Toddlers are naturally bright individuals. It is hard for them to resist bright colors, sparkling objects, and fun animals. However, one of their favorite activities is playing and learning with all the different colors around them. Because of this, adults need to give toddlers opportunities to learn about colors through books and other activities.
Reading books about colors is the ideal way to teach your toddler about color. Children learn a lot from books. They see the illustrations, read the stories, and discover many colors that he may have never seen before. However, there are many books about colors, and it’s hard to decide which one to choose. As a preschool provider, Baby Steps Daycare, we know exactly what books about colors are ideal for your toddlers. The books included in the list below are colorful and fun to read.
But before knowing all these books for your toddlers, let’s first examine why you need to teach toddlers about colors early.
Why Need to Teach Toddlers About Colors?
The most obvious reason to start teaching toddlers about colors is that colors are bright, fun, and stimulating for them. Bright colors naturally attract them because of the stimulation that comes with them. And with all the stimulation around most toddlers, they need activities that will help them grow physically and emotionally. And an excellent way to strengthen your child’s memory.
Colors help toddlers make sense of the world around them. Since everything has a color, your toddler is better able to distinguish between different objects when he sees their various colors. For instance, if he sees a blue car and a red car, he will be better able to tell them apart even if they are the same model.
And lastly, colors are used in everything around us. From clothes to stores to your toddler’s toys, color is everywhere. By teaching toddlers about colors early on, they will better understand their surroundings because of it.
With this in mind, let’s now take a look at our recommended books for toddlers. All of the books are wonderful choices for your toddlers because of their colorful illustrations and simple language that is easy to read. We hope that you enjoy them as much as our little ones at Baby Steps Daycare have.
15 Amazing Books About Colors for Toddlers
1. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
If you only read one book about colors for your toddlers, then Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is the one to read. It’s a classic storybook written by Bill Martin Jr. and illustrated by Eric Carle. The storybook contains vibrant illustrations of various colors and a fun rhyming pattern that will capture your toddler’s interest. And best of all, it will teach him about different colors through a simple-to-read storybook format.
2. Neon Leon by Jane Clarke
If your toddler is fascinated by all the colors he sees, then Neon Leon will be the perfect book. This book follows the story of Leon, a chameleon with a neon color. It is hard for him to fit in due to his vibrant color, so he searches for a place he can blend in. It’s an ideal book to read to your child because of its colorful illustrations and approachable tone for even the youngest children.
3. Little Owl’s Colors by Divya Srinivasan
Colorful books for toddlers are easy to find. However, finding books that are simple but beautiful can be more difficult. Fortunately, Little Owl’s Colors is an ideal book to read to your toddler because of its colorful illustrations and simple text that is easy to read. The storybook follows Little Owl as he explores the colors of the world around him.
4. Blue by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Blue is one of the most beloved colors in the world because of its fascinating history, a deep meaning, and top-notch visibility. This classic book tells a story of a boy and his puppy who are best friends and goes on incredible adventures together. Blue by Laura Vaccaro Seeger will teach your toddler what blue means to people through its colorful illustrations. This book will be a prized childhood treasure for generations to come.
5. Monsters Love Colors by Mike Austin
Color and monsters may seem like a strange mix to adults and toddlers alike. However, Mike Austin successfully combines the two to create a fun and colorful book that your toddler will love. This fun book follows the story of monsters who appreciate colors just as much as we do. The playful illustrations and bright colors will keep your toddler entertained for hours.
6. A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni
Though it’s a very simple book, A Color of His Own is still an excellent book for teaching toddlers about colors. The book follows the story of a chameleon who wishes to find its color. So it starts its journey to find that color, but the chameleon realizes that companionship is more important. It is one of our favorite color books.
7. Color Dance by Ann Jonas
It is a fantastic book that describes which colors combine to create other colors. Color Dance centers on three dancers with red, yellow, and blue scarves. As they dance, the colors in the scarves mix, making secondary colors, tertiary colors, and black colors. An entertaining book to read to develop your child’s color recognition.
8. Freight Train by Donald Crews
Freight Train is a wonderful book for teaching toddlers about colors because it uses beautiful illustrations and simple but engaging text to teach your child about the colors around him. The book follows a train as it travels through different cities while picking up colorful freight. It’s a great way to teach your toddler about all of the different colors that things come in around us.
9. Cat’s Colors by Jane Cabrera
Cat’s Color is fantastic to read with your toddler. It follows the story of a cat who loves to collect colors. The text is lovely but comes with one sentence per page so that toddlers don’t get bored when reading it—a recommended color concept book.
10. Little Green Peas by Keith Baker
A group of playful little green peas inhabits a colorful world. Each page focuses on a particular color which is perfect for helping kids learn about colors. It also shows the peas play through a rainbow of colors. Told in simple language, this is one of our favorite books to read to toddlers learning about colors.
11. Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
One cheerful dog starts off the day with a clean white coat, but it seems that wherever he goes, he runs into colors. A drop of jam falls and creates a spot on his back, his tail dips into blue paint, and he receives a chocolaty brown pat from a little boy. Dog’s Colorful Day is a fun book to read and to teach about colors and basic counting.
12. Red Is a Dragon by Roseanne Thong
This book is one of the most colorful books on our list, a fun book to read to your child. Red Is a Dragon uses a rhyming story, which creates a lively rhythm that captures your child’s attention and draws him in. It’s an excellent color concept book filled with vivid illustrations.
13. My Very First Book of Colors by Eric Carle
My Very First Book of Colors is another excellent educational book for toddlers about colors from Eric Carle. It tells a short story of a little girl who notices color wherever she goes. The author uses soft but bright colors to create engaging images on every page.
14. Red Sings From Treetops: A Year In Colors by Joyce Sidman
A beautiful poetry book to read with your toddler. Red Sings From Treetops talks about colors in nature throughout the year. Author Joyce Sidman names every color and explains its role in our natural world. An excellent book to practice your child’s language skills and color recognition.
15. Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Wash
It is a simple yet engaging book to teach toddlers about colors. In this book, three white mice roam around and discover three buckets of color, thinking it’s mouse paint. They dip themselves in the buckets, and soon after, they are covered with colors like red, yellow, and blue. The mice dance and create a lot of color mixing.
These are our favorite books that teach toddlers about colors. Whether it’s your son or daughter who is learning the colors, these books will help him, or her differentiate one color from another. Reading these colorful books will surely enrich your child’s language and color recognition capabilities. As a preschool provider in Forest Hills, New York, we take pride in helping families with children of all ages and stages. We help you build skills and confidence in your child. For more articles like this one, please visit our blog.
