Rainbow hunt: colours with movement
Children learn four colour words by doing: touch something red, jump to the blue mat, hunt for hidden yellow cards. Language comes in through the body first, speaking comes later.
At a glance
- From
- Level 0, Little Steps English: Week 3, Colours
- Grammar
- It's red. Red, please.
- Key language
- red, yellow, blue, green / Touch something red. / It's red. / Red, please.
- Children make
- Children follow colour commands, name colours with a friend and colour four dots on the worksheet.
- Class size
- Works with 10 to 50 children; pair and group steps say how to scale.
Objective
By the end of the lesson children can understand and follow "Touch something (colour)" for four colours, and say the colour names when they find them.
Success criteria for children
- I can touch something red, yellow, blue and green.
- I can say the colour: "It's red."
- I can colour in the right colour.
Timing: 30 minutes
| Minutes | Stage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 4 | Greeting and colour reveal | Hello chant, then pull coloured sheets out of a bag one at a time. |
| 4 to 12 | Touch it: TPR commands | Teacher gives commands; children touch the matching coloured sheet. |
| 12 to 17 | Say it: pass the colour | In the circle, pass a coloured card and say its colour. |
| 17 to 24 | Rainbow hunt | Children find the hidden cards and put them on the matching coloured sheet. |
| 24 to 28 | Worksheet: colour the dots | Colour each dot with the colour written under it and draw something blue and green. |
| 28 to 30 | Goodbye colours | Leave when your colour is called. |
Materials
- Four large coloured sheets (red, yellow, blue, green), taped to the floor or wall
- Small coloured cards or pieces of paper, five of each colour, to hide
- A bag or box to put the sheets in
- One worksheet per child, crayons in red, yellow, blue and green
- Colours flashcards (free, linked from Week 3)
- Song: I can sing a rainbow (free, linked from Week 3)
- Story: Colourful world (free, linked from Week 3)
Before the lesson: Hide the 20 small cards around the room at child height before the lesson. Check you have the four crayon colours for each table.
Step by step, with teacher talk
0 to 4 minGreeting and colour reveal
- Say the hello chant from the first lesson, then show the bag. Pull out the red sheet slowly: "Red! It's red."
- Do the same for yellow, blue and green. Children say the colour back, or just point.
"What's in the bag? Look... it's red! Red. Say red with me."
4 to 12 minTouch it: TPR commands
- Say "Touch red." Show them by touching the red sheet. Children copy. Then say the commands faster, mixing the colours.
- Add "Jump to blue", "Hop to green", "Tiptoe to yellow". Do not ask children to speak yet.
- Choose one child to be the teacher and give a command to the class, with help.
"Touch red. Touch blue. Jump to green! Well done. Now yellow."
- (Hold up a green card.) Is this red? (No.) What colour is it? (Green.)
- (Point to the red sheet.) Do I say blue? (No. Red.)
12 to 17 minSay it: pass the colour
- Sit in a circle. Pass a red card around while everyone says "red". Then add a second card in another colour.
- When a child holds a card, they say "It's red" with your help.
17 to 24 minRainbow hunt
- Say "Find a red card." Children search, bring the card and put it on the red sheet. Do all four colours.
- When all 20 cards are found, count how many are on each sheet together (five of each).
"Find something yellow! Look. What colour is it? Yellow. Put it on the yellow sheet."
- Is this card the same colour as the sheet? (Yes / No.) What colour is it? (Colour name.)
24 to 28 minWorksheet: colour the dots
- Each child needs four crayons. Say the colour and children colour the dot: "Colour the red dot."
- Then they draw something blue and something green in the boxes.
28 to 30 minGoodbye colours
- Say "If you are wearing blue, go and wash your hands." Do a colour at a time. Children say the colour as they leave.
Differentiation
Support
- Start with two colours (red and blue) and add the others across the week.
- Let children point or bring the card instead of speaking.
- Use the real colours of toys the child likes, because they notice those first.
Stretch
- Add orange and purple and repeat the hunt.
- Ask for two colours: "Find a red card and a blue card."
- Children give commands to friends: "Touch green."
Chant
Say the chant in a steady beat. Hold up each colour as you say it.
Red, red, I can see red!
Touch it, touch it, on your head!
Yellow, yellow, bright like the sun,
Touch it, touch it, everyone!
Blue, blue, blue like the sea,
Touch it, touch it, one, two, three!
Green, green, grass and leaf,
Touch it, touch it, then take a seat.
Questions
- What colour is the sun in the chant?
- What colour is the sea?
- What colour are the grass and the leaf?
- What colour do we touch first?
Printable worksheet
Prints on its own A4 page. Use Print the worksheet above, or print the whole plan and the worksheet starts on a new page. One copy per child, or one per pair to save paper.
Colour the dots
A grown-up says the colour. Children colour the dot with the matching crayon.
1. Colour each dot.
2. Draw something blue.
3. Draw something green.
Answer key
Chant questions
- Yellow.
- Blue.
- Green.
- Red.
Worksheet
- 1: the dots are red, yellow, blue and green in that order, matching the word under each dot.
- 2: any drawing in blue, for example the sea, the sky or a bird. Ask "What is it?"
- 3: any drawing in green, for example grass, a frog or a tree.
Exit ticket
Hold up a coloured card and ask each child at the door "What colour?" Tick a class list for each of the four colours: said, pointed, or not yet.
Homework
Find something red and something blue at home and show a family member. Say "Red!" and "Blue!"
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- Level 0, Week 3: Colours (the curriculum week this plan comes from)
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