Print as many copies of the orange and black words that you need. Have children trace the letters in each word with their fingers and name the letters. You may want to color the letters with the corresponding color. The adult can color them so the colors are inside the lines, then have the children trace the color (the different texture of the crayon wax will help them identify the borders of the letters). Children can also practice coloring inside the lines.

 

Hold up the word, starting first with colored words, and have children say the color. Then have them find as many items of that color as they can. After each child (or player) has returned with his or her items - count the items in order to develop one to one correspondence and counting skills. You can then write the number down to help with number recognition. Once children can identify the word that has been colored, practice playing with a word that has not been colored.

 

You can also help children identify capital and lowercase letters by having them match up the words that identify the same color. Children can try to match "black" and "Black" together and "orange" and "Orange" together. Take time to talk about how the B and b or the O and o are the same letter but one is a capital letter (like a mommy or daddy) and the other is the lowercase letter (like the baby). You can also talk about how words can be written with a capital letter in front, like their names, and at other times are written without any capital letters. You may wish to avoid using all capital letters when writing words since this is an unconventional form of writing that children are unlikely to encounter in school. At this stage of development, children recognize words as a pattern or picture more often then seeing them as a collection of individual letters ... so all capital letter words look different than all lowercase words and can be more confusing. Children are also still trying to develop the understanding that letters can be the same thing but look different depending on if one is capital or lowercase. For this reason, only the starting letter varies between capital and lowercase.

Print and cut out the individual orange and black cards. There are enough cards for 13 players. (You may wish to print them on card stock or glue them to firmer paper to make them more durable.)

 

Each play gets one orange card and one black card. If players are just starting to learn to recognize the color word, you can color the card the same color as the word printed on it to make identification easier. As players become more advanced in their skills, use uncolored cards. You can use the large word cards from the black and orange word identification to hold up and help children find their small individual word card that matches the card you are holding up.

 

During the game, the game leader holds up an object (black or orange) and the other players pick out the card they think has the color word printed on it for that object. So if a black object is held up, then players find the card that says "black" or "Black" and hold that up. Some players can have their cards colored to help make identification easier. As players become more advanced, the game leader can hold up an object and hold up the large word card that matches the color of the object. The other players then try to find their small uncolored word card that matches the word being held up and the color of the object. The game can be modified to match individual children's abilities by allowing some children to use colored cards and other children to have a large word card to help them find the card they need. Then next game leader can be the first person to find the correct word card, the last person to find the correct word card, or can go in a circle depending on what each family decides when playing the game.

 

As word cards are held up, have children say the name of the color. You can also have them count the letters and point to and say the name of the individual letters in each word.

 

More colors can be added to this game by using more color word cards.

Print and cut out the individual brown and red cards. There are enough cards for 13 players. (You may wish to print them on card stock or glue them to firmer paper to make them more durable.)

 

Each play gets one brown card and one red card. If players are just starting to learn to recognize the color word, you can color the card the same color as the word printed on it to make identification easier. As players become more advanced in their skills, use uncolored cards. You can use the large word cards from the red and brown word identification to hold up and help children find their small individual word card that matches the card you are holding up.

 

During the game, the game leader holds up an object (red or brown) and the other players pick out the card they think has the color word printed on it for that object. So if a red object is held up, then players find the card that says "red" or "Red" and hold that up. Some players can have their cards colored to help make identification easier. As players become more advanced, the game leader can hold up an object and hold up the large word card that matches the color of the object. The other players then try to find their small uncolored word card that matches the word being held up and the color of the object. The game can be modified to match individual children's abilities by allowing some children to use colored cards and other children to have a large word card to help them find the card they need. Then next game leader can be the first person to find the correct word card, the last person to find the correct word card, or can go in a circle depending on what each family decides when playing the game.

 

As word cards are held up, have children say the name of the color. You can also have them count the letters and point to and say the name of the individual letters in each word.

 

More colors can be added to this game by using more color word cards.

Print as many copies of the brown and red words that you need. Have children trace the letters in each word with their fingers and name the letters. You may want to color the letters with the corresponding color. The adult can color them so the colors are inside the lines, then have the children trace the color (the different texture of the crayon wax will help them identify the borders of the letters). Children can also practice coloring inside the lines.

 

Hold up the word, starting first with colored words, and have children say the color. Then have them find as many items of that color as they can. After each child (or player) has returned with his or her items - count the items in order to develop one to one correspondence and counting skills. You can then write the number down to help with number recognition. Once children can identify the word that has been colored, practice playing with a word that has not been colored.

 

You can also help children identify capital and lowercase letters by having them match up the words that identify the same color. Children can try to match "red" and "Red" together and "brown" and "Brown" together. Take time to talk about how the R and r or the B and b are the same letter but one is a capital letter (like a mommy or daddy) and the other is the lowercase letter (like the baby). You can also talk about how words can be written with a capital letter in front, like their names, and at other times are written without any capital letters. You may wish to avoid using all capital letters when writing words since this is an unconventional form of writing that children are unlikely to encounter in school. At this stage of development, children recognize words as a pattern or picture more often then seeing them as a collection of individual letters ... so all capital letter words look different than all lowercase words and can be more confusing. Children are also still trying to develop the understanding that letters can be the same thing but look different depending on if one is capital or lowercase. For this reason, only the starting letter varies between capital and lowercase.