Palette of colors
At two years old, the child happily picks up a pencil. Even if he only draws meaningless sticks and squiggles for now, this chaos testifies to the impossibility of dividing the world into two parts: internal and external. The baby does not yet understand the shape, but he feels the color.
Yellow and purple are the most favorite colors among children. And if the child prefers them, the mother can be calm - in the child’s soul there is healthy optimism and a cheerful imagination. Red indicates rapid excitability.
Blue - that perhaps the child misses someone or something, that he is focused on internal problems.
Green - shows that he is looking for peace.
Brown means he is experiencing physical discomfort.
Particular concern should be given to the preference for black - the color of depression, protest against negative emotions.
Gray color is not typical for children's drawings, because it is the color of indifference. Please note that if a child draws only with a simple pencil, he lacks positive emotions.
Typically, preschool children draw with 5–6 colors, which shows their normal emotional state. If there are more colors in the child’s palette, this indicates his sensitivity and emotionality, and the choice of 1-2 colors in the drawing signals: the child is depressed, something is bothering him.
Learning colors during everyday games and walks
Generally speaking, I am convinced that in order to teach a child to distinguish primary colors, there is no great need for special classes; it is enough just to regularly name the colors during your regular games. When you draw, be sure to pronounce the colors of the pencils; when building with cubes, construction sets, or mosaics, don’t forget to remember the shades of the details. The same applies to dressing, walking, sculpting, applique and your other favorite activities - in conversation, constantly name the colors of the objects and playing materials around you.
Just remember that “learning colors” does not mean that you have to constantly examine the child “Tell me what color it is”, “Show me where red is”, etc. A child, like any other person, does not like being tested on his knowledge, so at first just name the colors and answer your own questions: “Where is the yellow cube? Here he is!" “Let’s draw the grass with a green pencil.”
Dot, dot, two hooks
By the age of three, circles appear among the strokes and scribbles, and sticks join the circles - arms and legs grow. A man appears! In this awkward little man, the child sees himself first of all. And this is a discovery for the baby: now he can transfer his thoughts, which have not yet been formalized verbally, onto paper, he can create his own world.
It would seem how difficult it is for a little artist to draw eyes, ears, and mouth correctly. But it is precisely them that he diligently brings out. And these facial features will tell you a lot.
And above all the eyes. Large, open eyes express anxiety and ask for help. The dotted eyes are afraid to express their fear - the child has set himself an internal ban on tears and requests. A man with only eyes on his face is suspicious and cautious. And if the portrait lacks a nose, mouth and ears, the child does not want to communicate. The neck in the drawing expresses the connection between mind and body. As soon as a child begins to control his emotions, a neck appears in his drawings. And the more difficult it is for a baby to control his feelings, the longer this neck is.
Hands are very important for a child, because through tactile sensations he learns about the world. Therefore, do not be alarmed if the drawn man has very long arms and more than five fingers. In this way, the artist expresses the strength and abilities of his character. If there are more fingers on the left hand, it means that the child feels more influential at home, and if there are more fingers on the right hand, in kindergarten, on the street or in the company of friends. Arms spread to the side indicate a desire to act, while long and weak arms indicate a request for protection.
Legs are what help a person stay on the ground. Therefore, the greater the fulcrum of the character in the drawing, the more confident the child feels in this world. Very long legs are a desire for independence, short legs are a sign of helplessness.
The effect of color on health
And what is important, under the influence of green color, the regeneration of body cells is accelerated. This color relieves negative emotions and also eliminates irritation, stimulates the functioning of the cardiovascular and reproductive systems, and the activity of the pituitary gland. At the same time, the color helps lower blood pressure.
Interestingly, if a person sees insufficient amounts of green, his performance decreases. You also lose faith in your own strengths, and nervous exhaustion may occur. All this happens at the same time that the individual doubts many of his decisions.
We invite you to read: Dream Interpretation Horse? dreamed, why do you dream about seeing a Horse in a dream?
Who's in charge here?
At first, all the “cephalopods” in the child’s drawings have the same features, and the child first draws, and then comes up with a name for what he drew. But by the age of four, the drawing becomes more meaningful, and the young artist separates himself and his mother, himself and the world around him on paper. While in his work the motifs of family and the closest – physically, emotionally, spiritually – space are heard.
And if, while drawing a family, a child leaves out someone, this is not accidental: it means that he has a hidden conflict with this member. But it also happens that a child does not want to draw himself surrounded by relatives - he has not found his place in the family, it seems to him that he is not loved. Oddly enough, instead of relatives, an invented character may appear in the picture - a fairy tale hero or an animal. This indicates difficulties in relationships, and that the baby prefers to live among fantasies.
The largest character in the drawing is the most significant for the child in the family. And the one who is located above everyone else is the most influential. The distance between a child’s self-portrait and a family member expresses their relationship: the closer in the drawing, the closer in life. And the contact between the characters in the picture speaks of their close psychological connection in reality. Therefore, most often the young artist holds his mother and father’s hands in his creations.
Pay attention to the character who is outlined, shaded or drawn with strong pressure - this person instills anxiety in the child.
And if the sun is shining over the whole family in the drawing, warmth and comfort reign in the house, and this is the most important thing in the life of a beginning artist.
How to teach a child to distinguish colors? Games
1. Sorting by color
In “sorting” games, the child is required to divide objects into groups, focusing on their color, and you are also required to constantly voice the names of colors so that they are deposited in the baby’s head. What can you sort? Here are some game options:
- You can make a color sorter from any unnecessary box; just cover the box with colored paper and make a few slits. You can push mosaic pieces, multi-colored paper clips, buttons, etc. into the slots. Our sorter is made from a tea box and mosaic pieces.
- We sort the beads into bowls. Imagine with your child that the beads are candies that you need to treat your toy friends with. At the same time, the bear loves only green candies, and the lion cub only loves red ones, so you have to try very hard not to offend anyone
- We lay out toys and other small household items on the floor and invite the child to sort them into boxes of the appropriate color. Instead of boxes, you can prepare a large sheet of paper with different colored sections. Our game was much more dynamic when we distributed colored sections between Taisiya and her favorite toy. For example, Tasya took away all the red objects, and the doll Masha took away all the yellow ones.
- We find a mother hen for each testicle, focusing on color.
Place all the eggs in a cut-off plastic cup attached to the chicken.
You can come up with a huge number of color sorting options; it’s impossible to list them all here. You can arrange colorful butterflies into flowers, fruits and vegetables into baskets, and place colorful little animals into houses... By the way, in the Game Box from readers there are also good options for color sorting.
2. Games from the “Match a Pair” series
Games from the “Match a Pair” category are also well suited for learning colors. You can select lids for houses, caps for gnomes or clowns, housing for colorful people, etc.
You can try this version of the game: lay out the incorrect version in front of your child in advance and ask him to correct the mistakes.
3. Color lotto
Games based on the lotto principle become interesting to children at about a little over a year old. Of course, for now the kids don’t play by adult rules, but simply match cards to the playing field with pictures.
In color lotto, the pictures on each playing field have only one color. (An example of a colored lotto can be DOWNLOADED HERE ). Therefore, to collect such a lotto, the child needs to select cards of a given color from the rest and place them correctly on the field.
In a more complicated version, you can simultaneously use 2-3 playing fields, and also learn to compare color and black and white images, as in the game “Dwarves and Houses” (Ozon, My-shop, Read) from the “School of the Seven Dwarfs”.
4. Colorful days
This method of introducing color is very popular now. It lies in the fact that within one day (and some even stretch out this pleasure for a whole week), the child very often “comes across” the same color, regularly hears its name and, accordingly, quickly remembers it. So, on red day, you and your baby can dress in red clothes, find all the red toys and even eat red fruits and vegetables. Of course, all this time you will remind your child what color is on your way. Here is a sample list of what you can do on a “colored” day:
- Together with the baby, we look at pre-selected toys of the color being studied;
- We put on clothes in appropriate colors;
- We walk around the apartment looking for toys and other objects of the color being studied;
- While walking, we look for cars of the color we need;
- Playing with a color sensory box;
- We look at a book or cards with pictures of the color we need (cards);
- We sculpt from plasticine using only the color of that day. A similar approach can be used in drawing and appliqué;
- We play lotto of a given color (see above);
- We include in the menu products of the studied color (For example, for a red day the following are suitable: berries, tomatoes, red apples, pomegranates; for a green day : grapes, green olives, lettuce, peas, green apples, green beans, kiwi, avocado; for a yellow day : banana, corn, yellow apples, lemon, butter, cheese, pineapple; for white : rice, cottage cheese, semolina, milk; for orange : carrots, apricot, pumpkin, orange)
5. Doman cards “Colors”
To be honest, I believe that studying colors using Doman cards is the simplest and at the same time the most effective method, especially if we are not talking about too “traditional” tones. Doman classes require a minimum of effort and time, and the colors are almost guaranteed to be remembered, especially if the child has already had experience interacting with cards before. Just remember, in order for the learned colors not to fly out of the child’s head after a month, their names must be reinforced through other games (sorting by color, playing lotto, etc.).
What is also important: learn only those shades that you yourself distinguish and whose names you are really ready to use in your games and conversations. Don’t get carried away with sets like “100 flowers” from “Umnitsa”. What's the point of learning, for example, the shade purple, if when you encounter it in life, you yourself will most likely call it purple. This will only confuse the child.
My daughter and I started learning colors using cards at 1 year 4 months (by that time Tasya already knew and showed the four primary colors). Over the course of a few days, we memorized another 14 colors from the cards (a total of 18 in our arsenal) and began to mention their names in our games. For those who are skeptical about Doman’s method, I can assure that Taisiya to this day has not forgotten any of the colors she studied then!
Read more about the Doman method and the principles of training here. “Colored” cards can be DOWNLOADED HERE and purchased HERE.
6. Board games
After 2-2.5 years, board games can be used to consolidate knowledge about colors. For example, here is a good option:
Colorama (Ozon, My-shop) - I wrote about it here before.
Draw your fear
The space of the cognizable world is expanding - the space of children's drawings is expanding, composition and new visual images appear. At 5–6 years old, a child can already use all kinds of details to express his emotions, thoughts, feelings, and fantasies.
Encourage his desire to draw, because this simple activity has many important functions. At an early stage, drawing develops coordination and motor skills, promotes knowledge of form, and cultivates perseverance in the child. Later – develops creative thinking, correct perception of the world, promotes the interaction of visual, spatial and motor functions. And, as you have already seen, a child’s drawing allows you to look into the child’s inner world. And not only learn about his problems, but also try to solve them with the help of a drawing. After all, if your child drew his fear on a piece of paper, it means that he can get rid of it in the same space. For example, place a scarecrow behind the high walls of a castle, give ice cream to a crying girl, or extend a hand to an offended brother. And you will see a miracle happen: a smile will appear... no, not on the drawn character, but on your child’s face.
Primary colors and their meaning in psychology
It is no secret that the choice of one color or another characterizes a person in some way. So, let's look at these characteristics, and also find out how and what shade affects our psyche and what significance it has.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with: Identical numbers on a clock and their meaning - Interpretation of the meanings of identical (repeating) numbers on a clock
A) The meaning of purple in psychology
It’s very difficult to call this color natural – it seems to give off a feeling of some unnaturalness. However, this color also symbolizes luxury, wealth and mystery. The main symbol of this color in psychology is the owl, because purple symbolizes wisdom and mysticism. According to medieval myths, purple is also considered the color of repentance and loneliness.
Interesting
Character by drawing
► Hyperactive children draw everything in motion, even static details seem to “dance” on a sheet of paper. The drawing is not symmetrical, it is difficult to draw at least one straight line in it.
► Aggressive child characters have large blackened, shaded hands and a large open mouth. The drawings are replete with many sharp angles, their colors are dark or very bright.
► In the drawings of anxious children there are many darkened areas or, conversely, these drawings are almost transparent. These children often erase or shade what they have just drawn. And they portray themselves as too small.
► Autistic children draw slowly and carefully draw out the details. Even when the drawing is ready, they continue to shade it. The topic is most often monotonous. The child draws what he already knows how to draw.
