A New Technique for Teaching Kids Colors

 
The names of colors are one of the first things that kids learn - but it is also one of the things that kids struggle with the most. 

My mom introduced me to a great article (called "Why Johnny Can't Name His Colors" by Melody Dye) about teaching kids the names of colors and why it can be so difficult. It describes a study in which 2 and 3 year olds were tested on their colors and many failed. Their parents were worried that they were colorblind!


Prenominal versus Postnominal 
The problem is in the way that English-speakers talk. You may already know that English is one of the more difficult languages to learn (we have many rules that often contradict each other - "i before e except after c"... but there are lots of weird words. Like that one). The English color names can be especially difficult to learn because we use color names prenominally - meaning "before nouns." (Look at the green grass, the black dog, the yellow banana, etc).

Without going into to much detail (if you're interested in all of the mechanics and the study itself, check out the original article - it's a good read!), children can learn their color names faster and more easily if you use the color names postnominally (after the noun).

"When you stick the noun before the color word, you can successfully narrow their focus to whatever it is you’re talking about before you hit them with the color. Say “the balloon is red,” for example, and you will have helped to narrow “red-ness” to being an attribute of the balloon, and not some general property of the world at large. This helps kids discern what about the balloon makes it red."

The researchers then took a group of kids and had them go through some postnominal color name training (they would show them something, like a crayon, and say, "this crayon is blue"). The kids that had that training improved significantly!


What You Can Do
To help your 2- or 3-year-old learn their color names, just change the way you talk about objects. After reading this article - before my son was even born - I started adjusting the way I talked. It was awkward at first, but I wanted to get in the habit of describing things in the best way to help my boy learn. When I read books to him, after reading the page the way it's written (orange tiger), I'll then say the color and object again, but change the structure to the new way ("that tiger is orange").


Books About Colors
Which brings me to a disappointing fact: most books use color names the traditional way (red apple, yellow sun, etc). Even some of my favorites! (Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, for example). But thanks to the blog Youth Lit Reviews, I was able to find a few titles that use color names in the new way ("the apple is red," "the sun is yellow")!

A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni

Lemons Are Not Red by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

If you know of any others, or find any others that use color names postnominally, please comment below to let me know! I love to collect books (to my husband's dismay - they're taking over our apartment!) and would love to get my hands on some books that use this new technique of teaching colors.

But for now, I will continue to read the books I already have, and will just start a conversation (yes, with my 3-month-old!) about the color on the page. "Red apple. See that, baby? The apple is red!"

UPDATE 01/16/2015

I have discovered a few more books that use color names postnominally (or, "the right way" as I usually refer to it with my family. Though there is really no right or wrong way, they've only just discovered that one way may be more effective than the other).

Baby Bear Sees Blue by Ashley Wolff

A beautiful picture book about a baby bear venturing out into the world and seeing lots of colors. "'Those are the strawberries,' Mama says. Baby bear sees red." "'That is a butterfly,' Mama says. Baby bear sees orange." Etc.

Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs by Sandra Boynton

This book is really cute - not specifically about colors, but it's a rhyming book about dinosaurs. In addition to dinosaurs being cute and spiny and mean, one page also says there are "Dinosaurs Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green."

Winnie-the-Pooh's Colors inspired by A.A. Milne

This board book has both prenominal and postnominal colors - one page says "Piglet wears a green sweater" and another page says "Tigger is orange."

UPDATE 01/20/2015

I found two more books! I'm quite excited that this list has grown, since I was a little dismayed by the choices I'd originally found (that use colors postnominally).


Another dinosaur book: How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague

Actually a book about counting to ten (duh), one page does use color names postnominally.

The toy trucks are painted blue, green, and red (they are not "blue, green, and red trucks").

I love Tad Hill's Duck & Goose books, and am really glad to see that the color book uses the colors the "right" way.

This entire book appears to be "correct." (I do not yet own it). The sample shows pages that say "The inchworm is green, like leaves." and, "Duck is yellow, like a field of buttercups."

Fodada Commitment and Free Dad's Shirt

Fodada is "a celebration of what a great dad can mean to a child... and hence what that relationship could mean to a dad." It is a company that sells tshirts and also works with many great causes and organizations like the American Heart Association, Autism Speaks, and more. They also have their own programs which raise money for worthy causes - one of which helps provide books for a library at a small school in the country Suriname, which previously had none. (Close to my heart - I am big on literacy and reading. Especially since my mother is a school librarian and reading specialist).

Well one of their other programs, the Dad and Me campaign, is "a crusade to bring fathers and their children closer together," having them commit to spending time together. By making this commitment, dads can get a free t-shirt. 

To get this free t-shirt, all you have to do is have your kid sign the commitment form, then have dad sign it. They are committing to spend 3-hours together every month: 1 hour doing something outdoors, 1-hour doing something educational (like going to a museum or library), and 1-hour doing something silly and fun. 

I printed the form off and stamped baby G's handprint on it (his signature!) and then had my husband sign it before I sent it off.

His shirt just came in the other day - and I think it's pretty awesome. :)

Although the free shirt is pretty cool, the commitment is even cooler. I love that this company (founded by a dad!) is always working for a cause - and getting dads and kids to commit to spending time together - especially committing to doing something outside and doing something educational! - is awesome!

And this makes a great Father's Day gift - a Super Dad t-shirt and a promise to spend time with the kids! :)

Let me note though, that my husband didn't need to sign a piece of paper to commit to spending time with his boy. He already spends every moment of his free time with G. :)

Two thumbs up to Fodada!

Free kit for parents from First 5 California

First 5 California is the "first place to go for everything children 0-5." They fund programs that educate parents, caregivers, and teachers about the important role they play in children's' first 5 years. They were founded in 1998, but their current focuses are nutrition, early literacy and language development, and smoking cessation.

Well, they have a lot of free downloads on their site - activity sheets and coloring pages for kids as well as flyers, recipes, and little PDF books (starring Potter the Otter). First 5 also shares activity ideas for all ages and stages of the first 5 years plus educational videos.

In addition to all of those wonderful resources, they also have a free kit for parents that include an educational DVD, a touch-and-feel board book, advice book, and more. The kit provides information on everything from prenatal care to finding a preschool. Best of all, it's FREE! (And available in 6 languages).

an educational
DVD, Advice for New Parents reference book, Puppy and
Friends touch-and-feel board book, and much more - See more at:

http://www.first5california.com/parents/services-support.aspx?id=21#sthash.yu6tr9s2.dpuf

*I have not called to order mine yet (when I discovered this, it was already after hours), but it may only be available to California residents. It doesn't specify on the site.*

fund
programs that educate parents, grandparents, caregivers, and teachers
about the critical role they play during a child’s first five years -
See more at:
http://www.first5california.com/parents/about-us.aspx#sthash.15wS3yTh.dpuf

fund
programs that educate parents, grandparents, caregivers, and teachers
about the critical role they play during a child’s first five years -
See more at:
http://www.first5california.com/parents/about-us.aspx#sthash.15wS3yTh.dpuf

fund
programs that educate parents, grandparents, caregivers, and teachers
about the critical role they play during a child’s first five years -
See more at:
http://www.first5california.com/parents/about-us.aspx#sthash.15wS3yTh.dpuf

Screen Your Sunscreens: Why mineral is the way to go

I never really gave much thought to what went into the food I ate and the products I used until I got pregnant. And now that Baby G has arrived, I am even more concerned about what I use on him. I have sensitive skin, plus I am very fair with light eyes so I often have reactions to products and burn very easily. I have even had a few second-degree burns from the sun, which means that I am high-risk for developing skin cancer. (Just one blistering burn in childhood more than doubles your risk of skin cancer later in life). I have not always been the most diligent about applying sunscreen (especially when I was a teenager), but I have gotten better. My husband has helped a lot in that regard - reminding me to apply it when we're heading outside for a while. I still haven't gotten to the point where I apply it every day, multiple times a day... but I would like to.

Even though my boy seemed to get my husband's olive skin, I vowed to prevent those second-degree burns I had and to use sunscreen diligently. But because I recently became interested in the ingredients of everything we use, I wasn't just going to slather him in Banana Boat without doing some research first.

A baby's skin is much thinner than adults. I've read different numbers on it - some say it is 5 times thinner than an adults and others say only 20-30% thinner. But either way, that means that their body absorbs more of what is put on their skin than yours does. Which is why so many people are concerned about the chemicals in baby products: lotions, soaps, diapers, even clothing. I haven't gone completely to the organic and green end of the spectrum, but I do try to make easy, healthy, and smart choices and substitutions as much as I can - always doing my research first.

We are taking a trip to visit family at the end of June, and will be going to the beach when we're in Florida. I know that means a lot of being outside, in the sun, and on the sand (which the sun reflects off of). Though I will do my best to keep baby boy in the shade as much as possible, I still wanted to find a sunscreen that was safe for him just in case. Many sunscreens are not recommended for children under 6 months old, and since he will only be 3 months old on our trip, I wanted to find one that was appropriate for a baby his age.

Goddess Garden's Toxicity Rating card

Ecocentric Mom and Baby Box

I was given Birchbox as a gift maybe a year ago, and loved it. A monthly box containing lots of goodies, samples, and coupons! I sometimes have a bit of a shopping problem and receiving my box in the mail kind of quells the urge to buy stuff.

Then, I started seeing ads on my Facebook for other box subscriptions - like Bark Box with goodies for dogs and Nature Box (both of which I've yet to try). I got a gift subscription to Citrus Lane, which has lots of fun baby goodies every month. Then there's also Bluum box (for kids) and I'm sure plenty of others.

Shortly before my baby boy was born, I signed up for the Ecocentric Mom and Baby Discovery Box. This box comes every-other month and contains stuff for both mom and baby. They also have a Mom box and a Mom-to-be box (goodies for the pregnant bunch). Every time I get a box, I always intend to take pictures so I can post about it... but I rip it open so fast that I only remember once I've eaten the snacks and unwrapped everything and thrown away the box and tags... whoops.

But this time, I remembered!!!

Free Baby Classes: Gymboree, My Gym and others

When our little boy was about 1 month old, I began looking for things to do with him. I had started getting stir-crazy just sitting at home all day. With no plans to return to the workforce anytime in the near future, I needed some reason to get out of the house. And though I would love to go shopping every day, I'm not one to just "window" shop - I always end up getting something. And that's no way to stick to a budget.

I found that some gyms and centers offer infant classes. Most of these classes advertise enhanced development and support of babies' growth - mainly through sensory stimulation. Lots of music and colors and sounds. The class we attend always does 5 minutes of tummy time and a new focus every 2 weeks. (The first 2 weeks were beach balls, and the next 2 weeks were blankets). Some programs involve American Sign Language, yoga, rides and swings, bubbles and some give an informative handout to parents every week.

Tummy time! They always use the rain stick to get babies' attention and practice tracking.

Goo-Goo Ga Ga! Why you should talk to your baby!

How do children learn language?

One of the best ways to predict a child's success and ability to learn and read in school is their vocabulary size when they enter kindergarten. It is incredibly important for the language learning that parents talk to their young children. "The key to early learning is [...] a child’s exposure to language spoken by parents and caretakers from birth to age 3, the more the better." (NYTimes)

The way that babies learn how to speak is by imitating language that they hear and that is spoken to them. But TV and media is not a substitution for a real human!

"Educational" TV?

Recent research has shown that infants that watch "educational" baby DVDs and shows may learn fewer words than other children. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently stated that there is no such thing as "educational TV" for children under 2. They have a huge battle to fight in America on that front though, as "90% of parents reported that their children under 2 watch some TV. And more than half of parents said they think educational television programming is important for their young child." (IT's NOT!!)