Object inquiry skills
A young infant looks at two dolls wrapped in bold, contrasting colors.
Be Prepared: The brief activity described below is for infants who are 6–12 weeks of age. It also may be of interest to a somewhat older infant. It is important for the two dolls to be of similar shape and size so the infant is more likely to focus on the color. The red and blue squares of fabric should be solid, bold colors, and large enough to wrap around the doll as a blanket. Wrap the red fabric around one doll and the blue fabric around the other doll. The activity plan calls these “red doll” and “blue doll.” There is an opportunity to use the dolls and red and blue fabric again in Block 21, Cognitive, Option 1.
Provide an opportunity for the young infant to gaze at two dolls during a friendly social interaction with you. Hold the infant in your arms and hold the red doll about 8–10 inches from the infant. Hold the doll steady for a moment, and then gently tip the doll left and right. Encourage the infant to look at the toy by talking about the red doll. Acknowledge any reactions the infant may have to the doll. Example: “You are looking at the doll’s hair.”
After a minute or less, gently move the doll out of the infant’s sight. Describe what happened. Example: “We looked at a doll together. The doll had a red blanket. I put away the doll. Now we are looking at each other!” Give the infant a short break from intently looking.
Next, show the blue doll. Offer a brief introduction. Example: “Here is another doll. We can look at this doll now.” Again, hold the doll steady for a moment, and then gently tip the doll left and right. Comment on the infant’s reaction. Example: “You are looking at the doll’s face. You are watching the doll’s face move.” Gently take the doll out of the infant’s sight. Describe what happened. Example: “We looked at another doll. Our dolls each had a different color of blanket.”
Repeat this short activity regularly with young infants, using other toys of high‑contrast color.
Young children develop an awareness of color differences early in life that can be used to strengthen an infant’s vision. Looking at a strong, bold color requires considerable effort for an infant. Coordinated eye movement, color perception, and depth perception develop in the first few months of life. A strength of the current activity is the use of one solid, bold color at a time in similarly-shaped toys. Early experiences with contrasting bold colors can support visual perception, which is an important aspect of cognitive development. It is not appropriate to teach specific colors at this early age. But an infant begins to learn there are words for color when you intentionally describe the solid color of an object. Your talking about color is a stronger learning experience for the infant than simply offering colorful items for an infant to explore on his/her own.
Extra support
Enrichment
Object inquiry skills
An infant participates in a tummy time that offers two similar dolls wrapped in different bold colors.
Be Prepared: This activity is for infants about 4–6 months of age. Secure two dolls that are the same size and shape. Wrap each in a different solid, bold color of fabric (red and blue) so the infant can focus on color differences. The activity plan calls these “red doll” and “blue doll.” Multi-colored fabric should not be used for this activity. Red, yellow, and blue are distinct colors that help infants perceive color differences. Colors that are similar, such as red and orange or pink and lavender, are too close in tone for infants to discern. There is an opportunity to use the dolls and red and blue fabric again in Block 21, Cognitive, Option 1.
[Arrange two dolls very close together at the center of the mat where an infant can easily see them. Lay the infant down on his/her tummy and sit very close so he/she can see and hear you. Invite the infant to look at the dolls by saying his/her name and drawing attention to the solid colors of each.]
We have dolls to play with. The dolls are wrapped in blankets that are different colors.
Would you like to get one of the dolls?
[Point to the dolls if the infant has not noticed them. Move a doll gently from side to side to draw attention to it.
Encourage the infant to reach for a doll. Move a doll closer to the infant if necessary. If the infant does not grasp a doll, bring a doll close to the infant’s hands. Describe your action. Example: “Braxton, you reached for the red doll. I am moving the red doll closer to you so you can touch it.”
Describe the infant’s actions with a doll. Example: “Braxton, you are holding the red doll with both hands. ”The infant may look, touch, or manipulate a doll. The infant may roll over while clutching a doll and continue exploration. If the infant loses grasp of a doll or moves away from a doll, make sure a doll is close enough to the infant for looking at or holding.
Watch for an opportunity to bring the second doll to the infant’s attention. Example: “I am putting our other doll close to you. This doll is wrapped in a different color of blanket. The blanket is blue.”
Continue to describe the infant’s actions with a doll(s). Point to a specific doll you describe. Example: “Here is the red doll. Here is the blue doll. You are holding the red doll.”]
[Describe the infant’s actions with the two dolls. Example: “You looked at the red doll and the blue doll. You held the blue doll. Now we are finished with the dolls.”]
This activity extends Option 1 for an older infant by offering two dolls at the same time and encouraging the infant to play with one or both dolls. Look for opportunities to point out the bold color differences without teaching specific colors. Vision researchers report that an infant’s sensitivity to color improves within the first few months. At about four months of age, infants generally begin to perceive differences between red, yellow, blue, and green. Many infants show a preference for red. The typical color preference of infants at four months is (in order, strongest preference first): red, yellow, blue, green.
Extra support
Enrichment
Object inquiry skills
An older infant engages in open-ended play with large beads of two different colors.
Be Prepared: This activity is for a mobile infant. Secure infant snap-lock beads that are the same shape and size in two different bold colors (five red, five yellow). The colors represent most infants’ preferred colors at an early age. Put the 10 beads in the container. A clear container is best. The activity does not involve putting together or taking apart the beads.
Invite a mobile infant to play a game with colors. Sit on the floor facing the infant and place the container of infant snap-lock beads between you. Point out that the beads are different colors. Invite the infant to take the beads out of the container. You may wish to demonstrate taking two beads out of the container, one at a time. Say the color of a bead as you remove it from the container. Example: “I am taking a yellow bead out of our bowl.” Encourage the infant to take out the other beads.
After some or all beads are removed from the container, encourage the infant to play with the beads as he/she wishes. The infant might make small piles of beads or return them to the container. Describe the infant’s actions. Point out color differences. Conclude the activity by describing what the infant did with the yellow and red beads.
Manipulating beads that are the same except for color is an informal way to strengthen awareness of color differences. The use of red and yellow represents infants’ early color preferences, as noted above. The infant is not expected to learn specific colors or color names, but your naming colors can support the infant’s emerging skill in color discrimination. Sorting the beads by color is not an expected part of the activity, although you may see a color preference or organization in the infant’s play. Avoid teaching the infant to sort the beads. The infant may remove beads one by one from the container or simply dump all beads onto the floor. Positively describe the infant’s approach.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: red and blue toys, yellow and green toys, books about colors (such as The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle), small sand pails in red, yellow, and blue
Suspend a new and colorful mobile where infants can see it closely when they are being held. Arrange red and blue toys in areas easily seen by infants. Place red toys within reach of the infants.
On low surfaces, place containers with red and blue toys. Infants will enjoy finding them and dumping them out. On another day, collect groups of yellow and green toys for infants to find.
Display books about colors. Comment on different-colored clothing. Provide small sand pails in red, yellow, and blue for mobile infants to fill and carry.
Materials Needed: two colors of paint; infant snap-lock beads; colored tickets; color-focused books, such as Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh, The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle, Baby’s First Book of Birds and Colors by Phyllis Limbacher Tildes.
In addition to the activity options for infants, the color-awareness skills of older children in your setting can be supported in creative ways. Preschool-age children may enjoy painting with two colors or playing a game of I Spy with color names. Older children may enjoy finding hidden snap-lock beads. Hide the snap-lock beads outdoors. Give each child a colored ticket for finding the beads. Example: “You have a blue ticket. Try to collect blue beads. Leave other beads in place for children to find.” Children will enjoy the popular books listed above.
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