[hide_on_uk]Colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]Colours[/hide_on_us] games and activities
for ESL kids lessons

Games and activities for teaching “[hide_on_uk]Colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]Colours[/hide_on_us]” to ESL kids

[hide_on_uk]Color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]Colour[/hide_on_us] circles

A good activity for young kids. Get some sheets of A3 paper and draw a large circle on each one. Pin the circle sheets on different walls in the classroom. Model the activity: Say, “Blue”, take a blue crayon, walk over to one circle and [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] a small part of the circle. Do this for each [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] you plan to teach.

Next, say a [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us], (“Blue”) to a student and s/he should pick up the blue crayon and go over to the circle you [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] in blue. Let him/her [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] it a little and then call him/her back.

Continue with the other students.

[hide_on_uk]Color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]Colour[/hide_on_us] game

This is a good one for teaching the names of [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] to young children. Arrange various [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] of construction paper in a circle. Play some music and have the children march around the circle. Stop the music and all the children must sit down next to a [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us].

Pick a [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] and sing (to the tune of ‘Twinkle twinkle little star‘), “Who’s beside the [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] (insert name of [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us])? Please stand up, if it’s you.” At that point, the child next to the [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] mentioned stands up.

Continue until all of the children get a turn. (Submitted by Josie Weisner)

I spy [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us]

Instead of using letters, the teacher says, “I spy with my little eye something that is red”. Students try to guess the object in the room (e.g. “a pencil”).

[hide_on_uk]Colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]Colours[/hide_on_us] lesson plan

We also have a FREE lesson plan on [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] which includes games and activities as well as other lesson materials.

Click to download our [hide_on_uk]Colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]Colours[/hide_on_us] lesson plan.

[hide_on_uk]Colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]Colours[/hide_on_us] song

We have a song available for download focusing on [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] called “The rainbow song“.

There are a few things you can do with The rainbow song:

• Variation 1. Lay out [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] paper in front of your students in the order in the song, and get them to touch each [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] as the song is played.
• Variation 2. Lay out [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] paper in a random order and get the to arrange them in the order of the song
• Variation 3. Have the lay out their [hide_on_uk]coloring[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colouring[/hide_on_us] pencils in the order of the song. “Red and yellow and pink and green, purple and orange and blue. I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow too”.

Origami [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us]

This is good for very young ones and lots of things you can do:

• Give each student 2 pieces of different [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] paper (origami paper is ideal for this). Teacher calls out a [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us], (e.g. “Blue”) and the students with that [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] hold it up. (Submitted by Jo Ruoss)
• Give each student a different [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] paper (or even 2 [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us]). Teacher calls a [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] and an action (e.g. “Blue – Jump!”). Other actions can be stand up, spin around, run on the spot, sit down, hop, wiggle, star jump, etc.
• Place different [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] around the room. Teacher calls out [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] and the students get up and go and touch or retrieve the origami papers.
• Give each student a [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] and make sure at least 2 have the same [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us]. Teacher says, “Blues, high 5!” and the kids with blue paper have to find and High 5 each other.
• Make a line of origami [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] papers with ‘The rainbow song‘ – as the song is played, put the papers in the same order as the song. Or, the teacher puts the papers in the correct order and the students touch each paper as the song is sung.

Touch

Have students run around the classroom touching things in the [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] that the teacher shouts out (e.g. “Touch something green”).