Description

What our Colors: Red lesson plan includes

Lesson Objectives and Overview: Colors: Red teaches young learners about this color. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify the color red when shown three different crayon colors. This lesson is for students in preschool.

SCRATCH N SNIFF PAINTING ACTIVITY

For this activity, students will get to use Kool-Aid to paint a bunch of red pictures! Prepare the Kool-Aid paint by combining 1 package of Kool-Aid and ½ tablespoon of water. Mix well. Give each student a black and white copy of the red items, the Kool-Aid mixture, and a paintbrush. Let them paint in each item using the red Kool-Aid mixture. Comment on the red, fruity smell.

This lesson is meant to be used in conjunction with the other color lessons so that the artworks from the activity combine to create a large ocean mural. Instead of painting the red items, have students color the crab (see Additional Resources) with normal paint or markers. Cut out the crabs and display them with the blue ocean mural.

Options and Extensions

There are a number of options to include in this lesson if you want to. Have students wear red to school. Dye rice red with red food coloring and a few drops of vinegar. Place in a large sensory bin with measuring spoons, cups, and bowls. Let students scoop, measure, and explore the red rice. Another idea is to bring in red food to try. Strawberries, apples, watermelon, or red peppers all work well. Gather items of different colors in a basket and provide a magnifying glass. Ask students to find and sort the red items.

Take a large piece of red tissue paper and fold it in fourths. Cover a large flashlight or lamp with the red tissue paper and secure with a rubber band to make a red “stage” light. (Make sure the tissue paper is not directly touching the light bulb if using a lamp.) Dim the lights and let students dance or create shadow puppets in the light. Read Little Red Riding Hood or The Little Red Hen, and let students act out the story in the red “stage” light.

Give students a large piece of butcher paper or poster board and have them work together to create a red image collage. They can draw pictures of red items or glue items they bring from home (e.g., wrappers, crayons, yarn, fabric, magazine clippings, buttons, or tissue paper). One more idea is to color the red crayon (see Additional Resources). Keep each crayon until the students have learned all the colors, then give students a small envelope with the flap cut off to color as a crayon box. Arrange crayons standing up in the envelope to resemble a box full of crayons!

As an extension to the lesson, read The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood. Read Red is Best by Kathy Stinkson.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Our preschool lessons include additional resources that you can use throughout the lesson. They are provided to give you as much content as possible to complete the lesson without having to find sources on their own. For instance, if the lesson requires you to show students pictures, you can use the ones in the additional resources.

Preschool Philosophy

Our preschool curriculum is thoughtfully designed by professional teachers to nurture curiosity, build foundational skills, and prepare young learners for kindergarten and beyond. Each preschool lesson plan offers age-appropriate activities to promote early literacy, math readiness, creativity, and social-emotional growth.

At the preschool level, children are developing rapidly—socially, emotionally, physically, and academically. The goal of our lesson plans for preschool is to provide structured yet engaging learning experiences that spark imagination, encourage problem-solving, and foster a lifelong love of learning.

CURRICULUM FOCUS

Our curriculum focuses on key objectives such as:

• Building early literacy and language skills through stories, songs, and interactive activities.
• Developing number sense, shapes, colors, and patterns with hands-on lessons.
• Encouraging creativity and self-expression through art, play, and music.
• Supporting social-emotional development, cooperation, and confidence.
• Strengthening fine and gross motor skills through active learning.