Colors Theme Week for Toddlers
*Originally written in 2018 on an old blog website
Really the possibilities for this theme are endless. There are so many ways to go with this one. First, I usually assign each day of the week a color of the rainbow. The seventh day is usually pink or neutrals – alternating. This one does require a bit more prepping and work than other themes, but it is worth it. I start my theme week on Sundays.
How I Set Up Our Theme Week
Clothes
I usually prep first by gathering her clothes for the week and put them aside. I try to do this when I am folding clothes. Red pajamas, Red clothes (I have backups as well because she is a toddler), orange pajamas, orange clothes, etc. If you don’t have that color, pick something with that color in it. Also, you don’t need to follow the rainbow, brown, white, gray, and black clothes work. I had this idea because sometimes we have hand-me-downs that are super cute or beautiful dresses she doesn’t wear as often, and this is a great way to rotate clothes and update her everyday wardrobe. More importantly, this reinforces the color of the day.
Books
Gather up all your books for the week – anything about colors or be creative – Elmo is Red right? Viola.
Look below for lots of other book suggestions. Some I bought because they were great or found at a used book sale. Most I borrow from our local library.
Toys
I gather up all her rainbow toys – you know the ones – the ring stacker and the Fisher-Price Classic Xylophone. I covet a Grimm’s Large 12-Piece Rainbow Stacker, but those things are pricey! So, if you have one, that too.
I also got a few bins from the dollar tree that I use for theme weeks. I fill those with little toys for each color day – we keep them in plain sight and play with them as the day goes on. This is a great way to make use of a lot of those toys that seem to end up at the bottom of the toy box and never get played with.
Songs & Movies
I also look for songs to fit our theme and will play them or sing them for her. I often forget to do this completely. If it is a theme we can incorporate with a family movie night, then we will do that too.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoʻole is one of our favorites.
Here are a few more links to songs about colors:
10 Preschool Songs About Colors
The Colors of the Wind
Printable & Paper Supplies
I have a lot of resources for printable and I am always finding more. Some are paid, and many are free. The paid ones are worth it tens times over.
Some of my favorites:
For Color Theme Week
· Colors Workbooks and flashcard set from the dollar store. There are also many printable flashcards sets you could print from Etsy. You could even take construction paper or index cards and make your own.
· Monster Matching game and the Barn Yard Color Match Up from LetsPlaySchool’s My First School Toddler Curriculum – (Growing Curriculum)
· I routinely cut magazine pictures out because I read magazines to stay on top of wellness trends for work. I save the clippings in my files for that theme and then put them in her pasting practice envelope for the week. Give her a giant paste stick, a piece of paper and she is happy for at least 20 minutes. This time I chose different colored food images for her to paste.
Other Activites
· Point out colors throughout your home and outside. Make them a bigger part of your vocabulary throughout the week
· Go over the flash cards as sight words for the week
· Sidewalk chalk outside
· Any kind of science experiment using rainbows, crystals, etc.
· Color matching games
· Painting and coloring
· Playdoh play
Skittle experiment – we tried this one – she was amazed. It is worth buying a pack of skittles!
