours to preschool or kindergarten kids, then you’ll certainly want to take advantage of songs and chants in your lesson plans. If you’re not musical (like me!), the good news is that there are plenty of colour songs that you can find on YouTube.

#8: Dictation Practice With Colours

A simple, quick activity that helps students work on spelling and colours is dictation. For pre-school kids who are just learning to write, it may be as simple as saying the word and then having them write it down. For older kids, it may include saying a sentence with the colour in it.

Find out more about it here:

ESL Dictation Practice.

#9: Review Games and Activities for Teaching Colors

When you’re teaching colours, it’s all about review. This kind of vocabulary can be quite difficult for our students to learn because the names are quite abstract and don’t relate to each other or anything else for that matter. It’s straight up memorization!

If you want to help your students out with this tough task, consider using some of these ideas:

ESL Review Activities.

#10: Word Challenge Spelling Game

If you’re teaching beginners, you may want to try out this colour spelling game. The way it works is that a student from each team comes up to the whiteboard. You say a word (a colour in this case) and the two students race to see who can spell it correctly first. Find out all the information about it right here:

Word Challenge Spelling Game.

#11: Chain Spelling

Another simple, fun spelling game is this one. It’s perfect for young learners. The way it works is that all the students have to stand up and then take turns spelling colours, letter by letter. If someone misses, they sit down are out of the game. The last person standing wins.

Here are all the details you need to know:

ESL Chain Spelling Game.

#12: Use the Test-Teach-Test Approach

Unless students are absolute beginners, they may already know many of the most common colours. You might want to consider using this fun approach to teaching English. Learn more about it here:

#13: A to Z Warm-Up Game

Unless you’re teaching pre-school kids, it’s likely that your students already know a good number of colours. A nice review activity to help them activate this prior knowledge is this alphabet game. Check it out here:

A-Z ESL Alphabet Game.

#14: Listening for Colours

A nice way to introduce an ESL unit on colours is to use a listening passage of some kind where various colours are mentioned. There are a number of things you can do with it but one nice idea is to have students listen for any colours that they hear. More information about this here:

Listening for One Specific Thing.

#15: I Spy for Teaching Colors

This is a classic game that you can play with kids. Start it off by saying, “I Spy something that is (red).” Then, students have to guess what classroom object you’re talking about. The winner can choose an object for the second round.

#16: Describing People ESL Activities

Using colours is a common way to describe someone (brown hair, blue eyes, green shirt, red glasses). Here are some of my favourite activities for teaching this unit:

Describing People ESL.

#17: Color Names in English Chart

Here’s a helpful page for teaching colors to any age:

Color Names in English Chart.

#18: Color Flashcards

Create flashcards with different colors and show them to the students one by one. Have them repeat the color name after you. You can also hold up an object of a specific color and ask the students to identify the color.

#19: Color Sorting Game

Prepare a collection of objects or pictures in various colors. Ask students to sort the objects/pictures into different color groups. For example, they can place all the red objects together, all the blue objects together, and so on.

#20: Color Simon Says

Play a variation of the traditional Simon Says game but focus on colors. Give commands such as “Simon says touch something red” or “Simon says point to the blue object.” Students must listen carefully and follow the instructions. If they follow a command without “Simon says,” they are out of the game.

#21: Scavenger Hunt

Create a list of colors and have students find objects of each color in the classroom or their surroundings. They can work individually or in pairs. The first student or team to find all the colors on the list wins.

#22: Colors ESL Bingo

Make bingo cards with different colored squares. Call out color names, and students mark off the corresponding colors on their bingo cards. The first person to get a line or a full card shouts “Bingo!”

#23: Color Guessing Game in English

Check out this fun guessing game activity for reviewing the names of the colours in English.

Online Practice For Learning Colors

If your students want to get some additional practice with learning the colours in English, there are plenty of fun games they can play online. Here are two of the best sites to direct them to:

ESL Games Plus

Games World

ESL Color Lesson Plans

If you teach preschool or kindergarten kids, colors is certainly a topic that you’ll see plenty of times. Here are some of the best ESL lesson plans for teaching colors to young learners:

ESL Kids Stuff

Games 4 ESL

Lingua House

Teaching Colours Worksheets

If you’re a teacher, then I’m sure you like to save time. A big way to do that is to use ESL color worksheets that other teachers have already made! No need to reinvent the wheel, right? Here are some of the best resources:

ISL Collective

Boggle’s World

English Worksheets

FAQs

There are a number of common questions that people have about this topic. Here are the answers to some of the most common ones.

How can I teach colors to English learners?

You can teach colors to English learners through various activities, such as using flashcards, playing color matching games, and engaging in art projects.

What are the basic colors in English?

The basic colors in English are red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, pink, brown, black, gray (or grey), and white.

How do I introduce colors to young English learners?

Start by using visual aids, like colorful objects or pictures, and pronounce the color names clearly. Encourage students to repeat the color names and point to the corresponding objects.

What are some interactive activities for teaching colors?

You can try activities like color scavenger hunts, color mixing experiments, coloring worksheets, or singing songs about colors.

How can I reinforce color vocabulary in English learners?

Provide opportunities for English learners to use color words in context. For example, you can ask them to describe the colors of objects around them or play “I Spy” games using colors.

Tips for Teaching Colours to English Learners

Here are some tips for teaching colors to ESL learners.

Use Visuals

Colors are best taught with visual aids such as flashcards, posters, or real objects. Show students the colors while saying the color names aloud to create a visual and auditory connection.

Repetition and Reinforcement

Repeat the color names frequently throughout the lesson to reinforce learning. Encourage students to repeat the color names after you, play color recognition games, and incorporate color-related activities into daily routines.

Contextualize Colors

Relate colors to familiar objects or surroundings. For example, when teaching the color “green,” show pictures or real objects like grass or trees. This helps students associate colors with things they encounter in their everyday lives.

Incorporate Multisensory Activities

Engage students in hands-on activities that involve multiple senses. Have them touch and feel objects of different colors, listen to color-related songs or chants, and participate in interactive games that involve movement and verbal responses.

Play Color-Mixing Activities

Teach students about color mixing by demonstrating how primary colors (red, blue, and yellow) can be combined to create secondary colors (orange, green, and purple). Use watercolors, colored pencils, or color tablets to illustrate the concept of color blending.

Integrate Language Skills

Use colors as a theme to practice various language skills. Have students describe objects using color vocabulary, create sentences or short stories incorporating colors, and engage in conversations where they discuss their favorite colors or preferences.

Provide Real-Life Examples

Connect color learning to real-life situations. Show students examples of color use in signs, advertisements, or packaging. Encourage them to identify colors in their environment, such as in clothing, food, or nature.

Cultural Considerations

Be aware that colors can have cultural significance and associations. Discuss how colors might have different meanings in different cultures. This can lead to interesting discussions and help students understand color symbolism.

Make it Interactive

Incorporate games, puzzles, and interactive activities to make learning colors enjoyable and engaging. Use technology, such as interactive whiteboards or educational apps, to enhance the learning experience.

Personalize and Review

Encourage students to apply their knowledge of colors to their personal experiences. Have them create artworks or crafts using different colors and describe their creations. Regularly review colors learned in previous lessons to reinforce retention.

Did you Like these Teaching Colors in English Games and Activities?

Yes? Thought so. Then you’re going to love this book that you can get over on Amazon: 101 ESL Activities for Kids. The key to better English classes with children is a wide variety of interesting, engaging games and activities and this book will certainly help you get there in style.

There are dozens of student-centred, engaging, and interactive activities that you can use in your English classes. The students will love them and your lesson planning will be quick and easy. It really is possible to have fun ESL classes!

Head over to Amazon to pick up a copy of the book today. But, only if you want to get yourself a serious dose of ESL teaching awesome in your life:

Have Your Say about Teaching Colours in English

Do you have any tips or tricks for teaching colors to English learners? Or, another activity or game recommendation that you’d like to share with us? Please leave a comment below and let us know what you think. We’d love to hear from you.

Also be sure to give this article a share on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. It’ll help other busy English teachers, like yourself find this useful resource.

Last update on 2022-07-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API