Thursday, February 18, 2010

Toddlers and Colors

Posted by Mandy at 7:21 AM

Our youngest is Samuel, and he'll be turning three years old in just about 4 months. He has been learing so much over the past few months, it is incredible! One thing that we've struggled with: learning colors.

This is actually something I've worried at least a little bit with with all of my children. I don't know why but I have this paranoid idea that they'll be color-blind. (as if that's the worst thing ever?) So, when they hit about two years old and we start really pointing out colors and teaching them, I sit nervously to see if they get it. If they can SEE colors.

It doesn't help my fear that they've all been a bit later than I'd expect at getting them.

So, with Samuel I have been telling myself NOT to worry. That he'd get them. He'd eventually learn that an orange is actually orange and he would not be the only kid in his 4 year old preschool class that doesn't know that the sky is blue.

So, all of my pep-talking didn't work. As the months passed by, I got a bit nervous at his lack of understanding ANY colors.

"Samuel, what color is your monster truck?"
"White."
"Your monster truck is red. Can you say red?"
"Red!" (giggles, smiles, and then tells me 3 minutes later that his monster truck is white.)

White was his word of choice when it came to the Name that Color game. No matter what I associated learning colors with, he just could not grasp it. Then, the thought.

"Does he REALLY think everything is white?! Can he SEE the colors?!"

This morning, a miracle occured.

As I assembled his orange race track, as I do several times each day, he said,

"Mommy, have you seen my orange water gun? It's orange like this orange car." (as he shuffles through his 50 Hot Wheels to find the orange one.) "And it's orange like my race car track. Where is it?"

My jaw dropped and I grabbed him up, so excited!!

"Sam! You knew that was all orange!! That's great!! Good job!"

Sam, not impressed with himself as I was,

"Mommy... where is my water gun?" (it was under the cars... and yes, it is orange.)

He then promptly grabbed a green car and put it on the top of the track.

"Mommy, yook at my fast green car!" (that's not a typo.. he doesn't say "l's" very well yet.)

It was green, and I was giddy!

This is exactly as it happened with the other two. Just when I realized that EVERYONE else's two year olds knew their colors, and mine didn't, and I started freaking out, they started spitting out the info I'd been trying to fill them with since birth.

If nothing else, he'll know orange and green when he goes to Pre-K...

4 comments:

Your mom on Thursday, 18 February, 2010 said...

Yay!

My daughter M.E. wore a hot pink shirt to school this past fall. When Miss Barbara said, "I like your pink shirt" M.E. said, "oh, it's not pink, it's fuchsia."

So there you have it. Color basics to color crazies!

Mandy on Thursday, 18 February, 2010 said...

HAHA! That's great!!

A friend of my daughter's, when they were in K, wore a really pretty shirt to one of their school parties so I said, "Oh I love your pretty flowered shirt!" She said, "It's actually called a floral print.. thank you!" As they skipped off... kids these days! ;)

x on Sunday, 21 February, 2010 said...

Awesome, I am smiling for you. I know that feeling too. Best, Pippi

The Hibbard Family on Tuesday, 23 February, 2010 said...

I just had to laugh!!! Both of my brothers and at least two of my male cousins are color blind. I just knew that since it is primarily passed down from mother to son that I would have a color blind son. I worked and worked with Steven just like you did with Samuel, and he just never would "get" it. I just knew he was color blind! Then the girls got ahold of him. Yep - he learned from them. I can't help but think maybe I had a little input! Maybe! :-) Anyway, I know exactly what you're talking about, and it just made me laugh to realize that someone else knows how I felt!

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